Both directions sail the same stretch of river and stop at the same temples. What changes is the length and the price. On the six ships whose 2026 rate sheet covers both, the four-night Luxor-to-Aswan cruise costs a median 19% more than the three-night Aswan-to-Luxor one in winter — about $138 more per person in a double cabin — and 16% more in summer. Per night, though, the longer cruise is the cheaper of the two: $222 against $250 in winter.
The two lengths, priced
Per person, sharing a double cabin, for the whole cruise, on our published 2026 rates. Winter and summer are the rate sheet's own two seasons.
| Ship | 3 nights, winter | 4 nights, winter | 3 nights, summer | 4 nights, summer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellie | $725 | $850 | $600 | $700 |
| M/S Ciela | $775 | $950 | $510 | $600 |
| M/Y Alyssa | $775 | $925 | $550 | $650 |
| M/S Chateau Lafayette | $775 | $900 | $500 | $575 |
| M/S Alma | $725 | $875 | $525 | $575 |
| M/S Nile Treasure | $700 | $825 | $525 | $575 |
Why one direction is a night longer
The Nile flows north. Luxor to Aswan sails south, against the current, and it is the direction the four-night programme runs. On Alma, Alyssa, Chateau Lafayette and Nile Treasure the ship pages say it outright — four nights from Luxor to Aswan, three from Aswan to Luxor — and it is the usual pattern on the river.
The temples do not change with the direction. These ships stop at Edfu and Kom Ombo either way, with Luxor's temples at one end and Aswan's at the other. On them, the extra night is time aboard rather than another site.
Per night, the longer cruise is cheaper
Paying more for four nights than for three is obvious. Less obvious is that the fourth night is the cheapest one you will buy: it adds a median $138 to the winter fare, where the three-night cruise works out at $250 a night. The pattern holds in summer — $147 a night on the longer cruise against $175 on the shorter — and on every one of the six ships, in both seasons.
How to choose
- By your flights. The temples are the same, so start where your flight lands and finish where the next one leaves.
- By budget. The three-night Aswan-to-Luxor cruise is the cheapest total: from $500 per person in summer on this sheet, on Chateau Lafayette.
- By value. If you have the night, the four-night cruise costs less per night on every ship here.
- By season. Summer is cheaper on every ship: $125–$275 less per person on the three-night cruise, $150–$350 on the four-night.
Where these figures come from
Our 2026 cruise rate sheet (August 2026), which prices each cabin for the whole cruise; the figures above divide the double-cabin total by two. The sheet names two seasons and gives no dates for them, so neither do we. The same rates, beside every other trip we sell in one comparable unit, are in the Egypt Travel Price Index. The ships are on the Nile cruises page, and if you are weighing a sailing boat instead, dahabiya or Nile cruise compares the two.
Written by the Travel To Egypt team, Nazlet Al-Zanati Street, Luxor.
