Where to go in Luxor – Egypt
Where to go in Luxor – Egypt
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About 500 kilometers down the Nile river from Cairo, you will find Luxor, a must-see in Egypt! On the West Bank of the Nile, 1550-1050 B.C., most of Egypt’s rulers chose to be buried close to the city in the nearby Valley of the Kings. Close to the Valley of the Kings, there is Dier el-Bahari – the Queen Hatshepsut’s mortuary. One the East Bank of the Nile you have to explore my favorite place in Egypt: Karnak Temple. The morning light shining through the big pillars with all the incredible hieroglyphs are just breathtaking. I would spend one early morning at Karnak temple, and one early morning at Dier el Bahari to get a special experience at these places!
1. Karnak Temple – East Bank
Starting with my favorite place in Egypt, the Karnak temple: It is located on the east bank of the Nile river. Isn’t it crazy – these massive columns? It’s grandeur is so impressive! This large complex is not UNESCO World Heritage without any reason. It was built as a cult temple and was dedicated to the gods Amun, Mut, and Khonsu. Furthermore, it is the largest building for religious purposes ever be constructed. The central sector of the site is dedicated to Amun. Construction at Karnak started by 4.000 years ago!
Be there as early as possible, for me it was 7 am (in summer 6 am). In the morning there were so very few tourists, we almost enjoyed this magnificent ancient temple alone. Walk through the big pillars and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere while smooth morning light is shining through the complex. Around 2 to 3 hours is the right amount of time for this temple, the site is huge! You can literally be there for hours just admiring it’s beauty and the Egyptian history. The entrance ticket will be 200 EGP.
2. Luxor Temple – East Bank
Close to Karnak temple, there is another big temple you should visit: Luxor Temple. This temple is right in the middle of the city. I found it not as impressive as Karnak temple, however I heard that it’s absolutely mystical to be there at night, when everything is illuminated. Wonder at the rows of statues along the entrance road and the size of the figures and columns. The entrance ticket will be 140 EGP.
3. Dier el Bahari – West Bank
Now we are switching sides to the west bank of the Nile. Located close to the Valley of the Kings, protected from the big rocks, you have to visit Dier el-Bahari, the Queen Hatshepsut’s mortuary. The architecture of the different platforms and levels, connected through the big ramp and stairs in its axis, is just stunning! With the entrance ticket of 100 EGP you can walk on the different levels and even go inside the building! There are still working a lot of archaeologists finding new ancient items every day.
It’s recommended to go here as early as possible, before the tourist busses arrive around 9 am. I saw that there is a hiking trail between Dier el Bahari and the Valley of the Kings, which I would try next time to get a better impression of the whole area! The easiest way is to get a taxi from Luxor city, because there is no Uber in Luxor.
4. Valley of the Kings – West Bank
Hidden between high rocks and mountains, there were found over 60 tombs until today. There is not a lot to see from the outside, each tomb has pretty the same entrance. However, if you walk down the underground corridors you get to know the magnificence of the Egyptian pharaoh’s tombs. There are so many hieroglyphs, paintings and statues to see inside!
With the standard 200 EGP ticket you can enter 3 tombs of your choice. Additionally, travelers need to purchase a separate ticket for the tombs of Tutankhamun (250 EGP), Ramses V & VI (150 EGP), and Seti (1000 EGP). If you want to take pictures with a camera or if you carry a tripod, you have to buy an additional photo pass ticket. We only bought the additional ticket for Ramses VI, because it’s one of the most beautiful tombs. We decided not to visit the tombs Tutankhamun and Seti with the expensive additional ticket. To be honest it’s totally fine if you visit 3 tombs, after some time they look all pretty similar. Below you find the tombs we visited:
KV9 Rameses V & VI – Additional Ticket 150 EGP
This tomb is one of the most beautiful ones in my opinion and worth the extra money. The walls and ceilings are processed with so many details! Fun fact: There is a creature with reeeaaally long legs painted on the ceiling!
KV11 Rameses III – included in standard ticket
This tomb was really nice as well! But we don’t have a lot of pictures from this place.
KV14 Tausret & Setnakht – included in standard ticket
Well, this one has not as much details as Ramses V and VI, but there are a lot of incredible paintings.
KV8 Merenptah – included in standard ticket
This one was the last tomb we visited. Besides the Ramses tombs, which we really wanted to see, we just decided spontaneously, which one looked good from the outside.
5. Colossi of Memnon – West Bank
After visiting the Valley of the Kings, you should take a short trip to the nearby 18-meter high stone statues. Both statues are carved from one single block of sandstone! These statues are standing here for 4000 years, no wonder they look like that right? You can walk on the area in front of the statues without any ticket.
6. Explore Nile Delta and some local farms – East Bank
Well, we are talking about the west bank and the east bank of the Nile river. For sure you should also have a look at the Nile itself! We stayed at Mercure Luxor Karnak, because it was very cheap around 25€ at that time. One evening we decided to explore the area next to the hotel complex for sunset. Luckily we met Mohammed, who directly showed us the whole village, were he was living with his big family next to the hotel.
We had a nice walk together trough the different fields of crops and their animal stables, until we reached the Nile riverbank. Then he introduced us to everyone in the village and to his close family. He even invited us for tea in his garden!! I am still fascinated by the hospitality of this man and his horse stall in his garden with a FAN! I highly recommend to get to know some locals! Be open minded and you will experience the authentic life here!
7. Street Life and the Souk – East Bank
Simply start from Luxor city center and walk through the streets. Get lost! Feel the vibes! Afterwards, you should visit the souk in Luxor, where you will find a lot of spices, fruits, nuts, but also furniture, clothes – simply everything. The great thing about the souks in Egypt is, that it’s not only for the tourists, locals buy there too!
8. Felucca boat ride on the Nile
Okay, this one is a must-do! Either in Luxor or in Assuan. Back in Luxor there was no wind at all, but 2 days later in Assuan there was enough wind for a relaxed sailing trip in the sunset. I even steer the boat, the old wooden elements have more power than I thought, so I had to push all of my physical strength against the rudder. There are Feluccas everywhere along the Nile, just ask anyone for a ride. Feluccas are simple, traditional Egyptian sailboats, that have plied the mighty Nile since ancient times. It’s rig consists of one or two lateen sails. We paid around 10€ for 1,5 hours. The locals in Luxor talked about a sailing trip to Banana Island – you might want to check that out.
9. Eat at Al-Shabi Lane with a view over the city – East Bank
We highly recommend this restaurant in Luxor. Not only because of the incredible Egyptian food, but also because of the amazing view from the roof top terrace over Luxor! You have to walk in a smaller side street, enter the hotel and walk up the stairs to the rooftop. We had my all time favorite vegetable tajine and some Meze starters with hummus and Baba Ganoush.
Do you have more time in Luxor? Check out these places:
- Valley of the Queens
- Ramesseum
- Luxor Museum
- Medinet Habu
- Tombs of the Nobles
- Mortuary Temple of Seti I
- Deir el-Medina
- Hot Air Balloon Ride over Luxor at Sunrise
How to get around in Luxor
Other then in Cairo, there is no Uber in Luxor. However, there are hundreds of taxi drivers everywhere, who are even try to surpass their competitors. Nevertheless, it will be not as cheap as with Uber, unless you are a really really good negotiator :). Most drivers would like to drive you to several sides and even be a guide for you. We explored everything on our own and really liked it without a guide. This car below was one of the older cars we drove with and really liked it :). Also it’s really nice to talk to all the different drivers. Please do not use the carriages, since the horses are not treated very well in Egypt!
About the temperatures
In March, spring, it already got really hot around the desert areas like Valley of the Kings. We had temperatures up to 35 degree in the shadows. In summer it gets even warmer. Keep in mind that it is a lot more enjoyable to explore the desert areas in the colder morning than in the midday sun. However, the deep tombs inside the rocks are always refreshing.
↠ Read more about our whole Egypt trip, as well as temperatures and safety here: “2 – Unforgettable Weeks in Egypt”
Anzeige / ad: The hotels and companies we mentioned above didn’t sponsor us. Our recommendations are based on our own opinion.
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