Upper Egypt · Destination guide
Ancient Thebes rebuilt in stone — Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and the Nile all within a few miles of each other.
Get your bearings
Luxor stands on the site of Thebes, capital of Egypt at the height of its power, and it packs more ancient monuments into a few square miles than any other town on the Nile. The river splits it in two: the East Bank, where the living built Karnak and Luxor Temple, and the West Bank, where they buried their kings in the hills above the floodplain.
Karnak alone is the largest religious complex ever built — a forest of stone columns added to by pharaoh after pharaoh for two thousand years. Across the river, the Valley of the Kings hides the rock-cut tombs of Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses VI, their painted ceilings still bright after three thousand years.
Most travellers reach Luxor by a short flight from Cairo and use it as the northern end of a Nile cruise down to Aswan. Two nights covers the headline sites; three lets you cross the river slowly, drift up at dawn in a balloon, and give Karnak the morning it deserves.
What you're really here to see
01 The largest religious building ever raised, expanded by thirty pharaohs over two millennia. The Great Hypostyle Hall packs 134 columns so vast that a dozen people can stand on a single capital. Go early, before the light goes flat and the coaches arrive.
Half day · go at opening
02 Sixty-three tombs cut into the limestone of the West Bank, Tutankhamun's among them. The painted walls still carry their original colour — gods, star-ceilings and the king's journey through the underworld, rendered for an audience of one.
Tickets cover 3 tombs
03 Egypt's most architecturally modern monument — three colonnaded terraces rising straight out of the cliff at Deir el-Bahari. Built for the woman who ruled as pharaoh, it looks more like the 20th century than the 15th century BC.
1–2 hours
04 Right in the middle of town and best after dark, when the floodlights catch the colonnade and the avenue of sphinxes that once ran the full three kilometres to Karnak. An easy walk from most hotels for a cool evening hour.
Best at night
Time to allow
Luxor is denser than it looks. The honest sum on how long to give it.
Karnak and the Valley of the Kings in a single hard day — common on a cruise turnaround, but both get short-changed.
East Bank one day (Karnak, Luxor Temple), West Bank the next (Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, the Colossi of Memnon). The right minimum.
Add a dawn balloon over the West Bank, the workers' village at Deir el-Medina, and the quieter tombs of the nobles.
Start a 3–4 night Nile cruise here and let the boat carry you south past Edfu and Kom Ombo to Aswan.
Where it fits
Luxor is the northern hinge of Upper Egypt — the start of the river journey and a short hop from Cairo.
Board a 3–4 night Nile cruise to Aswan, stopping at Edfu and Kom Ombo along the way.
A 70-minute flight returns you to the Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum.
A sunrise hot-air balloon over the Valley of the Kings and the green floodplain — Luxor's signature morning.
Hurghada is a 4-hour drive or short flight for a beach finish after the temples.
From the catalogue
A 9-day, land-based tour that visits Cairo, Alexandria, Aswan and Luxor with private Egyptologists and a combination of domestic flights and a first-class train. We arrange all airport meet-and-assist, modern private transfers and guides for the major sites named in the itinerary. Unlike large coach programmes, every major visit is private and paced to avoid peak crowds whenever possible. We do not run fixed-seat group buses; instead you travel in air-conditioned cars with your Egyptologist. Entrance fees for the listed monuments are included, while pyramid interiors and premium tombs are excluded unless requested.
A guided 8-day holiday combining three nights in Cairo with a four-night Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan. We are a licensed Egyptian tour operator and arrange domestic flights, private transfers and an Egyptologist throughout. Sightseeing follows a paced rhythm: Giza Plateau and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Luxor East and West Bank temples, sailing stops at Edfu and Kom Ombo, and a scheduled visit to Abu Simbel from Aswan. We arrange hotel check-in nights in Cairo and full-board cruise accommodation, so you move between land and river sections without carrying luggage long distances.
Nefertari Nile Cruise is a five-day luxury river vessel arranged for sailings between Luxor and Aswan. The ship has a sun deck for solar-eclipse viewing, a lounge bar, a dining room and graded cabins with Nile views. The vessel sails weekly in both directions; its shore-excursion programme visits Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu (Temple of Horus), Kom Ombo and Philae. We arrange Egyptologist-guided shore excursions and full-board dining, with embarkation in Luxor and disembarkation in Aswan as standard for these sailings.
Discover the very best of Egypt on this 7-day private guided tour. Starting in Luxor, the itinerary combines Luxor, Cairo, Nile and Aswan — with all domestic flights, private Egyptologist guide and handpicked accommodation included in every tier from Comfort to Luxury.
Two nights Cairo, two nights Luxor, eclipse on Day 3. The short fly-in shape for travellers who can't take eleven days off.
A 13-day guided holiday combining Alexandria, Cairo, a three-night Nile cruise between Aswan and Luxor, and a Red Sea break in Hurghada. We arrange domestic flights, private transfers and a dedicated Egyptologist throughout. This itinerary suits travellers who want museum and city sightseeing in Cairo and Alexandria followed by the paced sightseeing a short Nile cruise affords, then four nights for snorkeling and beach time in Hurghada. As a licensed Egyptian tour operator, we book the hotels and cruise with local suppliers and manage timings so you move comfortably between cities.
Our Historia Nile Cruise operates daily with flexible itinerary options – 4-, 5- and 8-day cruises. A welcome drink on arrival, a freshly prepared buffet lunch with vegetarian choices, English-speaking onboard commentary and roundtrip hotel transfers within city limits where offered. All port fees, taxes and service charges are included. The cruise operates aboard the MS Historia. Entrance fees to archaeological sites, optional land excursions and gratuities are not included.
A Sara sails the Nile between Aswan and Luxor, calling at Kom Ombo, Edfu, the Valley of the Kings and Luxor's East Bank. Choose the Aswan-to-Luxor, four-day option that departs every Wednesday, or the five-day Luxor-to-Aswan option that departs every Saturday with an optional Abu Simbel extension. Days combine temple visits with short daytime sailings, so you spend more time ashore at Edfu and Kom Ombo than on many tightly timed itineraries. Evenings are spent on deck with river views and relaxed dining. We arrange the Abu Simbel excursion by coach or scheduled flight if you add it when you book.
Every way in
Day trips, classic multi-day tours, Nile cruises, hotels and private transfers – every part of an Egypt trip can be arranged from Luxor. Start wherever makes sense.
Hotel pickup, a private Egyptologist, half or full day.
2–15 day private itineraries, hotels and guides included.
Pair Luxor with a 3–4 night river cruise in one trip.
Aswan ↔ Luxor sailings, dahabiyas and classic cruisers.
5★ and boutique stays, hand-picked by our team.
Private meet-and-greet from the airport to your hotel.
Best time to visit
Luxor sits in the desert south, so the seasons bite harder than on the coast.
22–30°C and clear — ideal for long mornings among the temples, and proper winter sun when the UK is grey. It's peak season, so book the balloon and hotels ahead, especially December and February half-term.
40–45°C by midday. Sightseeing is a dawn-only affair, but prices fall sharply and the sites are nearly empty before 9am.
Karnak's evening show is a gentle way to see the complex lit up once the heat drops — worth an hour on a first night.
Flights run almost year-round but cancel in high wind. Build a spare morning into the plan if the balloon is a must.
The practical part
Small, walkable and split by the river — the practical part.
Luxor has its own airport (LXR), about 20 minutes from the East Bank, with several daily flights from Cairo and seasonal international charters.
The West Bank tombs are a short drive over the bridge or a few minutes by local ferry. We run the West Bank as a guided half-day by private car.
The East Bank sites are walkable or a quick caleche ride; the West Bank needs a car. A private Egyptologist turns the tombs from pretty to legible.
Valley of the Kings entry covers three tombs; Tutankhamun, Seti I and Nefertari carry separate tickets. We pre-arrange the ones worth the upgrade.
Common questions
Two full days is the comfortable minimum — one for the East Bank (Karnak and Luxor Temple) and one for the West Bank (the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon). A third day adds the dawn balloon and the quieter tombs.
Karnak is the vast temple complex on the edge of town, built over two thousand years; Luxor Temple is the smaller, elegant one in the centre, best seen floodlit at night. An avenue of sphinxes once connected the two.
Yes. Your ticket covers three tombs, and the painted walls are extraordinary — gods, hieroglyphs and star-ceilings still in their original colour. Tutankhamun's tomb and the long, deep tomb of Seti I are worth the separate tickets.
By Nile cruise — a 3–4 night sailing south past Edfu and Kom Ombo is the classic way and the most scenic. There's also a 3-hour drive or a short domestic flight if you're not cruising.
Operators are licensed and fly at dawn in calm conditions, cancelling in high wind. It's one of the most popular things to do in Luxor — at sunrise the temples and the green floodplain spread out below you and the Nile catches the first light.
The East Bank has most hotels, restaurants and the two big temples within walking distance — the easy choice for a first visit. The West Bank is quieter and closer to the tombs, better for a second stay or a slower pace.
Plan your trip
Tell us your dates and what you want out of Luxor – we'll send a private, tailored itinerary within 24 hours. Cairo · Luxor · Aswan · Hurghada · Marsa Alam · Sharm El Sheikh, on the ground since 1988.
