Luxor in 2 days
Two days in which the west bank starts at seven because there is no shade, and Karnak waits until three in the afternoon when the groups leave — with a balloon or Medinet Habu for the second morning.
- How long
- 2 days
- Getting around
- A driver by the day for the west bank
- Rhythm
- Out at seven
Luxor in two days runs on one rule: tombs in the morning, temples in the afternoon. The west bank has not a metre of shade and is finished by noon; Karnak is best after three, when the boats collect their groups, and Luxor Temple at night under floodlights. The second morning is a balloon if the wind allows, or Medinet Habu if it does not.
The west bank in the morning, Karnak in the afternoon
The driver collects from the hotel; over the bridge or by ferry and taxi. First the Colossi of Memnon by the road, ten minutes, free.
The Valley of the Kings at opening: a ticket for three tombs from the dozen or so open is €13; Seti I is paid separately, €34, and is the only supplement worth it. Tutankhamun's is small: it holds the mummy and a painted burial chamber, while the treasure is in the Grand Museum. The little tram from the car park to the entrance for small change.
Hatshepsut's temple, three terraces in the cliff, no shade — hence before ten. An hour with the climb.
Medinet Habu or the Ramesseum, if there is energy: reliefs with colour and almost nobody. If not, the alabaster workshops on the road only if you want to buy.
Back across the river; lunch and an hour's rest, because from one to three outside is impossible.
Karnak: the hall of 134 columns, the obelisks, the sacred lake. The groups have gone, the light falls low; two hours until closing, ticket by card at the gate.
A walk along the Corniche or the avenue of sphinxes to the centre, dinner by the river.
A balloon at dawn, Luxor Temple at night
Transfer from the hotel to the west bank for the balloon: forty minutes above the Valley, Hatshepsut and the fields by the river, landing around seven. Cancelled in wind — which is why it is booked for the first possible morning, with the second in reserve.
Breakfast; anyone who did not fly goes to the Valley of the Queens — the general ticket covers the tombs of Titi, Khaemwaset and Amunherkhepshef, with painted reliefs — or to Medinet Habu if skipped yesterday. Nefertari's tomb, otherwise the most expensive supplement in the country, has been closed since 2024 with no reopening date announced.
The Luxor Museum: a small, air-conditioned collection with the statues from the cache under Luxor Temple, better piece for piece than any hall in Cairo. An hour.
Lunch and rest; the souk in the centre or the pool in the afternoon.
Luxor Temple before sunset and after, when the floodlights hit the colonnade of Amenhotep III; the Abu el-Haggag mosque above the temple shows how deeply it was buried. Two hours.
The avenue of sphinxes towards Karnak, 2.7 kilometres under lights, as far as you like; dinner in the centre.
Three things that wreck the plan
- The west bank after ten. The tombs sit in a windless valley; after ten it is forty degrees in a shade that does not exist; whoever starts at nine sees one tomb and gives up.
- A guide inside the tomb. Not allowed and not needed: the explanation is heard outside, then you go in alone. A guide who claims he can go in is leading to a workshop.
- All three supplements. Seti I yes; Tutankhamun and Ramesses VI no, if the budget is tight — the basic ticket with Ramesses IV, Ramesses IX and Merenptah already gives everything that is seen.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
How many days does Luxor need?
Two: the west bank and Karnak on the first, a balloon or the Valley of the Queens and Luxor Temple on the second. A third day goes to Dendera and Abydos with a driver; from Hurghada in a day you see half, with fourteen hours of travel.
Which tombs to choose in the Valley of the Kings?
With the basic ticket Ramesses IV, Ramesses IX and Merenptah, or whichever are open that day — the guide knows. The Seti I supplement is worth it, because it is the best painted tomb in Egypt; Tutankhamun's is bought for the name: the mummy is there, the treasure is in the Grand Museum.
Is the balloon worth it?
It is, and it is the one touristy thing in Luxor we would recommend to anyone: forty minutes above the Valley at dawn. Cancelled in wind, so booked for the first morning with the second in reserve.
Ready for Luxor?
Where to next
Day trips from Luxor
→Dendera with its painted ceiling, Abydos with the finest reliefs in Egypt, Edfu and Kom Ombo on the road to…
Aswan · 181 km
→A town on the Nile where the river has granite islands and cataracts, the people are Nubian and the temples were moved from where they were drowned
How well does Luxor suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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