We are based in Luxor. That is not a positioning line — our guides live on the east bank, and the Luxor day tours on this page were built by people who walk into these temples in August as well as January. It shows in the small decisions: which tomb is worth the separate ticket on the morning you happen to be there, which side of Karnak takes the light at eight, when to leave a site alone because three cruise ships have just moored.
The east bank holds the temples of the living. Karnak is the largest religious complex ever built, around a hundred hectares, and it grew over roughly two thousand years as one pharaoh after another added to it. Luxor Temple sits two miles south, connected to it by the avenue of sphinxes, now excavated along its full length and open again. Both fit comfortably into a half day, and Luxor Temple after dark is better than most people expect.
Across the river is the necropolis. The Valley of the Kings rotates which tombs are open, so a standard ticket admits you to three chosen on the day, while Tutankhamun, Seti I and Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens are ticketed separately. Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari rises in three terraces set against the cliff — she began as regent for Thutmose III and went on to rule as a crowned king in full pharaonic regalia, with his regnal years still running alongside hers. Past the headline sites, Medinet Habu, the Ramesseum, Deir el-Medina and the tombs of the nobles are quieter, and for surviving painted decoration they are frequently better.
Luxor is also a base. Dendera and Abydos are a long day north, and Dendera’s ceiling carries the finest astronomical decoration left anywhere in Egypt. Edfu and Kom Ombo are a long day south. Aswan and Abu Simbel work as overnights, and Cairo is possible as a single very long day by plane.
Every tour on this page is private: your own Egyptologist, your own driver, your own vehicle, with pickup from your Luxor hotel or your ship’s mooring. Start early. From May to September the middle of the day on the west bank is punishing, and the sites are better empty regardless of the season. Staying in more than one city? Compare all our Egypt day tours by region.
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If you have one day, take the full-day East and West Bank tour: Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el-Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon, with lunch between banks. If you have a half day, pick a bank rather than rushing both. If you have already done the headline sites, Medinet Habu, Deir el-Medina and the tombs of the nobles are where the best-preserved painting actually is.
The east bank was for the living: Karnak, Luxor Temple, the modern town, the hotels and the market. The west bank was for the dead — the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, the mortuary temples and the workmen’s village at Deir el-Medina. The ancient Egyptians put the necropolis where the sun sets, and the division is that literal. A full day covers both.
From around $40 for a half day at Karnak and Luxor Temple, and from about $90 for a full day across both banks including lunch. Longer runs to Dendera and Abydos, or Edfu and Kom Ombo, start near $95 and $110. The sunrise balloon is separate. Prices depend on group size and on which extra tomb tickets you decide to buy on the day.
One full day covers the essentials. Two gives you both banks unhurried plus the balloon. Three or more lets you reach Dendera, Abydos, or the quieter west bank sites that most visitors never see. We also run three, four and five-day Luxor packages with accommodation for anyone treating Luxor as the destination rather than a stop.
Every Luxor day tour here is private — your own licensed Egyptologist guide, your own driver and your own air-conditioned vehicle, with no other travellers joining. Pickup is from your Luxor hotel or directly from your ship’s mooring.
Main entrance fees and full-day lunches are included. Three tickets are not, because they are sold separately at the gate and priced well above the standard fee: the tomb of Tutankhamun, the tomb of Seti I, and the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens. Your guide will tell you on the day whether they are worth it for you — Seti I and Nefertari usually are, Tutankhamun less often, since the objects that made it famous are now in the Grand Egyptian Museum.
It changes. The site rotates tombs to limit humidity damage, so the open set on any given morning is decided by the inspectorate rather than published in advance. A standard ticket admits you to three of whichever tombs are open that day. This is one of the more useful things about touring with a local guide: we can see what is open when we arrive and pick the three worth your time, rather than working from a list written six months ago.
It can be, if you are staying several days and intend to see a lot. The pass covers the sites on both banks over a set number of days, and the premium version adds the Seti I and Nefertari tombs, which are the expensive tickets. For a single day tour it will not pay for itself. It must be bought in person, and you need your passport and a passport photo. Ask us before you buy and we will tell you honestly whether your itinerary justifies it.
Worth it, yes — around forty minutes over the west bank at first light, with the mortuary temples, the cultivation and the desert edge all laid out below you. On safety: Egyptian balloon operations are regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority and were substantially tightened after a fatal accident in 2013, with flight numbers capped and stricter weather limits imposed. Flights are cancelled outright when conditions are wrong, which happens often enough in winter that you should book it for the first morning of your stay rather than the last, so there is room to reschedule. We book with licensed operators only.
Yes to both. From Hurghada it is a long road day and we run it as a full East and West Bank excursion. For cruise guests, we pick up at your mooring — this is a popular option because ship programs tend to move large groups through the same three sites at the same hour, and a private guide lets you go at your own pace or see something the ship does not include.
Light, breathable clothing, a hat, sunglasses and closed shoes with grip — the ground on the west bank is uneven, and tomb ramps can be slippery underfoot. Bring more water than you think, sunscreen, and cash in small notes for extra tickets and tips. Photography inside the tombs is now free, but flash is not permitted — it damages the pigment, and the guards will stop you.
October to April for comfort, with December and January the coolest. May to September is genuinely hot — often above 40°C on the west bank — which is why we start at sunrise and finish the outdoor sites before midday. Whatever the month, the first two hours after opening are the best of the day: cooler, emptier, and the light across the temples is at its most useful.
Note: Luxor sits in the path of totality for the total solar eclipse of 2 August 2027, and we run separate small-group tours for it. If you are planning around that date, see our 2027 Luxor eclipse day tours.
