Luxor at a glance
Luxor stands on the site of ancient Thebes. The 15 experiences below are an editorial selection, not a ranking. The first three are temples and a processional road on the east bank. The next eight are on the west bank, where the Theban necropolis lies. The last four are a museum, a balloon flight, a boat ride and a day trip to Dendera.
Prices are for foreign visitors, single visit, in Egyptian pounds (EGP), as displayed in October 2026. A student ticket needs a valid ID. Opening times and extra tombs can change, so check the current timetable before you go.
The east bank: temples and the avenue
Karnak and Luxor Temple are in the city, linked by an old processional road.
1. Karnak Temple
The complex has precincts for Amun, Mut and Montu. Its great hall has 134 columns, and the 12 central ones are taller than the rest. The ticket costs 600 EGP for adults and 300 EGP for students and includes the open-air museum. The Mut Temple is a separate ticket at 200 and 100 EGP. Karnak is open from 6:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:00. A separate evening show costs 20 USD, or 11 USD for children aged 6 to 12, with an English show at 20:00. Times can change.
Karnak guide →2. Luxor Temple
Amenhotep III built the core of the temple, and Ramesses II extended it. It was the destination of the Opet procession from Karnak. Adults pay 500 EGP and students 250 EGP. It is open from 6:00 to 20:00, with last entry at 19:00, so an evening visit is possible.
Luxor Temple guide →3. The Avenue of Sphinxes
The road is about 2,700 m long and ran between Karnak in the north and Luxor Temple in the south. A ceremony marked its reopening on 25 November 2021. Ask at the ticket office which ticket you need for the avenue. A 2024 price list asked for tickets to both temples, so do not count on free access.
Our picks: things to do
A balloon ride at dawn, a felucca at sunset and a day trip to Dendera.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Sunrise balloon ride over Luxor
The balloon ride and a transfer from your hotel or cruise ship are included. The three hours are the total duration, not the time in the air.
Check availability →
Dendera Temple with lunch and a felucca ride
Dendera entry, a private car, an English-speaking guide, lunch in Luxor and a felucca ride are included. West Bank pickup costs $5 per person extra.
Check availability →
Private sunset felucca ride on the Nile
Two hours on the Nile with tea and a transfer from selected hotels. Without wind the boat may be towed, so a pure sailing trip is not guaranteed.
Check availability →Luxor tours and day trips
Guided visits to the temples and tombs, balloon flights, Nile cruises and day trips from Luxor, with live prices and availability.
The west bank: tombs and mortuary temples
Spread over several miles, so plan your transport first.
4. Valley of the Kings
The basic ticket costs 750 EGP for adults and 375 EGP for students, and the valley is open daily from 6:00 to 17:00. Some tombs need an extra ticket: Ramesses V and VI cost 220 and 110 EGP, and Seti I costs 2,000 EGP for adults and students alike. Which tombs are open on the day varies. Photos for personal use are allowed, but not with flash inside.
Valley of the Kings guide →5. The Tomb of Tutankhamun
This is a separate ticket on top of the valley ticket: 700 EGP for adults and 350 EGP for students. With the basic ticket it comes to 1,450 EGP for an adult. Howard Carter found the tomb (KV62) in November 1922. It has a painted burial chamber and a quartzite sarcophagus. The outer gilded coffin was moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum in 2019, so the tomb does not hold the treasure.
Tomb of Tutankhamun guide →6. Hatshepsut Temple
This is the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, not her royal tomb. Reliefs show her divine birth and the expedition to Punt, and statues show her as Osiris. Tickets are 440 EGP for adults and 220 EGP for students. The site is open from 6:00 to 17:00.
Hatshepsut Temple guide →7. Valley of the Queens
Entry is 220 EGP for adults and 110 EGP for students. The tomb of Queen Nefertari has been reported closed since March 2024, and no reopening date is confirmed. Do not plan your visit around it. The ticket office opens at 6:00 and last entry is 17:00 in summer and 16:00 in winter.
Valley of the Queens guide →8. Colossi of Memnon
The two statues show Amenhotep III. Viewing them from the roadside is reported to be free. Barriers around the active excavation are there for a reason, so do not cross them. In December 2025 two reconstructed alabaster colossi of the same king were presented in the temple complex behind.
Colossi of Memnon guide →9. Medinet Habu
This is the mortuary temple of Ramesses III. It is open from 6:00 to 17:00. Adults pay 220 to 230 EGP, as the published prices differ, and students pay 110 EGP.
10. The Ramesseum
This is the mortuary temple of Ramesses II. Adults pay 220 EGP and students 110 EGP, and it is open from 6:00 to 17:00.
11. Deir el-Medina
The village of the workers who built the royal tombs. The standard ticket is 220 EGP for adults and 110 EGP for students. The tomb of Pashedu has its own ticket at 120 and 60 EGP. Do not expect every known workers' tomb to be open.
On the water, in a museum and beyond Luxor
Four ways to spend a morning, an evening or a day.
12. Luxor Museum
Adults pay 400 EGP and students 200 EGP. Entry is split into a morning and an evening session. The ticket portal lists last entry at 12:00 and 19:00 in summer and at 13:00 and 20:00 in winter. Check the current timetable before you go.
13. A hot air balloon flight
Balloons rise at dawn over the west bank. One operator advertises 100, 120 and 150 EUR for its standard, deluxe and comfort packages in 2026. The flight lasts 30 to 60 minutes, and the whole outing about three hours. Pickup is before sunrise, and the weather can cancel a flight. A 2013 crash killed 19 tourists, and in January 2025 a balloon made a wind-related emergency landing, with 24 passengers rescued and no injuries reported.
Balloon guide →14. A felucca ride
The tourism authority lists feluccas as a local way to get around and to see the Nile. There is no fixed public tariff, so agree on the route, the duration and the price before you board. Do not swim in the Nile: the German Foreign Office advises against it because of schistosomiasis.
15. Dendera Temple
The temple of Hathor in Qena governorate dates from the Ptolemaic period and has astronomical ceiling reliefs. Adults pay 300 EGP and students 150 EGP, plus 100 EGP each for the panorama and for the serdab with its catacombs. It is open from 7:00 to 17:00. The drive from Luxor is about 75 km (47 miles) and 1.5 hours.
Dendera guide →How to combine them
A simple split for a stay of three or four days.
East bank day
Karnak in the morning, Luxor Temple and the avenue later, and an evening visit to Luxor Temple while it is open until 20:00.
West bank day
Start at 6:00 in the Valley of the Kings, then Hatshepsut Temple, the Colossi of Memnon and Medinet Habu. A west bank day with the Valley of the Kings, Tutankhamun and Hatshepsut costs 1,890 EGP for an adult in entry fees, before transport and a guide.
Day trip or flight
Dendera takes most of a day. A balloon flight takes the early morning, so schedule it before a quiet afternoon.
Luxor tours compared →Go deeper
Pages with prices, hours and tips for the biggest sites.
Things to do in Luxor: frequently asked questions
What should I see first in Luxor?
Most first-time visitors start with Karnak and the Valley of the Kings, one on each bank. Both open at 6:00, and the early hours are the cooler ones.
Is there a ticket that covers all the sites?
No. World Heritage status is not a shared ticket, so each site sells its own. A five-day Luxor Pass was listed in a 2024 ministry document at 130 USD for the standard version and 250 USD for the premium version, for foreign adults. Ask at the ticket office whether it is on sale before you plan around it.
Can I visit the Tomb of Nefertari?
No. It has been reported closed since March 2024, and no reopening date is confirmed. The Valley of the Queens itself has a ticket, at 220 EGP for adults.
How much time do I need on the west bank?
The sites are far apart, and the Valley of the Kings opens at 6:00 and closes at 17:00. A full day covers the valley, Hatshepsut Temple and one or two more sites. Plan the transport between them first.
Are there free things to do in Luxor?
Viewing the Colossi of Memnon from the roadside is reported to be free. Everything else in this list has a ticket or an operator fee.