As an amateur Egyptologist (and especially interested in the New Kingdom), Luxor was the destination in Egypt I was most excited to visit. Karnak Temple, the Valley of the Kings, and above all, Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari were all very high on my bucket list, and it is safe to say that visiting these sites in Luxor was my favorite part of our trip to Egypt! I wish we could have stayed longer!
While Luxor is full of things to see and do (so many things that we would never be able to see them all in the short two days we spent in the city), this guide is really just a highlight of the primary ancient sites you should visit. With more time and flexibility, there are not only many more archaeological marvels you could visit, but museums, shopping, boat cruises, and much more. However, we were visiting Luxor as part of a group tour with On The Go Tours, which meant sticking to the itinerary of the group. Thankfully, this tour really does hit all the major highlights of the area.
So if you are looking for a quick guide that definitely isn’t everything to see and do in Luxor, but does include the best things to see and do in Luxor, this guide is for you!
Luxor Temple
First on the list is Luxor Temple. This temple is right in the middle of the modern-day city. We actually walked to the temple from our hotel, which did involve a lot of locals trying to convince us to get a ride on their horse cart or book a trip on their boat, but was pleasant, looking out over the Nile.
Like most temples in Egypt, Luxor Temple was constructed over a long period of time, with different pharaohs adding new structures and statues over the centuries. However, it was most prominent during the New Kingdom, and was the location where the Opet festival was celebrated each year to renew the king’s power.
One of the cool things about visiting Luxor Temple today is that they keep the temple open in the evening after the sun sets, and the whole temple is lit up, which is very cool. We visited in the early evening, so we could marvel at the temple’s beautiful paintings, then stuck around until the sun set, so we could see the temple in a different light—literally!
Deir El Bahari
The single site I was most excited to visit in Egypt was Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple at Deir el Bahari. Hatshepsut was an extremely important female king of ancient Egypt, and her mortuary temple is often considered one of the most beautiful. A long walkway leads from the ticket booth to the beautiful multi-tiered structure built into the face of the cliffs. It’s a stunning place, uniquely interesting to me because of its history, but surely inspirational to any visitor.
Besides Luxor Temple, we had a guide with us for all the other ancient sites we visited. This is awesome, since a guide can tell you all about the history of whatever place you are seeing, and honestly, Egypt is not a country I would visit without a guide. I’ve heard horror stories, especially from solo female travelers, about being harassed in Egypt, but as long as we had our guide with us, we never had to deal with anything like that.
The Colossi of Memnon
The Colossi of Memon are two enormous statues of Amenhotep III, and all that is left of his once massive mortuary temple. This is a quick stop, but free, so don’t miss it! While the statues are not in the best condition (3,500 years really takes its toll), their sheer scale makes it easy to imagine how grand this temple once was.
The Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings is the famous burial place of many of Egypt’s best known pharaohs, including Tutankhamun. Unlike the pyramids, the tombs here were meant to be secret to protect them from grave robbers, and were dug into the cliffs on the western bank of ancient Thebes.
There are 63 discovered tombs in this area, but likely more as yet unknown. Some are too dangerous for visitors to enter. The rest are open on a rotating schedule to protect the interior paintings from too much exposure to sunlight. Your ticket includes entrance to three tombs of your choice (from the selection that are open at the time of your visit), and you have the opportunity to purchase additional tickets for a couple of the best preserved tombs.
Which is all to say, I’ll tell you which tombs we visited, but these may or may not be available options whenever you visit. Don’t fret; no matter which tomb you go into, it’s sure to be amazing!
The three tombs we visited were Twosret-Setnakhte, Ramses III, and, Ramses I, and we bought an additional ticket for the tomb of Ramses V-Ramses VI.
I’m not going to go into a whole lot of detail about the tombs included in your entrance ticket. The three we visited were all incredible in their own way. The tomb of Twosret, which was later also used by Setnakhte was the largest. The tomb of Ramses I has recently undergone some renovation work, and the paintings were truly spectacular. And Ramses III is often recommended by guides as one of the most impressive overall. But honestly, I don’t think there is a bad choice since all the tombs are incredible.
There are three tombs for which you have to buy an extra ticket: Seti I, Tutankhamun, and Ramses V-Ramses VI.
The tomb of Seti I is generally considered to be the grandest, most beautiful tomb in the area. However, the ticket is super pricey (around $50USD at the time of writing), which is more than the cost of the actual entrance ticket to the Valley of the Kings. By contrast, King Tut’s tomb is small, and not very ornately decorated, but is the most famous tomb in the area. It is also the only tomb that has a mummy in it. We chose to skip both, but did by the ticket for the tomb of Ramses V-Ramses VI, which is stunningly beautiful, and worth the extra cost in my opinion.
Karnak Temple
If you only visit one temple in Egypt (which, if that is the case, what are you even doing in Egypt?) make it Karnak. The primary place of worship for the god Amun, This temple was the most important religious structure during the high point of Egypt’s new kingdom, and to say it is breathtaking is an understatement.
Like most other temples in the area, there are many structures that were added by numerous kings throughout Egypt’s long history, but the huge columns that strike visitors upon entering were contributed primarily by Seti I. You could honestly spend a whole day exploring this vast complex. Everywhere you turn, there are more historical gems to be discovered.
While this is by no means a complete list of everything to see and do in Luxor, I hope that this guide helps you narrow down the top sites to visit in the area. Luxor is an amazing place to visit, whether or not you are an ancient Egypt enthusiast, although if you aren’t at the beginning of your trip, you probably will be by the end!
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