Day Tour

Full-Day Luxor Tour — East & West Bank

All of Luxor in one perfectly paced day — Karnak, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut.

10 hoursLuxor4.8 (120 reviews)

Overview

All of Luxor in one perfectly paced day — Karnak, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut.

Luxor is the world's greatest open-air museum. Built on the ruins of ancient Thebes, the city concentrates more pharaonic monuments per square kilometre than anywhere else on Earth — Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon all within a short drive of the Nile corniche.

Your private Egyptologist will decode the hieroglyphs, reconstruct the rituals once performed in these halls and walk you through 3,500 years of pharaonic, Greek, Roman and Coptic history. Everything is paced so you can photograph and absorb without rushing.

Mornings on the East Bank, afternoons on the West Bank, evenings on a sun-warmed terrace by the Nile — Luxor is the kind of place serious travellers return to again and again.

Highlights

Private licensed Egyptologist guide
Hotel pick-up & drop-off included
Modern air-conditioned vehicle
All entrance fees & taxes included
Bottled water on board

Why you'll love this tour

Two banks of the Nile, three millennia of history, one perfectly paced day.
100% private — your guide, your car, your pace, your interests.
Hotel pick-up and drop-off, so you never have to worry about logistics.
Hand-picked licensed Egyptologists with years of experience and excellent English.
Free cancellation and 24/7 WhatsApp support before, during and after your visit.

Itinerary

1
Start
Hotel pick-up
Our representative meets you in your hotel lobby for a comfortable transfer.
2
Tour
Guided sightseeing
Full programme with your private Egyptologist guide and dedicated driver.
3
Lunch
Local restaurant
Set-menu lunch at a hand-picked restaurant (vegetarian options on request).
4
Return
Drop-off
Comfortable air-conditioned transfer back to your hotel.

Attractions you'll visit

A closer look at the highlights of this experience — what to see, why it matters and how long to expect at each stop.

Valley of the Kings

The royal burial ground of the New Kingdom (1539–1075 BC) — 63 known tombs cut into the limestone hills opposite Luxor, including Tutankhamun, Ramses VI and Seti I. Three tombs are included; Tutankhamun and Seti I are paid extras. Visit time: 2 hours.

Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari

The terraced mortuary temple of Egypt's most successful female pharaoh, rising in three colonnaded levels against the cliff face. Visit time: 45–60 minutes.

Colossi of Memnon

Two 18-metre quartzite statues of Amenhotep III that once flanked his vanished mortuary temple — a quick, unmissable photo stop on the West Bank. Visit time: 20 minutes.

Karnak Temple complex

The largest religious site ever built — 2,000 years of pharaohs added halls, obelisks and pylons. The Hypostyle Hall, with 134 sandstone columns up to 21 m tall, is one of humanity's great architectural achievements. Visit time: 1.5–2 hours.

Luxor Temple

Built by Amenhotep III and Ramses II, this riverside temple was the focus of the ancient Opet festival. Magical at sunset when the columns glow gold under floodlight. Visit time: 1 hour.

What's included

Private Egyptologist guide
Modern air-conditioned vehicle
Hotel pick-up & drop-off
All entrance fees
Bottled water

What's not included

Personal expenses
Tips (optional)
Anything not mentioned in the itinerary

Tour information

Duration	10 hours
Departure city	Luxor
Destination	Luxor
Availability	Daily, year-round
Group size	Private tour (1–8 guests)
Languages	English, Bulgarian, Russian, German, Polish, Romanian
Cancellation policy	Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour starts.

What to bring

Passport / ID
Comfortable walking shoes
Sun hat & sunscreen
Camera

Travel tips

Carry plenty of bottled water — the Theban West Bank has very little shade in the middle of the day.
Photography inside the Valley of the Kings requires an extra photo permit (around €5).
The Tutankhamun and Seti I tombs require separate tickets — worth it if you're a serious enthusiast.
Hot-air balloons fly only when winds allow — book early in your stay to allow weather rescheduling.

Good to know

Most sites open 06:00–17:00 — early starts beat the heat and the cruise-group rush.
Children love the West Bank tombs — colours and stories captivate every age.
Photography inside tombs is permitted with an extra ticket; flash is never allowed.

What to expect

Atmosphere

Reverent, golden and timeless — temples that stretch the imagination and tombs whose colours still glow after 3,300 years.

Activity level

Active sightseeing: 2–3 km of walking across Karnak, Luxor Temple and the West Bank tombs. Early starts are standard.

Physical effort

Moderate. The Valley of the Kings involves short uphill walks and stepped descents into tombs. Hot in summer — pace and water matter.

Best time to visit

October to April for comfortable sightseeing. Summer (June–September) regularly tops 40°C — possible with very early starts and a sunrise balloon to avoid the heat.

Photo opportunities

Karnak's Great Hypostyle Hall — wide-angle from the central axis at mid-morning.
Hatshepsut Temple's symmetry from the lower ramp.
Detail shots of painted tomb ceilings in the Valley of the Kings (extra photo ticket).
Sunrise hot-air balloons above the West Bank from the Nile corniche.
Luxor Temple at blue hour, when the columns glow under floodlights.

Suitability

Families	Great for curious kids 6+ — the tombs' colours and stories captivate every age.
Children	Welcome; the West Bank can be tiring in summer — early starts recommended.
Seniors	Good. Most sites are flat or have benches; the Valley of the Kings has gentle slopes.
Limited mobility	Limited inside tombs (steps, low ceilings). Karnak and Luxor Temple are mostly accessible.