Egypt / The Nile Valley (Upper Egypt) / LuxorLuxor
Ancient Thebes: Karnak and the Valley of the Kings
Ancient Thebes, the greatest open-air museum on earth. On the East Bank, the vast Karnak temple and Luxor Temple, joined by the restored Avenue of Sphinxes. On the West Bank, the Valley of the Kings' painted royal tombs, Hatshepsut's terraced temple at Deir el-Bahari, the Colossi of Memnon and Medinet Habu. Hot-air balloons rise over the West Bank at dawn. Nile cruises to Aswan start or end here, stopping at Edfu's Temple of Horus and Kom Ombo; Dendera and Abydos are a day north.
Highlights
- Hypostyle Hall at Karnak
- Luxor Temple lit at night
- Avenue of Sphinxes
- Painted tombs in the Valley of the Kings
- Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari
- Hot-air balloon over the West Bank at dawn
- Colossi of Memnon
- Medinet Habu
- Felucca to Banana Island
- Day trip to Dendera and Abydos
Things to do
- Valley of the Kings tombsMorning · 3h
- Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of MemnonMorning · 2h
- Karnak Temple complexAfternoon · 3h
- Luxor Temple and the Avenue of Sphinxes at nightEvening · 2h
- Hot-air balloon over the West Bank at sunriseMorning · 3h
- Medinet Habu and the Valley of the QueensMorning · 3h
- Felucca sail at sunsetEvening · 1h 30m
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: October – April
Worth knowing
Upper Egypt Summer Heat (40 °C+)
From May to September daytime highs in Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel pass 40 °C, and the Valley of the Kings and Karnak have little shade. Start every site at the 06:00 opening, be back in the hotel by 11:00, go out again after 16:00, and drink far more water than you think. Rooms and cruises are cheapest now for that reason.
Heads up
Khamsin Dust Winds
In spring the khamsin, a hot, dusty wind off the Sahara, blows for a few days at a time: the sky turns orange, visibility drops, Luxor's balloons are grounded and flights can be delayed. Keep a scarf and sunglasses handy, and a spare day for the balloon or desert trip.
Heads up
Low Season for Nile Cruises
In the summer heat fewer cruise boats sail between Luxor and Aswan and most dahabiyas stop until the autumn: there are bargains, but fewer departures and some boats in dock for refits. Check the sailing days before you book the trains and flights round them.
Heads up
Ramadan: Shorter Hours
Ramadan falls about February to March in 2027 (the dates move about 11 days earlier each year). Museums, sites, shops and offices keep shorter hours, many local restaurants open only after sunset, traffic jams just before the evening meal, and the evenings are lively. Tourist hotels and resorts serve food and drink as usual; eat and drink discreetly in public by day.
Heads up
Peak Season Crowds
Christmas to mid-January is the busiest time at the pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum, Karnak and the Valley of the Kings: book the museum's timed tickets, the sleeper train and any Nile cruise well ahead, and be at each site at opening.
- Ramadan — The fasting month: many cafés and restaurants outside the tourist hotels close by day, sites and offices keep shorter hours, and the streets come alive after the sunset meal (iftar), with lanterns (fanous) and late-night crowds in Islamic Cairo. Eat and drink discreetly in public by day. It falls about February to March in 2027.
- Eid al-Fitr — Three days of holiday at the end of Ramadan: Egyptian families head for Alexandria, the Red Sea and Sinai, so beach hotels, trains and buses fill and prices rise. Banks and offices close.
- Eid al-Adha — The feast of the sacrifice, a four-day holiday: sheep are slaughtered in the streets on the first morning, and the beaches and trains fill with Egyptian holidaymakers. About May in 2027.
- Mawlid an-Nabi (the Prophet's birthday) — Processions, Sufi chanting (zikr) and sugar dolls and horses sold in every sweet shop; biggest round the Hussein Mosque in Islamic Cairo. About August in 2027.
- Sham el-Nessim — An ancient spring festival on the Monday after Coptic Easter: all Egypt picnics in parks, on the Nile banks and at the Giza plateau, with salted fish (feseekh) and coloured eggs. Expect crowds at every green space and Nile felucca stand.
- Christmas, New Year and the winter peak — Late December to early January is the busiest fortnight of Egypt's season: Nile cruises, Abu Simbel flights, the Watania sleeper and Grand Egyptian Museum time slots sell out, and Luxor and Aswan hotels raise their rates. Book by October.