The world's greatest open-air museum, built on the site of ancient Thebes.
Luxor tours take you into the heart of ancient Thebes, the New Kingdom capital of Egypt. Often called the world's greatest open-air museum, Luxor holds a density of monuments matched nowhere else — the vast temple complex of Karnak, Luxor Temple in the town centre, and, across the Nile, the royal tombs of the Valley of the Kings.
The river splits the city in two: the living east bank with its temples and markets, and the west bank of tombs and mortuary temples where the ancient Egyptians buried their kings. A single day can pair Karnak with the Valley of the Kings, and there is no finer dawn than the one seen from a hot-air balloon drifting over the whole Theban plain.
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Temples, royal tombs and the Nile — Luxor packs more of ancient Egypt into a short stay than anywhere else in the country.
A city of temples added to across more than a thousand years; its Great Hypostyle Hall packs 134 giant columns into a stone forest.
The rock-cut royal tombs of the New Kingdom, including the tomb of Tutankhamun, whose mummy still rests here.
In the heart of the modern town, once linked to Karnak by an avenue of sphinxes and beautifully floodlit after dark.
The colonnaded mortuary temple of Egypt's most famous female pharaoh, set against the cliffs of the west bank at Deir el-Bahari.
The great mortuary temple of Ramesses III, famous for its vivid, remarkably well-preserved carved reliefs.
The classic Luxor experience: floating over the temples, tombs and green riverbanks as the sun comes up.
Explore the city
The Nile divides Luxor into the temples of the living east bank and the tombs of the west. Both belong on any itinerary.
West Bank
Hidden in a desert valley behind the cliffs, more than sixty royal tombs were cut deep into the rock and painted with texts to guide the pharaohs into the afterlife.
Tutankhamun's tomb is here, and his mummy still lies within it; much of his treasure has moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum near Cairo.
Mortuary temples
The terraced temple of Hatshepsut rises straight out of the rock at Deir el-Bahari, one of the most striking buildings in Egypt.
Nearby stand Medinet Habu and the Colossi of Memnon, two giant seated statues that have guarded the plain for over three thousand years.
The river
A felucca or motorboat crossing links the two banks, and sunset on the water is a Luxor ritual.
Many travellers arrive or leave by Nile cruise to Aswan, turning the journey between the monuments into part of the trip.
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Plan your visit
Luxor is in Upper Egypt, where summers are genuinely fierce — temperatures regularly climb above 40°C from June to August.
The ideal window is November to February, with warm, dry days perfect for long hours among the temples. Whenever you come, start early and rest through the midday heat.
Getting around
Luxor sits on the Nile around 670 km south of Cairo — about a one-hour domestic flight, or an overnight sleeper train.
Luxor International Airport handles domestic and seasonal international flights, and many visitors arrive by Nile cruise from Aswan, roughly 220 km to the south.
