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Voykit pocket guide · Egypt
Luxor
الأقصر
Give Luxor 2–3 nights: one full day on the West Bank (Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Medinet Habu), one on the East Bank (Karnak, Luxor Temple), and a dawn start for the tombs.
Luxor is the site of ancient Thebes, split by the Nile: the East Bank has the train station, most hotels, Luxor Temple and Karnak; the West Bank has the tombs and temples you came for. Two nights covers the core; three lets you add a balloon flight or a slow West Bank day. Expect persistent sales pressure — it is the main friction of the trip, not crime.
- Country
- Egypt
- Local name
- الأقصر
- Best months
- Nov–early Mar
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (40°C+ afternoons)Jun–Aug (104°F+ afternoons)
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EGP
- Money
- Currency is the Egyptian pound (EGP, also written LE or £E). Hotels, cruise boats and larger restaurants take cards; taxis, markets, small cafés, tips and toilet attendants are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget LE1,200–2,000 excl. bed · Mid LE2,000–4,000 excl. bed · High LE4,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Vodafone, Orange, Etisalat (e&) and WE sell tourist SIMs at Cairo airport with passport; about EGP 500–1,000 for 20–40 GB — check.
- Emergency
- Police 122 · Ambulance 123 · Tourist police 126
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 220 V · 50 Hz · European round-pin sockets.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 10% even when service is added (it rarely reaches staff).; Guide, full day: US$10–20 per person.; Driver, full day: US$5–10.; Cruise crew: About US$5–10 per person per day in the envelope.; Toilet, porter, small help: EGP 10–30.
- Water
- Tap water is chlorinated in cities but most visitors drink bottled; do not drink Nile water.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels and restaurants; attendants at sites expect EGP 10–20. Carry tissue.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or karkadeh (hibiscus tea) | LE20–60 |
| Koshari or a falafel sandwich | LE40–100 |
| Sit-down meal, mid-range restaurant | LE150–400 |
| Local ferry, East to West Bank | LE20 |
| Motorboat across the Nile, 1–2 people | LE80–100 |
| Short taxi ride, East Bank | LE15–25 |
| Bicycle rental, per day | up to US$5 |
| Hot-air balloon flight at dawn | LE950–1,900 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- LXR · Luxor International Airport
- 6 km east of the city; no public bus to the centre — taxi or hotel shuttle3.7 mi east of the city; no public bus to the centre — taxi or hotel shuttle
Typical fares
- Airport → East Bank hotel, taxi
- up to LE300; ignore touts asking US$10–20 (check)
- Local ferry, East ↔ West Bank
- LE20 for foreigners (check)
- Taxi, East Bank short hop
- LE15–25 (check)
Get around
Careem and InDrive work (Uber does not) and take card payments, which avoids fare haggling. The blue local ferry links the two banks for LE20 for foreigners (Oct 2025); motorboats cost LE80–100 for one or two people. Taxis have no meters: short East Bank hops run LE15–25, a West Bank round trip about LE100. Bicycles rent on both banks; minibuses cost a flat LE3–3.50 but have no route maps.
See and do
Known for
- Valley of the Kings
- Karnak and Luxor temples
- Queen Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahari
- Medinet Habu and the Colossi of Memnon
- Hot-air balloon flights at dawn
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Dendera (Temple of Hathor) | Taxi or private car north via Qena, about 1 h each way | Half day |
| Esna | Train or car north, about 45 min | 2–3 h |
| Edfu | Train or car south, about 1 h 15 min | Half day |
| Kom Ombo | Train or car south, about 2 h | Full day |
| Aswan | Train, 3–4 h; or a 2-day felucca from Edfu | 3–4 h by rail |
Sleep
- East Bank — city centre
- Walk to Luxor Temple, the train station, restaurants and most hotels; the practical base for a 2-night stop.
- East Bank — Karnak side
- Quieter hotels north of the centre, closer to Karnak; 10–15 min by taxi to Luxor Temple.
- West Bank
- Small guesthouses near the ferry landing; rural, relaxed, closest to the tombs — but you cross the river for trains, banks and most restaurants.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| No, thank you | لا، شكرًاlaa, shukran |
| How much is it? | بكام؟bekam |
| Too expensive | غالي أويghali awi |
| Where is the ferry? | فين المعدية؟fein el ma'adiya |
| Please stop here | استنى هناestanna hena |
| I don't need help | مش محتاج مساعدةmesh mehtag mosa'ada |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: 'Salam alaykum', handshake; wait for a woman to offer her hand; avoid: Hugging strangers
- Eating: Right hand; accept tea; avoid: Refusing hospitality flatly
- Bargaining: Humour and patience; avoid: Anger
- Dress: Shoulders and knees covered in cities; avoid: Beachwear outside resorts
- Baksheesh: Keep small notes ready; avoid: Showing a thick wallet
- Photos: Ask; pay if agreed; avoid: Photographing police or military
Scams and watch-outs
- Luxor is known as Egypt's hassle capital: expect to be followed and shouted at near hotels and sites. A firm 'laa, shukran' and walking on works better than arguing.
- Ignore the visa stand right after you enter the terminal — the bank counter 20 m further sells the same visa for US$25 instead of US$45 (Jan 2026, check).
- At the airport, touts grab luggage and demand a fee; keep hold of your bags and walk to a taxi with the driver already in it.
- Guards offer to watch your bicycle, then ask for a tip — lock it yourself.
- Animal-welfare groups advise against calèches because of how the horses are treated; some drivers are fine, many are not.
- Summer afternoons hit 41°C: do tombs at opening, rest midday.
Violent crime against tourists is rare; the real risk is heat, traffic and relentless sales pressure. Use Careem or InDrive to fix fares, keep to the main sites after dark, and call the tourist police (126) if a tout turns aggressive.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Luxor yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Valley of the Kings
- Karnak and Luxor temples
- Queen Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahari
- Medinet Habu and the Colossi of Memnon
- Hot-air balloon flights at dawn
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Egyptian National Railways: enr.gov.eg/o-city/obs/enr/railway/en/booktickets
- Abela Trains (Watania sleeper services): abelatrains.com
- Go Bus stations and timetables: go-bus.com/en/Stations
- Wikivoyage: Luxor, revision 5307121 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5307121
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Luxorالأقصر
لهذا العنوان، لو سمحت
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Luxor; most countries keep embassies in Cairo and some consulates in Alexandria — check before you travel.
Tourist police (126) are posted around the main sites and can be called if a tout turns aggressive.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/luxor). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.