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Luxor · Egypt

Sleep on the right side of the river

In Luxor that is the decision everything else follows from. Temples, restaurants and the train on the East. Royal tombs, mudbrick villages and dawn silence on the West. We cover all fifteen areas so you can pick the one that fits your trip.

15
Areas mapped
24
Things to do
20
Written guides
1 t
CO₂ removed per stay
Best reviewedSep Check availability →
The only real decision

Which bank do you wake up on?

Still on the East Bank
Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak Temple with massive columns Feluccas moored along the Corniche promenade at sunset in Luxor Busy pedestrian street in central Luxor with shops and cafés The Nile at Luxor with the Corniche on the east bank Sun setting behind the West Bank hills across the Nile from Luxor Colourful mudbrick houses of Al-Qurna village against the Theban hills Painted reliefs on the walls of the mortuary temple of Ramses III
East Bankthe living city 3 km north 1 of 7

Karnak

The Precinct of Amun and the Great Hypostyle Hall, 134 columns of it. Be at the gate for opening.

Read about Karnak →
East Bank Ferry · every few minutes West Bank
Fifteen areas

Every area, and who it suits

Tell us what matters and we'll narrow fifteen areas down to the ones that fit.

What matters All 15 areas
Busy pedestrian street in central Luxor with shops and cafés East Bank Luxor City Center First-timers Souk & station · 0 km The souk, the station and street food on every corner, one block back from the river. Feluccas moored along the Corniche promenade at sunset in Luxor East Bank Corniche al-Nil River views Riverfront · 0 km Feluccas, sunsets and the ferry landing at your door. The view you came to Egypt for. Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak Temple with massive columns East Bank Karnak Comfort & pools Temple quarter · 3 km N Wake up beside the hypostyle hall. Resort-scale hotels and the best dawn entry in Egypt. Corniche promenade along the Nile with feluccas and hotels on the East Bank of Luxor East Bank East Bank A safe first choice The living city · 0 km Temples, the train station and most of the hotels. Unsure where to sleep? Sleep here. Quiet residential street in Al-Awameyah on the northern edge of Luxor East Bank Al-Awameyah Everyday Luxor Residential · 5 km N Family streets, corner bakeries and almost no visitors. Ordinary life, ten minutes out. Sun setting behind the West Bank hills across the Nile from Luxor West Bank West Bank Dawn starts Necropolis · ferry + 10 min Tombs, mortuary temples and sugarcane. Guesthouses, dawn balloons and real silence.
Show all 15 matching areas
Things to do

Six sites, and the hour that makes each one

All 24 →
Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak Temple East BankOpening, 6am Karnak Temple Complex The hypostyle hall is the most overwhelming room in Egypt. Go at opening or in the last hour of light. Two hours minimum Path through the Valley of the Kings under the Theban hills West Bank06:30 Valley of the Kings Four hours before the heat and two before the coaches. Seti I costs extra and earns it. Three tombs on the standard ticket Illuminated columns of Luxor Temple at night East BankAfter dark Luxor Temple Skip it by day. Lit at night, seen from the Corniche, it is the best free view in the city. One hour Terraces of the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari West Bank07:30 Hatshepsut Temple Three terraces cut straight into the cliff. There is no shade at all, go early. Ninety minutes Hot air balloons rising over the West Bank at dawn West BankPre-dawn pickup Balloon at dawn Up before sunrise over the mortuary temples and sugarcane. The one splurge nobody regrets. Book the night before Stalls and lanterns in the covered souq in central Luxor East BankEarly evening Luxor Souq Spices, karkadeh and alabaster one street back from the Corniche. Walk deeper in than the first stalls. Free
Colossi of Memnon Medinet Habu Ramesseum Deir el-Medina Luxor Museum Avenue of Sphinxes Corniche walk Banana Island Alabaster workshops Free things to do
When to come

Tap a month. Luxor changes completely.

Heat easing, still quiet September · 39°C afternoons

The heat begins to break and the first groups reappear late in the month. A pool stops being a luxury and becomes the plan.

39°C Afternoon high Quiet Crowd level Dawn only Sightseeing window
A day that works year-round
Dawn 06:30
Valley of the Kings at opening Four hours before the heat and two before the coaches. Three tombs come with the standard ticket; Seti I is worth the supplement. Valley of the Kings →
Full 48-hour plan →
Dawn over the West Bank

The one thing to book before you arrive

Balloon at dawn →
Many hot air balloons flying over palms and sugarcane at dawn near Luxor Up before the sun Pickups are in the dark, inflation is at first light, and you are over the mortuary temples as the hills turn. How to book it → Hot air balloons in the sky over the Nile in Egypt Over the river The flight drifts across the cane and the canals, and you finally see how the necropolis, the fields and the water fit together. A balloon-themed route → Aerial view of hot air balloons over the desert landscape near Luxor Then the desert Past the last field the green stops dead and the desert begins. That line is the whole story of Egypt in one look. Golden hour itinerary →
The stone itself

What the temples actually look like

Three thousand years of building, in four photographs rather than four adjectives.

Temples, ranked →
Columns of the Precinct of Amun-Re at Karnak Temple Complex in Luxor Karnak Precinct of Amun-Re Decayed ancient stonework at Karnak Temple Karnak Stone that has moved Tourists exploring Luxor Temple with red umbrellas East Bank Luxor Temple by day The mortuary temple of Hatshepsut cut into the cliffs at Deir el-Bahari West Bank Cut into the cliff
Rooms we'd book

Six stays, one per area

One property per area, across both banks, with what each location settles.

Malkata House Boutique Hotel And Restaurant exterior Malkata House Boutique Hotel And Restaurant ★4.9 Medinat Habu · 4-star · 196 reviews Malkata House sits beside the Medinat Habu temple on the West Bank, giving a traveller who stays there a short step to that site. Check dates Nile View Hotel exterior Nile View Hotel ★4.9 West Bank · 3-star · 182 reviews Nile View Hotel is a three star base on the West Bank at Al Jarf, with a swimming pool and air conditioning. Check dates Sofitel Winter Palace Luxor exterior Sofitel Winter Palace Luxor ★4.8 Luxor City Center · 5-star · 5652 reviews Sofitel Winter Palace is a five star property on the Corniche in the city centre, placing the East Bank sights near at hand. Check dates Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa exterior Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa ★4.6 Karnak · 5-star · 2978 reviews Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa is a five star property at New Karnak on the East Bank, the choice for a stay close to the Karnak temples. Check dates Pyramids Luxor Hotel exterior Pyramids Luxor Hotel ★4.6 Corniche al-Nil · 3-star · 219 reviews Pyramids Luxor Hotel is a three star hotel on the Nile Corniche with a beach nearby, on the side of the river that holds most of the hotels. Check dates Mercure Luxor Karnak exterior Mercure Luxor Karnak ★4.4 East Bank · 5-star · 850 reviews Mercure Luxor Karnak is a five star hotel on Gebly Street on the East Bank, the simplest option for Karnak and the airport road. Check dates
For hotel owners

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Practical, not poetic

Guides that actually help

All guides →
Luxor Temple colonnade lit at dusk beside the Nile Itinerary9 min 48 hours in Luxor Both banks in two days without rushing: Karnak at opening, the tombs at dawn, sunset on the river. Read the itinerary → The Corniche promenade with feluccas on the East Bank Areas11 min Where to stay in Luxor East versus West, Corniche versus city centre, and which areas earn the taxi fare they cost. Compare the areas → Feluccas moored at sunset in Luxor Transport6 min Getting around Luxor The public ferry, the caleche fare you should actually pay, and why you do not need a car. Read the transport guide → Ta’ameya sandwiches wrapped in paper on a street stall counter Food7 min Cheap eats in Luxor Ta’ameya, koshary and grilled pigeon, which streets the locals actually eat on. Read the food guide → Sun setting behind the West Bank hills Views5 min Best sunset spots Six places to watch the sun drop behind the Theban hills, from a felucca deck to a nameless roof. See the six spots → Feluccas on the Nile at Aswan with Elephantine Island Beyond Luxor8 min Day trip: Aswan Three hours by train each way. What is worth seeing, and whether it is better as an overnight. Plan the day trip →
Carbon neutral by default

Every booking removes a tonne of carbon

One verified tonne, every stay Book through Stay Luxor and IMPT funds the removal of one tonne of CO2 on your behalf. Not an estimate of your room’s footprint: a fixed tonne, retired against the booking.
Removal, not a rebate The money buys carbon removal and the credit is retired, so it cannot be resold. You are not offsetting with a discount voucher or a promise to plant something later.
It costs you nothing extra Same room, same price as booking direct. The offset is funded by IMPT out of the booking, which is why the price you see is the price you pay.
Before you book
East Bank or West Bank?+

East Bank for almost every first trip: the temples, the Corniche, the restaurants and most of the hotels are there, and the ferry puts the West Bank ten minutes away. Choose the West if dawn silence, balloon launches and mudbrick guesthouses matter more than dinner options.

East vs West, area by area →

Do I need a car in Luxor?+

No. The public ferry crosses the Nile every few minutes, taxis and caleches cover the East Bank for a couple of dollars, and West Bank guesthouses arrange bikes or a driver for the tomb circuit.

Getting around Luxor →

When is the best time to come?+

November to February for comfort: warm afternoons, cool mornings, and the busiest sites of the year. March and October are the honest compromise, hot but manageable, with far shorter queues. June to September the afternoons pass 40°C and the tombs are practically empty.

When to visit Luxor →

How many days does Luxor need?+

Two full days covers Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut without rushing. A third adds Medinet Habu, the Colossi and a felucca afternoon; a fourth lets you take the train to Aswan.

One week in Luxor →

Is Luxor safe to travel independently?+

It is one of the easier places in Egypt to do on your own, the friction is persistent hawking at the sites, not danger. Agree a caleche fare before you get in, and expect to say no a lot on the Corniche.

Safety in Luxor →

Is this the actual booking site?+

No. The area pages, things to do and guides live here. Bookings happen on app.impt.io, which aggregates over 8 million hotels worldwide.

Money and tipping in Luxor →

Fifteen areas, two banks, one ferry. Start where it suits you.

Search every real stay in Luxor in one place, and IMPT removes a verified tonne of carbon on every booking, at no extra cost to you.

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