Luxor 2 Day Itinerary (No Tourist Traps)
Two days covers Luxor’s non-negotiables: Karnak and Luxor Temple on the East Bank, the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut across the river. No day trips or balloon rides; those need their own gateway itinerary. If the Valley of the Queens interests you, our 3-day version picks up where this one stops.
Book these before you go:
- Your East Bank hotel : check the room’s cancellation window since summer rates swing fast
- A guided West Bank tour : worth it if you’d rather not manage the tomb rotation yourself
- A sunset felucca sail : fix the total price and duration before boarding, not per person
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | East Bank: Karnak at opening, the Avenue of Sphinxes, Luxor Temple at night |
| 2 | West Bank: the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut’s Temple, the Colossi of Memnon |
Day 1: East Bank temples
Land at Luxor International Airport (LXR), roughly 9km/20 minutes from the East Bank hotel strip; there’s no train or shuttle link, so a taxi or pre-booked transfer is the only real option. Agree the fare, in EGP, before you load your bags, roughly 150-250 EGP (~$3-5) to most East Bank hotels.
Head straight to Karnak Temple at opening, 6am if you can manage it, before the tour buses. Entry is EGP 600 (~$12), card only, no cash accepted at the gate, per the official Karnak visitor page . Budget at least two unhurried hours for the Hypostyle Hall’s 134 columns alone. Afterward, walk the Avenue of Sphinxes, the 2.7km processional way to Luxor Temple that was only fully reopened to the public in November 2021, a detail worth knowing since a lot of older guides still describe it as buried.
Rest through the worst of the midday heat, then visit Luxor Temple after dark, EGP 500 (~$10). It’s one of the best-lit night sites in Egypt and genuinely better after sunset than during the day. Dinner along the corniche; a fixed-price felucca sail is a good way to close the evening if you have the energy left.
Day 2: West Bank tombs and temples
Cross to the West Bank early, either by the local ferry or a pre-arranged taxi, both to beat the heat and the crowds. The Valley of the Kings general ticket runs EGP 750 ($15) and covers three tombs from a rotating pool of eight to ten, confirmed on the official entrance fee page
; it does not include the marquee tombs. If you want Tutankhamun’s tomb, add roughly EGP 700-750 ($14-15) separately; for the better ceiling art, Seti I’s tomb runs EGP 2,000 (~$40) on its own ticket breakdown
.
Is two days enough to see the Valley of the Kings properly?
Yes, for the general ticket’s three included tombs plus one add-on, a realistic two-to-three-hour visit. It is not enough time or ticket budget to add every marquee tomb on top; pick one extra tomb and move on rather than trying to see everything on a short stay.
From there, continue to Hatshepsut’s Temple (Deir el-Bahari), EGP 440 (~$9), the three-tiered colonnade built into the cliffs. On the way back toward the ferry, the Colossi of Memnon are free, roadside, and worth a five-minute stop, not a special trip.
Is it worth crossing back to the East Bank for dinner?
Yes. The West Bank has a handful of small guesthouses but almost no restaurant scene, while the East Bank corniche has the bulk of Luxor’s dinner options. Cross back before dark rather than trying to eat on the West Bank, and use the return ferry ride as your last look at the Nile for the day.
For the rest of Luxor’s East and West Bank sights beyond these two days, our Luxor guide covers all eight worth doing, and our places page on the Valley of the Kings breaks down the full ticket math before you land.