Luxor 5 Day Itinerary (No Tourist Traps)
Five days is our 4-day plan plus a genuinely slow West Bank day: Deir el-Medina, the Ramesseum, and the case for hiring a licensed guide once you’re past the headline sites. Still both banks only; day trips and the Nile cruise live in our Luxor, Egypt itinerary .
Book these before you go:
- Your East Bank hotel : five nights is long enough to book a hotel with a real pool for the afternoon heat
- A guided West Bank tour : a licensed guide earns its keep once you’re past the main tombs
- A sunset felucca sail : fix the total price and duration before boarding
| 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 |
| 3 | West Bank: the Valley of the Queens, Medinet Habu, sunset felucca |
| 4 | East Bank: the Luxor Museum, the Mummification Museum, the souk |
| 5 | West Bank: Deir el-Medina, the Ramesseum, a licensed guide |
Day 1: East Bank temples
Karnak at opening, EGP 600 ($12), card only, per the official Karnak visitor page
, then the Avenue of Sphinxes on foot to Luxor Temple. Rest through the midday heat and return to Luxor Temple after dark, EGP 500 ($10).
Day 2: the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut
The Valley of the Kings general ticket is EGP 750 ($15) for three tombs from a rotating pool, confirmed on the official entrance fee page
; Tutankhamun and Seti I are separate add-ons per the official ticket breakdown
. Add Hatshepsut’s Temple, EGP 440 ($9), and the free Colossi of Memnon.
Day 3: the Valley of the Queens and a slower West Bank
The Valley of the Queens general ticket runs roughly EGP 180-220 ($4); Nefertari’s tomb (QV66) is a separate, capped-attendance ticket at roughly EGP 1,500-2,500 ($30-50). Add Medinet Habu, EGP 200 (~$4), and close with a fixed-price felucca sail at sunset.
Day 4: the East Bank’s museums and the souk
The Luxor Museum, EGP 400 ($8), and the Mummification Museum, EGP 220 ($4), pair well as a heat-break day, followed by an afternoon in the souk. If you skipped Karnak’s Sound and Light Show, this is a fair evening to add it.
Day 5: Deir el-Medina, the Ramesseum, and a proper guide
By day five you’ve cleared the headline sites, which is exactly when Deir el-Medina, the ancient workers’ village that built the royal tombs, and the Ramesseum, Ramesses II’s mortuary temple with its fallen colossus, actually pay off. Both are quieter than Hatshepsut or the Valley of the Kings and reward someone who can explain what you’re looking at rather than a solo walk-through.
When does hiring a guide in Luxor actually pay off?
On a day like this one, not the first two. A licensed guide hired directly runs roughly EGP 400-600 (~$8-12) for a half day, and the value is highest at sites with layered, unmarked history, Deir el-Medina’s worker graffiti and the Ramesseum’s fallen statue among them, rather than the well-signed headline stops you’ve already covered.
Is Egyptian Museum, Luxor Museum, or neither worth a repeat visit?
Neither needs a repeat within one trip. The Luxor Museum on day four already covers the region’s best pieces at a manageable scale, and a second museum day competes with time better spent at Deir el-Medina or resting before an early Valley of the Kings morning if you add a sixth day.
For a second, deeper West Bank pass and the Luxor Pass math once you’ve hit most sites, our 6-day itinerary is the next step, and our Luxor guide has the full worth-doing list.