Luxor 6 Day Itinerary (No Tourist Traps)
Six days is our 5-day plan plus a Tombs of the Nobles deep dive and a second, quieter look at Karnak. This is also the point where the Luxor Pass math genuinely shifts, worth checking before you buy anything on day one. Day trips still live in our Luxor, Egypt itinerary , not here.
Book these before you go:
- Your East Bank hotel : six nights rewards booking a room away from the Sound and Light Show’s evening noise if that matters to you
- A guided West Bank tour : worth booking for the Tombs of the Nobles specifically, since the named tombs are easy to miss alone
- 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 |
| 6 | West Bank: the Tombs of the Nobles, a Karnak revisit |
Day 1: East Bank temples
Karnak at opening, EGP 600 ($12), card only, per the official Karnak visitor page
, then the Avenue of Sphinxes to Luxor Temple. Rest through the 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 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 separate, roughly EGP 1,500-2,500 ($30-50), capped to a few hundred visitors a day. Add Medinet Habu, EGP 200 (~$4), and 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 the souk. Add Karnak’s Sound and Light Show in the evening if you skipped it on day one.
Day 5: Deir el-Medina, the Ramesseum, and a proper guide
Deir el-Medina and the Ramesseum reward someone who can explain the layered history, and a licensed guide at roughly EGP 400-600 (~$8-12) for a half day earns its keep here more than at the well-signed headline sites.
Day 6: the Tombs of the Nobles and a quieter Karnak
The Tombs of the Nobles, a scattered cluster of smaller officials’ tombs across the West Bank hillside, holds some of the most vivid daily-life scenes in Luxor, scribes, banquets, and farming, rather than the religious iconography that dominates the royal valleys.
Is the Tombs of the Nobles worth visiting without a guide?
Not really. Few of the individual tombs (Sennefer and Rekhmire among the best) are well-labeled, and the site’s value is almost entirely in the daily-life detail a guide can point out. Pair it with the guide you hired on day five rather than treating it as a solo add-on.
Does the Luxor Pass pay off by the six-day mark?
Closer than day one, but usually still no. Pricing Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings ticket, Hatshepsut, the Luxor Museum, Medinet Habu, and the Valley of the Queens à la carte runs roughly EGP 2,600-3,000 (~$52-60), against the $130 Standard Pass. Add Seti I and Nefertari and the total still lands under the $250 Premium Pass.
Return to Karnak in the late afternoon, when the light is better for photos and the morning crowds have thinned, and spend the evening back on the East Bank corniche.
For a relaxed final day and departure logistics, our 7-day itinerary closes out the full week, and our Luxor guide has the complete worth-doing list.