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25°41′N 32°38′E · Luxor & Ancient Thebes, Upper Egyptالعربية
Luxor101Plan your trip

Two days in Luxor

A bank a day, with the hottest hours spent indoors.

Days
2
Nights
2
Pace
Full
The route at a glance

Two days let you group the main visits by bank. Start with Karnak, then fit Luxor Temple and the museum around confirmed opening hours and a proper rest.

The second day introduces the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut’s temple, with any additional stop optional. The museum may not be open throughout midday, so confirm its schedule rather than relying on it as the only break.

Your days in order
Itineraries

Your days in order

Day01

The east bank

Start
At the Karnak gate when it opens
Finish
Leaving Luxor Temple after dark
Stops
  1. Karnak

    2–3 hours

    Start early if the confirmed opening hours suit your plans. Karnak has large exposed areas, so choose a manageable part of the main axis and arrange a break afterwards. Crowd levels are variable.

  2. Luxor Museum

    1–1.5 hours

    The museum offers an indoor visit between the two temples. Check its opening hours before assigning it a midday slot, and arrange a separate place to rest if it is closed or you need a break from walking.

  3. A meal and an hour off your feet

    Allow two hours between the museum and the late temple

  4. Luxor Temple

    1–1.5 hours

    Late, for the low light on the sandstone and because it is lit after dark. Arrive knowing it was built as the destination of a procession from Karnak and the shape of it stops being arbitrary.

Back to all days
Day02

The west bank

Start
At the crossing at first light
Finish
Back across the river in the middle of the afternoon
Stops
  1. Colossi of MemnonOptional

    15–30 minutes

    They are directly beside the road you are already on, and they are the first thing most people see on this bank. Two minutes of context turns them from a photo stop into the gateway of a vanished temple.

  2. Valley of the Kings

    2–3 hours

    As early as you can manage. The valley traps heat and holds it all day, and the tombs get warmer and heavier the further down you go.

  3. Temple of Hatshepsut

    1–1.5 hours

    The temple lies beyond the ridge from the valley. Its approach and terraces are largely exposed, so choose a cooler visiting period when hours allow and adapt to the day’s conditions.

  4. The Ramesseum

    About 1 hour

    Consider the Ramesseum for its fallen royal sculpture and mud-brick stores. These help explain how a commemorative temple combined ceremony with supplies and administration. Leave it out if the morning is already full.

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Plan

Do you need a guide or a driver for this?

This is a suggested route, not a booking. Arrange any guide, driver or admission separately, and confirm what each service includes.

Choosing a guide in Luxor
Journal

Reading for the journey

Reading Luxor Across the River

The Nile helps you read ancient Thebes: the great temples stand east of the river, while royal cemeteries and commemorative temples spread west. But “east for the living, west for the dead” leaves out the people who lived and worked on the west bank.

Karnak: Finding Your Way Through the Layers

Karnak grew through additions, rebuilding and reuse. Compare the western pylons, central obelisks and eastern Festival Hall; walking east does not follow a simple newest-to-oldest sequence.

Choosing Tombs in the Valley of the Kings

Choose KV34 for its distinctive Amduat drawings if the demanding route suits you, KV17 for carved funerary scenes, or KV62 for Tutankhamun’s burial setting. Confirm which tombs are open and separately ticketed before choosing.

What a Royal Commemorative Temple Was For

Royal commemorative temples sustained worship and the king’s memory, during life and after death. At Thebes, they were separate from the royal tombs that held the burials.

Where the objects went

Objects from Thebes are held in Luxor, elsewhere in Egypt and abroad. Each has its own history of discovery and movement; a museum label and object record can help you trace it.

Sources & further reading3
Tier 1Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities — visitor information: opening times, ticketing and site accessMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities (Egypt)
Tier 2The Illustrated Guide to Luxor: Tombs, Temples and Museums, Kent R. WeeksAmerican University in Cairo Press
Tier 1Egyptian Meteorological Authority — climate records for Upper EgyptEgyptian Meteorological Authority

Source review is incomplete. Consultation dates are shown only for checked references.

Opening hours, ticket prices and tomb access change. Published prices and hours carry an online source-check date where available. Field checks, current access and human editorial review remain separate; confirm arrangements before travelling.