# Four days in Luxor Source: https://luxor101.com/itineraries/luxor-4-days Language: en # Four days in Luxor The same three days, plus the hillside where ordinary life is painted. **Days**: 4 **Nights**: 4 **Pace**: Steady The route at a glance Four days add room for the officials’ tomb chapels, the Ramesseum and a slower museum visit alongside the main temples and royal tombs. Scenes of music, harvests and workshops in private chapels offer valuable detail, while also serving funerary purposes. Choose the chapels currently open and leave time to connect their images with the rest of the trip. [Your days in order](https://luxor101.com/itineraries/luxor-4-days#itinerary-sequence) Ideal traveller Someone who has decided Luxor deserves most of a week and would rather go deeper than wider. It suits repeat visitors, travellers who like museums, anyone interested in daily life rather than only in kings, and people who want at least one morning that is not a race against the heat. Not for If extra time is mainly for rest, reduce the daily stops or use the slow itinerary. This outline adds smaller sites; swap them for more time at a favourite place if that suits your interests. Itineraries ## Your days in order Day 01 ### Karnak and Luxor Temple **Start**: At the Karnak gate when it opens **Finish**: Leaving Luxor Temple after dark Stops 1. [Karnak](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/karnak) 2–3 hours Use the extra time to explore beyond the Hypostyle Hall (a roofed hall supported by rows of columns) if the permitted route and your energy allow. The eastern buildings add earlier and later layers; you do not need to cover the entire axis. 2. A long midday break Two to three hours 3. [Luxor Temple](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/luxor-temple) 1–1.5 hours After Karnak, look for the mosque above the ancient courtyard floor. It belongs to the later religious history of the site; its presence does not establish an uninterrupted tradition from the pharaonic temple. Plan the day **Heat exposure**: High **Walking**: Moderate **Food and rest**: The same shape as the three-day day one: eat before Karnak, water throughout, and give the middle of the day away rather than filling it. With four days there is no reason to add the museum here — it has a day of its own later. **Transport**: Arrange east-bank transport around the confirmed visits and weather. Walking between temples is optional; check access and do not rely on continuous shade. **What to skip if tired**: The eastern end of Karnak, and nothing else — this is the lightest day of the four and it is meant to be. [Back to all days](https://luxor101.com/itineraries/luxor-4-days#itinerary-sequence) Day 02 ### Valley of the Kings and Deir el-Bahari **Start**: At the crossing at first light **Finish**: Back across the river by early afternoon Stops 1. [Valley of the Kings](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-kings) 2–3 hours Take time between tombs and arrange a rest at a confirmed shaded or indoor venue. Seating and shade within the valley have not been verified. 2. [Temple of Hatshepsut](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/temple-of-hatshepsut) 1–1.5 hours Second, before the bay heats up. The middle terrace carries both the Punt expedition reliefs and the erasures, and they are worth separating in your mind: one is what she wanted recorded, the other is what somebody later wanted removed. 3. [Colossi of Memnon](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/colossi-of-memnon) Optional 15–30 minutes On the road back, with time to actually look at the excavation behind them rather than photographing the front and leaving. Plan the day **Heat exposure**: High **Walking**: Moderate **Food and rest**: Two main sites are enough for this morning. Bring water and arrange a meal and rest afterwards; the Ramesseum is scheduled for day four. **Transport**: Ferry and a west-bank taxi agreed for the morning, or the bridge by car. A short circuit today: the valley, Deir el-Bahari, the Colossi, the landing. Fares change and are negotiated, so none is printed here. **What to skip if tired**: The third tomb, and then the Colossi. This is a two-site day by design, so there is not much fat to cut — which is the point of having four days. [Back to all days](https://luxor101.com/itineraries/luxor-4-days#itinerary-sequence) Day 03 ### The southern west bank **Start**: At the crossing early **Finish**: Back for a late lunch and a free afternoon Stops 1. [Deir el-Medina](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/deir-el-medina) About 1 hour Begin with the village’s surviving streets and rooms, viewed from the permitted paths. Allow for exposed ground, then check which tombs are open and whether their descents suit you. 2. [Medinet Habu](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/medinet-habu) About 1.5 hours Late morning. The outer walls carry the fullest surviving Egyptian account of the wars against the coalition Egyptologists call the Sea Peoples, and inside there is more original colour than at any other temple on this bank. 3. [Valley of the Queens](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-queens) About 1 hour Close to both, and worth a proper hour on a four-day plan rather than the afterthought it becomes on a shorter one. The tombs of the princes show something Egyptian royal art almost never shows: the king in a supporting role, leading a child by the hand. Plan the day **Heat exposure**: High **Walking**: Moderate **Food and rest**: The three sites are close together, but each still involves walking. Arrange a rest stop with seating and cooling you have confirmed, or return to your accommodation before continuing. **Transport**: Ferry and taxi, and the shortest driving day of the four — all three sites are at the southern end of the west bank and within a few minutes of each other by road. **What to skip if tired**: Drop the Valley of the Queens first if you want a shorter circuit. If heat or fatigue is affecting you, stop the visits and use your arranged transport to reach a suitable place to rest. [Back to all days](https://luxor101.com/itineraries/luxor-4-days#itinerary-sequence) Day 04 ### The nobles, the Ramesseum, and the museum **Start**: At the crossing early — the hillside faces the sun **Finish**: Out of the museum in the late afternoon Stops 1. [Tombs of the Nobles](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/tombs-of-the-nobles) 1–2 hours, depending on how many tomb groups you visit The hillside includes exposed ground and uneven paths. Confirm which chapels are open and arrange transport or guiding around the actual entrances and your access needs. 2. [The Ramesseum](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/ramesseum) About 1 hour A short distance from the nobles and on the way back. After three days of temples this is the one that explains why the others are ruins: the stone temple fell and the mud-brick storerooms behind it are still standing and still roofed. 3. [Luxor Museum](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/luxor-museum) 1–1.5 hours The museum can connect objects with the sites you have visited. Check its hours before making it the last stop, and choose a few pieces to look at slowly. Plan the day **Heat exposure**: Medium **Walking**: Moderate **Food and rest**: Cross back for lunch and a rest before the museum. Check its hours so you have time to look around without rushing. **Transport**: Arrange west-bank transport for the morning and an east-bank transfer to the museum if you choose to visit. Check the walking distance from your actual starting point before deciding to go on foot. **What to skip if tired**: Leave out the Ramesseum to shorten the morning. The museum is optional too: an indoor visit still involves walking and standing, so keep it for another day if you need rest. [Back to all days](https://luxor101.com/itineraries/luxor-4-days#itinerary-sequence) 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](https://luxor101.com/plan/do-you-need-a-guide) Ancient Luxor ## Places on this route - [Karnak Temple Complex](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/karnak) - [Luxor Temple](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/luxor-temple) - [Valley of the Kings](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-kings) - [Temple of Hatshepsut](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/temple-of-hatshepsut) - [Colossi of Memnon](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/colossi-of-memnon) - [Deir el-Medina](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/deir-el-medina) - [Medinet Habu](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/medinet-habu) - [Valley of the Queens](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/valley-of-the-queens) - [Tombs of the Nobles](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/tombs-of-the-nobles) - [The Ramesseum](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/ramesseum) - [Luxor Museum](https://luxor101.com/ancient-luxor/luxor-museum) Journal ## Reading for the journey [ ### Deir el-Medina: The Ancient Egyptian Village That Makes the Tombs Feel Human The writings from Deir el-Medina include work records, letters, accounts and religious texts. They reveal parts of a royal workforce’s lives, filtered through what people recorded and what survived. ](https://luxor101.com/journal/what-the-workmen-wrote-down)[ ### Reading the Colour That Survives Paint survives where materials and conditions have allowed it to remain, sometimes with conservation support. Weathering, salts, moisture and past interventions help explain losses; bright colour alone does not mean a wall is intact. ](https://luxor101.com/journal/why-some-tombs-still-have-colour)[ ### 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. ](https://luxor101.com/journal/what-a-mortuary-temple-was-for)[ ### 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. ](https://luxor101.com/journal/where-the-objects-went)[ ### Hatshepsut: The Story to Know Before Visiting Deir el-Bahari Hatshepsut ruled with full royal titles alongside Thutmose III. Her royal names and images were attacked later; the pattern and timing complicate the familiar explanation of immediate personal revenge. ](https://luxor101.com/journal/hatshepsut-and-the-erasure) Sources & further reading 3 Tier 1 Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities — visitor information: opening times, ticketing and site access Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Egypt) Tier 2 The Illustrated Guide to Luxor: Tombs, Temples and Museums, Kent R. Weeks American University in Cairo Press Tier 2 Thebes in Egypt: A Guide to the Tombs and Temples of Ancient Luxor, Nigel and Helen Strudwick British Museum Press 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.