What is the difference between the two banks, and which one should I do first?
East bank or west bank?
Start on the east bank if you would like the temples to introduce the gods and rituals before you visit the tombs. Start on the west if those tombs are your priority or the weather makes an early visit essential. Karnak, Luxor Temple and the museum are east of the river; the royal cemeteries and many funerary temples are west. Both banks have accommodation. Plan crossings and check each site’s hours rather than assuming one timetable for a whole bank.
Before you go
The river is a useful starting point, though the familiar phrase “east for the living, west for the dead” leaves a lot out. The west bank also held homes, workshops and palaces. Today it remains a place of villages, farms and neighbourhoods, as well as extraordinary monuments.
Karnak and Luxor Temple are about three kilometres apart on the east bank, with Luxor Museum between them near the corniche. The Avenue of Sphinxes links the temples. Check its admission and walking arrangements, and plan for an exposed walk rather than a shaded stroll.
Across the river, the monuments are more spread out. Group nearby sites and arrange transport between them. The Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut’s temple make a useful pairing, although the road journey goes around the ridge between them. Medinet Habu and Deir el-Medina work well as another morning.
Keep exposed west-bank visits early in hot weather. Luxor Temple can be rewarding in the evening when its opening hours allow; museums also have their own schedules. Neither bank has one reliable closing time.
Your interests should decide the order. East first gives the tombs some context; west first protects time for the places you most want to see. Either can work, and a short visit need not follow the same order as a longer one.
Sources & further reading2
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