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Africa / Egypt

Luxor.

Places to go. A little room to wander.

A local view near Luxor, Egypt
A local view near Luxor, Egypt. Photograph by Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0 · Resized and converted to WebP.

THE SHORTLIST

A few places worth your time.

01Culture · DAY 1 IDEA

Luxor

Temple of Luxor

Largely the work of Amenhotep III and Ramsses II the Great (whose colossi and obelisk stand at the entrance). Also to be seen is the small "hanging" Mosque of Abu al-Haggag, its position a reflection of the ground level that had built up before excavation of the temple precinct. Also good from the outside, if you already spend your budget at Karnak, due to the low surrounding barrier. If you have a good zoom lens, there is a great shot from the northern end outside.

Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate

Map Source
02Culture · DAY 1 IDEA

Gurna

Ramesseum

The site of the Ramesseum includes the fallen colossal statue of the pharaoh that inspired the sonnet Ozymandias by Shelley, now the focus of a major restoration project. It stood 17 m (69 ft) high, weighed in excess of 1,000 tons and was transported from Aswan in a single block. The pylons of the temple preserve depictions of the famed Battle of Qadesh waged by Egyptian forces under Ramses II against the Hittite Empire, the city of Qadesh lying in central Syria, then the contested boundary between the two great ancient empires.

Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate

Map Source
03Culture · DAY 1 IDEA

Luxor

Medinet Habu

A remarkable temple built by Ramses III that gets relatively few visitors. If you do not want to enter but simply walk around the temple and take a picture from the outside viewpoints, enter from the sealed road just southeast of the dirt road, which starts from the main road (between the ferry port and the archaeological area) just about 150 m before this main road turns right.

Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate

Map Source
04Neighborhoods · DAY 2 IDEA

Luxor

Deir el Medina

Originally called Set Maat (the Place of Truth), the village was built to house the Royal tombs' workforce of literate priest-craftsmen (the "Servants in the Place of Truth"), on the reign of Amenhotep I, the community's patron, worshipped here along his mother Ahmose-Nefertari. Its abundant domestic and written remains (thousands of ostraca) make it the very best-studied Ancient Egypt community to date.

Allow about 60 minutes · planning estimate

Map Source
05Culture · DAY 2 IDEA

Medamud

Temple of Montu

An Egyptian temple dedicated to the worship of Monthu. Because of Montu's strong association with raging bulls, the temple was a major centre of worship for bulls, containing many statues of bulls for worship and reliefs. Most of these statues are now located in various museums around the world. The temple consists of an open forum with a tower and enclosing two mounds that housed the chapels of worship.

Allow about 90 minutes · planning estimate

Map Source

A note before you go. Start with Temple of Luxor, then decide whether Ramesseum deserves a separate visit rather than rushing both. The suggested days are an editable grouping, not a timed tour. Visit allowances exclude transfers, meals and queues; confirm the exact entrance and current visiting arrangements for Temple of Montu before setting off.

Reference material retrieved 2026-10-19. Suggested days and time allowances are editorial starting points. Check the linked visitor information for opening hours, access, and reservations.

BEFORE YOU SET OFF

A more practical kind of plan.

Getting your bearings

Uber doesn't work in Luxor, but its sister app Careem does. It takes card payments, and saves you having to explain your destination or negotiate with the driver. InDrive also works in Luxor. The East Bank is the metropolitan side, so consider the traffic and crowds while deciding whether to bike on that side. The West bank in contrast is much more rural, and many tourists opt to bicycle among the fields here while getting themselves between the tourist sites. At the sites, guards will try to convince you to avoid locking your bicycle as they will watch it.

Build a route that makes sense

Temple of Luxor and Ramesseum are about 4.2 km apart in a straight line. Use the route link to compare the actual streets or transport connections before putting both in the same morning; the measurement is not a walking distance or a transfer estimate.

A LITTLE STRUCTURE. ROOM FOR DISCOVERY.

Your Luxor plan.

Add a few stops, choose your days, and leave space between them.

My saved trips
Location, map & reference details

Find your bearings.

Country
Egypt
Area
Luxor
Time zone
Africa/Cairo
Coordinates
25.6989, 32.6421

Geographic reference: GeoNames, CC BY 4.0.

Luxor

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Visitor information & sources

Reference credits & reuse

This city guide includes selected, abridged material by Wikivoyage contributors, adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. The adapted guide text is available under the same license; photographs and website design retain their separate terms. Selected and abridged reference descriptions; operational prices and timetables omitted. Elsewhere added the shortlist, geographic grouping and planning notes.

Reference material retrieved 2026-10-19. It is community-edited background, not firsthand reporting or a live opening-hours service.

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