Karnak & Luxor Temples — Luxor East Bank
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Photos via Wikimedia Commons — Marc Ryckaert (MJJR) (CC BY 3.0); ولاء (Public domain); Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0)
Overview
Luxor's East Bank holds two of the greatest temples ever built, and this half-day tour pairs them with an Egyptologist who can read the walls. You begin at Karnak, a sacred city rather than a single building, added to by pharaoh after pharaoh over some two thousand years. Its Great Hypostyle Hall is the showpiece - 134 giant sandstone columns crowded together like a petrified forest, still carrying traces of the colour that once covered them - beyond which stand obelisks, a sacred lake and the ranks of ram-headed sphinxes at the entrance. From Karnak the ancient processional way, the newly restored Avenue of Sphinxes, runs nearly three kilometres south to Luxor Temple, your second stop. Compact and elegant where Karnak is vast, Luxor Temple was the setting of the Opet festival and layers Egyptian, Roman and Islamic history in one place, with a working mosque perched above its courtyard. A guide brings the reliefs, the cartouches and the festival rituals to life, and entrance tickets are arranged in advance so your time goes on the temples rather than the queue. Hotel pickup and drop-off in Luxor are included, and the tour also runs as an atmospheric late-afternoon visit when both temples are floodlit.
Luxor · 5312 Cultural & Historic · typical ~4,541 EGP · 2,500 EGP — good value
Highlights
- ✦Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak
- ✦Sacred lake and obelisks of Karnak
- ✦Restored Avenue of Sphinxes
- ✦Luxor Temple and its layered history
- ✦Licensed Egyptologist guide
- ✦Hotel pickup and drop-off
What's included
- ✓Hotel pickup and drop-off
- ✓Licensed Egyptologist guide
- ✓All entrance fees (Karnak and Luxor Temple)
- ✓Air-conditioned transfers
- ✓Bottled water
- ✕Gratuities
- ✕Personal expenses
- ✕Optional Sound and Light show ticket
Itinerary
- 1Hotel pickup, Luxor
Meet your Egyptologist guide for the short transfer to the East Bank temples.
- 2Karnak Temple
Explore the vast temple complex and its Great Hypostyle Hall, sacred lake and towering obelisks.
- 3Avenue of Sphinxes
See the restored processional route of ram- and human-headed sphinxes that once linked Karnak with Luxor Temple.
- 4Luxor Temple
Visit the elegant riverside temple, setting of the Opet festival, layering pharaonic, Roman and Islamic history, then return to your hotel.
Meeting point
📍 Hotel pickup included, or meet at the operator's downtown office.
Frequently asked questions
- How long is this experience?
- 4 hours
- Can I cancel my booking?
- Yes — you can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before it starts.
- Where does it start?
- Hotel pickup included, or meet at the operator's downtown office.
- Will I get instant confirmation?
- Yes — your confirmation arrives on your phone right after booking.
- What's included?
- Hotel pickup and drop-off · Licensed Egyptologist guide · All entrance fees (Karnak and Luxor Temple) · Air-conditioned transfers · Bottled water
Reviews
Exceeded expectations. Small group, great pace, and stunning scenery.
Beautiful experience, though it started a little late. The guide more than made up for it.
A real highlight of our trip to Egypt. Well organised from start to finish.
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Instant confirmation
- Secure booking
- No added fees
“A real highlight of our trip to Egypt. Well organised from start to finish.”
