Valley of the Queens & the Tomb of Nefertari

Across the hills from the Valley of the Kings lies the Valley of the Queens, the burial ground of royal wives and children on Luxor's west bank. The ancient Egyptians called it Ta-Set-Neferu, "the place of the beautiful ones," and the name has never been more earned than in its star tomb: QV66, the tomb of Queen Nefertari, chief wife of Ramesses II and widely called the most beautiful painted tomb in all of Egypt. Nefertari carries a separate, expensive, timed ticket with a strict daily visitor cap to protect its fragile paintings. For a lot of travellers it is the single most memorable thing they see in Luxor - and yes, it's worth the splurge.

The valley is quieter and smaller than the Valley of the Kings, and most of its roughly 90 tombs are closed or unfinished. But the handful you can enter are gems, and the contrast with the kings' valley is the whole point of coming.

Quick facts

Where	Theban Necropolis, Luxor west bank, ~1 km beyond Medinet Habu
Ancient name	Ta-Set-Neferu, "the place of the beautiful ones"
What it is	Burial ground of royal wives, princes and princesses (~90 tombs)
Star tomb	QV66, the tomb of Queen Nefertari
Hours	Roughly 6am-5pm; confirm on the day
General ticket	Around 200 EGP (covers 3 open tombs, not Nefertari)
Nefertari ticket	Separate premium ticket, ~1,400-2,000 EGP (see table)
Time needed	45-75 min, or ~90 min with Nefertari
Getting there	~30-40 min from Luxor; usually part of a West Bank tour

Egypt's monument fees change often and most gates are now card-only. Treat all prices here as a guide and confirm current rates at the ticket office or on egymonuments.com.

What the Valley of the Queens is

From the 18th to the 20th Dynasty, the great queens, princes and princesses of the New Kingdom were buried in this dry side wadi south of the Valley of the Kings. The Official Luxor guides note the royal ladies' tombs are "less in grandeur than the kings', but equal in the artistry and mastery of their inscriptions" - exactly right. There are no towering corridors here, just intimate, brightly painted rock-cut chambers, several of them for children who died young. Of the roughly 90 numbered tombs, only a few are open at any one time, and the line-up rotates as tombs go in and out of conservation.

The tomb of Nefertari (QV66): the star

Nefertari was the favourite wife of Ramesses II, the pharaoh who ruled for 66 years and covered Egypt in monuments - he built her the small temple beside his own at Abu Simbel. Her tomb was cut around 1255 BC and rediscovered in 1904 by the Italian archaeologist Ernesto Schiaparelli. It's small, but the painting is on another level.

Every surface is covered. Nefertari, in a white gown and gold headdress, is led through the afterlife by the gods; the ceilings are deep blue scattered with golden stars; the colours - turquoise, ochre, coral red - look almost freshly applied. This isn't the flat wall-painting you see elsewhere. It's the finest surviving work of the Ramesside painters, and the reason people who have seen everything in Luxor still single it out.

Because the plaster is delicate and the paintings suffered from humidity, salt and the breath of visitors, the tomb was closed for a long restoration by the Getty Conservation Institute and reopened under tight controls - which is why access is limited, timed and pricey. It periodically closes again for conservation with little notice, so always confirm it's open before you build a day around it.

Nefertari ticket at a glance

Ticket type	Separate premium ticket, in addition to the valley entry
Rough price	~1,400-2,000 EGP (about US$30-40) - it has climbed steadily
Time inside	Strictly capped, around 10 minutes
Daily cap	Limited number of visitors per day (reported around 150)
Photography	Usually included in the ticket price; confirm on the day
Buy where	At the Valley of the Queens ticket office, card only

Prices have moved up sharply in recent years and vary by source, so read the numbers above as a range, not a quote. Tour operators sometimes pre-arrange the ticket, which is worth it in high season when the daily cap sells through - ask before you go rather than gambling on the gate.

Other tombs worth entering

Your general ticket covers three open tombs, and these are the ones most often on the roster:

• Tomb of Amunherkhepshef (QV55) - a young son of Ramesses III who died as a boy. The painted reliefs are superb and unusually well preserved, showing the prince, with the sidelock of youth, being introduced to the gods by his father. For many visitors this is the highlight after Nefertari, and it's included in the standard ticket.
• Tomb of Khaemwaset (QV44) - another prince of Ramesses III, with bright, detailed scenes of the boy and the pharaoh before various deities. Clean colour, easy to walk.
• Tomb of Titi (QV52) - a queen of the 20th Dynasty, her tomb decorated with graceful painted figures and protective goddesses. Smaller, but a lovely example of the valley's style.

Which three are open shifts with the conservation schedule, so treat the names as a likely rather than a guaranteed line-up.

Valley of the Queens vs Valley of the Kings

They're a short drive apart and easy to confuse, but they deliver different things.

	Valley of the Queens	Valley of the Kings
Buried here	Royal wives, princes, princesses	Pharaohs of the New Kingdom
Scale	Small, intimate chambers	Long, deep, grand corridors
Crowds	Far quieter	Busy, especially mid-morning
General ticket	~200 EGP, 3 tombs	~600 EGP, 3 tombs
Premium tomb	Nefertari (QV66), ~1,400-2,000 EGP	Seti I / Tutankhamun, separate tickets
The draw	The painting - especially Nefertari	The sheer scale and famous names

If you only have time and budget for one, the Valley of the Kings is the bigger, more famous experience. But if you can add the Valley of the Queens - and specifically Nefertari - you get the finest painted tomb in Egypt and a valley that's calm where the kings' is crowded. Many people who do both remember Nefertari most.

Fitting it into a West Bank day

The Theban Necropolis packs a lot into a small area, and the Valley of the Queens sits at the far end of the standard loop:

Stop	What it is	Rough time
Valley of the Kings	Royal rock-cut tombs, incl. Tutankhamun	1.5-2 hrs
Temple of Hatshepsut	The terraced temple at Deir el-Bahari	60-90 min
Valley of the Queens	Painted queens' tombs + Nefertari	45-90 min
Colossi of Memnon	Two 18m guardian statues, roadside stop	15 min

Do the Valley of the Kings first, when it's coolest and quietest, and slot the Valley of the Queens in before the heat peaks so you're not rushing your capped minutes in Nefertari. Nearby Medinet Habu and Deir el-Medina are easy add-ons. For the full lay of the land see our guides to the Temple of Hatshepsut and things to do in Luxor.

Tickets, timing and practicalities

Buy the general valley ticket and the separate Nefertari ticket at the west bank office (card only at most gates now). A premium Luxor Pass covers Nefertari along with the other west bank and east bank sites, and can pay for itself fast if you're seeing several monuments over a few days.

Go early. The valley is exposed and hot by mid-morning, and the Nefertari daily cap can sell out in peak season. Bring water, a hat and a card; wear shoes you can move in. Government site fees are separate from, and much cheaper than, the guided tours that bundle them - a private West Bank half-day sits in roughly the same bracket as other Luxor cultural tours (~4,000-4,500 EGP median, around US$85-95), with the monument tickets added on top.

Make this the highlight of your trip - This is Egypt builds custom itineraries around the places you most want to see. Browse Luxor experiences to plan your West Bank day around Nefertari.