Luxor Day Trip from Cairo: Flight, Valley of Kings & Temples

How to see three millennia-old temples and the Valley of the Kings before dinner

You're picked up at your hotel, flown to Luxor, and guided through the Valley of the Kings (three tombs), Hatshepsut's Temple, Karnak Temple, and Luxor Temple with a private Egyptologist. Lunch and all entry fees are included, and you're back at your hotel by evening.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each4 stops

1. Valley of the Kings2h
2. Temple of Hatshepsut1h
3. Karnak Temple1h
4. Luxor Temple1h

Full-day Luxor tour from Cairo

• Pick up from Cairo or Giza hotel
• Travel to Cairo airport
• Fly from Cairo to Luxor
• Visit Valley of the Kings and three tombs
• Have lunch with falafel sandwich and drinks
• Visit Hatshepsut’s Temple at El Deir El Bahary
• Stop at Colossi of Memnon statues
• Tour Karnak Temple and Avenue of Sphinxes
• Visit Luxor Temple and see Ramses II obelisk
• Transfer to Luxor airport
• Fly back to Cairo
• Return to hotel in Cairo or Giza

The experience

The flight gets delayed by forty minutes, which means you're sitting in the Cairo airport terminal longer than expected, but your guide texts you the new departure time and it doesn't throw off the whole day. That's the thing about flying to Luxor instead of driving. The distance from Cairo makes it impossible to see the real highlights in a day trip by road, so this tour solves that problem by putting you on a domestic flight early in the morning. You get picked up at your Cairo or Giza hotel in an air-conditioned car, driven to the airport, and flown south to Luxor, where your guide is waiting at arrivals with a sign bearing your name.

Once you land, the pace picks up. You head straight to the Valley of the Kings, where you'll walk into three tombs carved deep into the desert rock: the exact three change throughout the year because the Egyptian Government rotates which ones are open to visitors to manage the flow. These aren't small chambers. They're richly decorated burial sites, filled with carvings and hieroglyphics that still hold color in places where the light hits right. After that, you stop at Hatshepsut's Temple, the terraced structure that rises out of the desert plain and seems to merge with the limestone cliffs behind it, then pause at the Colossi of Memnon: two gigantic statues of Amenophis III facing the Nile. Lunch is a falafel sandwich or koshry with water and a soft drink, eaten somewhere in between.

Karnak Temple comes next, and it's the largest temple ever built. You walk through the Avenue of Sphinxes and into the Hypostyle Hall with 134 gigantic columns, each one carved with lotus and papyrus designs. Your private Egyptologist guide walks you through the temple of Amon and points out the obelisks of Queen Hatshepsut and Tutomosis III. The scale of it doesn't really register until you're standing in the middle of it. Then it's on to Luxor Temple, built over two dynasties and dedicated to Amun-Ra, where you see the Obelisk of Ramses II in front of the first pylon. After that, you're driven back to Luxor Airport, flown back to Cairo, and dropped at your hotel. The whole thing takes around twelve hours from pickup to drop-off.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off from Cairo or Giza, round-trip domestic flights to Luxor, private air-conditioned transport throughout Luxor, entry fees to the Valley of the Kings (three tombs), Hatshepsut's Temple, Karnak Temple, and Luxor Temple, a private Egyptologist guide for the entire tour, and lunch consisting of a falafel sandwich or koshry with one bottle of water and a soft drink.

Options for this experience

3 options

Car and driver, no guide, no flightsGuide in English or Spanish · 6 departure times: the first at 04:00, the last at 09:00Car and driver, no guide, but includes all airport and hotel transfers in Cairo/Giza/Luxor airport; excludes flights and tickets; pickup is included

Car+driver+guide+flightsGuide in English or Spanish · 6 departure times: the first at 04:00, the last at 09:00Car, driver, guide, round-trip flights, all airport and hotel transfers in Cairo/Giza/Luxor airport, and a light lunch; excludes fees and entry tickets; pickup is included

Best seller, everything includedGuide in English or Spanish · 9 departure times: the first at 04:00, the last at 09:00Car, driver, guide, round-trip flights, entry fees to main areas, and all airport and hotel transfers in Cairo/Giza/Luxor, with a light lunch; pickup is included

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Lasts 8h–12h, runs every day, 9 start times, from US$ 129 per person, with a live guide in English and Spanish and as a private tour.

Days and timesEvery day9 departure times: the first at 04:00, the last at 09:00

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (3 to 80 years) · Child (under 3)

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsNo refund if you cancel.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 6 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Hesham Egypt tour guide

Is this one for you?Book this if you're based in Cairo but want to see Luxor's main temples and the Valley of the Kings in a single day without the eight-hour drive each way: the flight cuts the travel time in half and leaves you time to actually walk through the sites instead of spending the day in a car.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (under 3).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. No refund if you cancel.

How long is the full day trip from Cairo to Luxor?

Around 12 hours total, including hotel pickup, flights, and drop-off.

What's included in the tour?

Hotel pickup and drop-off, domestic flights, private air-conditioned transport in Luxor, entry fees to all sites, a private Egyptologist guide, and lunch (falafel sandwich or koshry with water and soft drink).

Which tombs will I visit in the Valley of the Kings?

You'll visit three tombs, but which ones depends on which are open that day: the Egyptian Government rotates them throughout the year to preserve them. King Tutankhamun's tomb requires an extra ticket.

What time does the tour start?

Hotel pickup happens early in the morning to get to Cairo Airport for the domestic flight to Luxor.

Can I visit King Tutankhamun's tomb?

Yes, but it requires an additional ticket beyond the standard tour price.

Do I need a visa to fly from Cairo to Luxor?

No, it's a domestic flight within Egypt, so no visa is needed if you already have entry to Egypt.

What if I'm staying in Giza instead of Cairo?

Hotel pickup is available from both Cairo and Giza hotels.