Luxor day trip from Hurghada: Valley of the Kings and Karnak

Four ancient sites tour: Karnak columns, royal tombs, queen's temple, colossal Nile statues in one day

A 16-hour day trip from Hurghada to Luxor with a live guide in English, French or German, visiting Karnak temple, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple and the Memnon statues. The tour includes air-conditioned transport, entrance tickets to all sites, lunch and a break in the workers' village where ancient sculptors carved the statues. Drinks at the restaurant and optional extras like the Tutankhamun tomb ticket or a Nile boat ride are available at checkout.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Luxor's ancient sites

• Travel from Hurghada to Luxor
• See the Valley of the Kings
• Visit Karnak Temple
• Explore Hatshepsut's Temple
• View Memnon statues
• Lunch break in workers' city
• Return to Hurghada

The experience

Karnak temple is the massive complex you start with: columns and pylons built over centuries by successive pharaohs. The Valley of the Kings holds the royal tombs, their walls still painted in the colors they've carried since 1500 B.C., and the site itself sits in a desert valley where the ancient Egyptians buried their kings away from the Nile flood. Hatshepsut's mortuary temple rises from the plain in three terraces, and the Memnon statues, two colossal limestone figures, stand as sentries over the whole landscape.

The day runs 16 hours from pickup at your Hurghada hotel. You travel in an air-conditioned vehicle with a guide who speaks English, French or German, and the route covers all four sites with entrance tickets included. Lunch happens at a restaurant in Luxor, and there's a stop in the workers' village, the settlement where sculptors and laborers lived while carving the statues and building the temples: a place most day trips skip.

Drinks at the restaurant come as your choice at checkout, as do add-ons like a ticket inside the Valley of the Kings to see the Tutankhamun tomb or a boat trip on the Nile. Photography inside some tombs also requires a separate ticket you can arrange when you book.

What’s included

• Air-conditioned vehicle and pickup from your Hurghada hotel.
• a live guide in English, French or German.
• entrance tickets to Karnak temple, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple and the Memnon statues.
• lunch at a restaurant in Luxor.
• a break in the workers' village.

Before you book

Days and timesTuesday, Thursday and SundayDeparts at 04:00

Book up to3h before

AgesUp to age 70

GroupUp to 40

Live guideEnglish, French and German

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 25 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyNot recommended with back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Egypt Holiday

Is this one for you?Book this if you're comfortable with a full day of walking and climbing. You'll visit four major sites (Karnak, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple, and the Colossi of Memnon) with lunch and rest breaks built in.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, French and German.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

How long is the drive from Hurghada to Luxor?

The full tour runs 16 hours from hotel pickup to return, which includes the round-trip drive, all four sites and lunch. The drive itself is several hours each way, but the itinerary paces the day so all four temples and tombs fit inside one departure.

What is inside the Valley of the Kings?

The Valley of the Kings holds the royal tombs of ancient Egyptian pharaohs, with walls painted in bright colors that have survived since 1500 B.C. The site sits in a desert valley away from the Nile, chosen by the ancients to protect the burials. Entry to the main tombs is included. A separate ticket lets you visit the Tutankhamun tomb if you want it.

Is Karnak temple really as large as people say?

Karnak temple is the largest temple complex in Egypt, built over centuries with massive columns, pylons and courtyards added by successive pharaohs. It's the one site on the day where the scale of ancient construction becomes physically obvious as you walk through it.

Can I add a Nile boat ride to this tour?

A Nile boat trip is available as an optional add-on at checkout. You can also choose to add the Tutankhamun tomb ticket or photography permits inside the tombs when you book.

What happens during the break in the workers' village?

The workers' village is the ancient settlement where sculptors and laborers lived while building the temples and carving the statues. The tour includes a stop there so you see where the people who built these monuments actually lived and worked.