Luxor: Valley of the Kings & Karnak Temple Day Trip from Hurghada

Four Hours by Bus to Stand Between Pharaohs' Tombs

You're picked up from your hotel and driven four hours to Luxor, where an English-speaking guide takes you through Karnak Temple, the Valley of the Kings, the Colossi of Memnon, and Queen Hatshepsut's temple. Lunch is included at a restaurant, and you visit an alabaster factory to see traditional Egyptian craftsmanship. The return drive is four hours, with arrival back at your hotel in the evening.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each4 stops

1. Sand City Hurghada20m
2. Karnak TempleEntry included2h
3. Colossi of MemnonEntry included1h
4. Valley of the KingsEntry included2h

Luxor temples and Valley of the Kings

• Bus pickup from Hurghada hotel
• Travel to Luxor (4 hours)
• Meet tour guide at Karnak Temple
• Explore Karnak Temple
• Visit Colossi of Memnon statues
• Tour Valley of the Kings tombs
• Visit Queen Hatshepsut temple
• Free time in Luxor
• Return to Hurghada hotel

The experience

Hands grip the armrest as the air-conditioned bus pulls away from your hotel in Hurghada, heading inland toward Luxor. You're not going to a beach resort or a reef. You're crossing the desert to see tombs that have been sealed for three thousand years. The drive takes around four hours, and somewhere in that stretch of highway, the Red Sea disappears and the landscape flattens into sand and low hills. Your guide meets you at Karnak Temple on the west bank, and that's when the day actually begins.

Karnak isn't one temple. It's a sprawl of them, columns and pylons and courtyards that took centuries to build. Your guide walks you through the scale of it, pointing out the hypostyle hall with its forest of stone pillars, each one carved with hieroglyphs that still catch the light. After Karnak, you cross to the Colossi of Memnon, two massive statues of Amenhotep III sitting on the plain like they're waiting for something. Then comes the Valley of the Kings itself: the tombs cut into the rock where pharaohs were buried, their passages descending into darkness and paint that's somehow still vivid. You'll visit several of them, walking down into chambers where sarcophagi sit undisturbed, the air cool and still.

Queen Hatshepsut's temple rises from the valley floor in three terraces, and it's different from the tombs. It's a building meant to be seen, not hidden. After that, you get free time to walk around Luxor on your own before lunch at a local restaurant. The meal is included, a break in the middle of the day when you can sit and let what you've seen start to settle. Then it's back to the bus for the four-hour return to Hurghada, arriving in the evening.

The tour also includes a stop at an alabaster factory, where you'll see artisans working with techniques that go back to ancient Egypt. It's a chance to understand how these crafts were made and still are, and the money supports people who keep the tradition alive. Your guide controls the order of the sites depending on timing and crowds, so the day adapts to what's actually happening on the ground.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off in Hurghada, round-trip air-conditioned transport to Luxor, an English-speaking tour guide, entrance fees to Karnak Temple, Valley of the Kings, Colossi of Memnon, and Queen Hatshepsut's temple, a visit to an alabaster factory, lunch at a local restaurant, and all taxes and service charges.

Options for this experience

4 options

Lowest price-excluding taxesGuide in 7 languages · 04:00, 04:30 and 05:00Transportation taxes and entrance fees: 60 € for adults and 30 € for children (mandatory). Pickup is included.

Tour excluding entrance feesGuide in 7 languages · 04:00, 04:30 and 05:00Includes lunch and transfers; entrance fees to the listed attractions are not included. Pickup is included.

With entrance feesGuide in 7 languages · 04:00, 04:30 and 05:00Tour including entrance fees: this option covers entrance to Karnak Temple, Hatshepsut Temple, the Colossi of Memnon and the Valley of the Kings. Pickup is included.

Entrance fees and TutankhamunGuide in 7 languages · 04:00, 04:30 and 05:00Entrance fees and Tutankhamun. Pickup is included.

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

Before you book

Lasts 15h–17h, runs every day at 04:00, 04:30 and 05:00, from US$ 18.25 per person, with live guides in 7 languages, in groups of up to 9 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 04:00, 04:30 and 05:00

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (3 to 11 years) · Infant (under 3)

GroupUp to 9

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Arabic and Russian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleStroller-friendlyInfant seats availableNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Book Tour Egypt

Is this one for you?This works well if you want to see Luxor's main pharaonic sites in one day without arranging your own transport or managing multiple ticket lines. The four-hour drive is long, but it's what makes visiting three major temples and the Valley of the Kings possible in a single excursion from the coast.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Arabic and Russian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 11 years); Infant (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. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

How long is the drive from Hurghada to Luxor?

Around four hours each way by air-conditioned bus.

What temples and sites do you visit?

Karnak Temple, Valley of the Kings, Colossi of Memnon, Queen Hatshepsut's temple, and an alabaster factory.

Is lunch included?

Yes, lunch is provided at a local restaurant during the day.

Does the tour include hotel pickup?

Yes, pickup from your Hurghada hotel is included.

How many people are in the group?

It's a small group excursion. Exact group size varies by departure.

Are entrance fees included?

Yes, entrance fees to the sites visited are included.

What time does the day start and end?

Pickup is from your hotel in the morning. You return in the evening after the four-hour drive back.