Luxor: Valley of Kings & Karnak Temple Private Full-Day Tour

Five Temples in One Day: Luxor's West & East Banks with a Licensed Egyptologist

You're picked up and driven to five major temples and tombs across Luxor's West and East Banks (Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, Colossi of Memnon, Karnak Temple, and Luxor Temple) with a licensed Egyptologist guide explaining each site. Lunch at a local restaurant and all entry fees are included, so you don't arrange anything yourself. The full day takes about eight hours and ends with a return transfer to your starting point.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Valley of the Kings2h · entry included
2. Temple of Hatshepsut1h · entry included
3. Colossi of Memnon20m · entry included
4. Karnak Temple2h · entry included
5. Luxor Temple1h · entry included

Explore Luxor East and West Banks

• Pick up from hotel or airport
• Visit Valley of the Kings tombs
• Tour Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
• See and photograph Colossi of Memnon
• Lunch at local restaurant
• Explore Karnak Temples
• Visit Luxor Temple
• Transfer back to hotel or airport

The experience

Your guide picks you up from your hotel or the airport in the morning and drives you straight to the West Bank. The Valley of the Kings opens up in front of you: a dry, rocky ravine where pharaohs like Tutankhamun, Ramesses VI, and Tutmosis III were buried thousands of years ago. You walk into the tombs themselves, past painted walls and carved hieroglyphics that are still vivid. Your Egyptologist guide explains the dynasties, the burial rituals, the names of gods carved into the stone. It's the kind of detail that makes the place click into focus instead of just being old rocks.

After the Valley, you stop at the Temple of Hatshepsut: the one built by the female pharaoh who ruled for twenty years in the 18th Dynasty. The temple rises in three tiers against a cliff face, and you can see why it's different from the others. Then a quick photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two massive stone statues of Amenhotep III sitting in the middle of farmland, before heading back across the Nile to the East Bank for lunch at a local restaurant. The food is straightforward. Nothing fancy, but it breaks up the day and you're eating where people actually live, not in a tourist zone.

The afternoon is Karnak Temple, which is enormous. Rows of columns, courtyards, pylons. It was built over centuries by different pharaohs all adding their own piece. Your guide walks you through the layout so it doesn't feel like you're just wandering through rubble. The last stop is Luxor Temple, smaller and more intact than Karnak, built by Amenhotep III and finished by Ramesses II. By the time you're done, you've seen five major sites across both banks of the Nile, eaten lunch, and learned enough history that the names and dates actually stick. Your driver takes you back to your hotel or airport in the late afternoon.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel, cruise ship, or airport pickup in a private air-conditioned vehicle, entry to the Valley of the Kings with access to multiple royal tombs, the Temple of Hatshepsut, the Colossi of Memnon, Karnak Temple, and Luxor Temple, a qualified Egyptologist guide throughout, lunch at a local restaurant on the East Bank, bottled water, all service charges and taxes, and return transfer to your starting point.

Options for this experience

2 options

Tour without LunchGuide in English · 5 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 09:30Includes pickup

Tour + LunchGuide in English · 5 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 09:30Includes pickup, with tour and lunch

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

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day5 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 09:30

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (12 to 80 years) · Child (3 to 11 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 21 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 11 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPets welcomeInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Reflections Travel

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Luxor's main temples and tombs in a single day without arranging transport, entry tickets, or timing the sites yourself: the private vehicle and licensed guide mean you move between the five locations on a fixed schedule and understand what you're looking at as you go.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 11 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What's included in the tour?

Entry to all five sites (Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, Colossi of Memnon, Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple), a qualified Egyptologist guide, private air-conditioned vehicle, hotel or airport pickup and return, lunch at a local restaurant, bottled water, and all service charges and taxes.

How long is the tour?

Approximately eight hours from pickup to return.

Where does pickup happen?

From your hotel in Luxor, a Nile cruise ship, or Luxor International Airport.

Is the guide Egyptian?

Yes, your guide is a qualified and fully licensed Egyptologist.

What's the difference between the West Bank and East Bank?

The West Bank holds the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, and the Colossi of Memnon: royal tombs and mortuary temples. The East Bank has Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple, the main religious sites of ancient Thebes.

Do I need to book tombs in advance?

No. All entrance fees are included and arranged by the tour operator.

Is there time for photos?

Yes, there's a dedicated photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon, and you'll have time to photograph at each temple site.