Valley of the Kings tour: Six pharaonic sites in one day

The artisans' village at Deir el-Medina still holds the daily life of workers who built the royal tombs.

A full-day private tour of Luxor's West Bank covers the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, Valley of the Queens, Medinet Habu, Deir el-Medina and the Colossi of Memnon, with an expert Egyptologist guide on the options with a guide. Hotel pickup and private air-conditioned transport are included. Lunch is available on the option that bundles car, guide, entry and meals.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each5 stops

1. Valley of the KingsEntry included2h
2. Temple of HatshepsutEntry included1h
3. Valley of the QueensEntry included1h
4. Medinet HabuEntry included1h
5. Deir el-MedinaEntry included1h

Explore Luxor's West Bank treasures

• Pick-up from hotel or Nile Cruise
• Transfer to West Bank in private A/C vehicle
• Visit the Valley of the Kings
• Explore the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
• Visit the Valley of the Queens
• See the Colossi of Memnon
• Discover Medinat Habu temple complex
• Explore Deir el-Medina village

The experience

The tour starts with pickup from your Luxor hotel or Nile cruise ship, then moves by private air-conditioned vehicle to the West Bank. From there, the day unfolds across six major sites. The Valley of the Kings comes first: the ancient royal burial ground where tombs of Tutankhamun, Ramses II and Seti I sit decorated with hieroglyphics and scenes meant to guide the dead. The Hatshepsut Temple, a mortuary shrine built for the female pharaoh, rises in terraces against the cliffs.

The afternoon shifts to less-visited ground. The Valley of the Queens, also called Ta-Set-Neferu, holds the tombs of queens, princes and nobility: smaller and quieter than the Kings' valley but no less intricate. Next comes a stop at the Colossi of Memnon, twin quartzite sandstone statues that once guarded a temple now lost. Medinet Habu, the mortuary temple of Ramesses III, spans 150 meters and contains nested temples within it, including a shrine to Amun built by Hatshepsut and Thutmose III in the 18th Dynasty.

Deir el-Medina, the Valley of the Worker, closes the day. This village housed the artisans who carved and painted the royal tombs during the 18th to 20th dynasties. The houses, shrines and paintings survive well enough to show how these skilled workers actually lived: their tools, their routines, their own small tombs. A bottle of mineral water travels with you throughout.

What’s included

• Private air-conditioned vehicle transport from your hotel in Luxor and return.
• private expert Egyptologist guide (on the options with a guide).
• entrance tickets to all six sites (on the options that include them).
• one bottle of mineral water.
• lunch (on the Car + Guide + Tickets + Lunch option only).

Options for this experience

3 options

Car with driver onlyGuide in 5 languages · 6 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 11:00Car with driver only; pickup is included

Private Car+Professional GuideGuide in 5 languages · 7 departure times: the first at 06:00, the last at 11:00Private car with professional guide; includes pickup

Vehicle, guide, entry tickets and lunchGuide in 5 languages · 7 departure times: the first at 06:00, the last at 11:00Vehicle, guide, entry tickets and 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 7h–10h, runs every day, 7 start times, from US$ 12 per person, with live guides in 5 languages, as a private tour and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery day7 departure times: the first at 06:00, the last at 11:00

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (6 to 11 years) · Infant (under 6): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German and Italian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

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

Prices and times updated 15 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Egypt 1 Tours

Is this one for you?Book the Car + Guide + Tickets + Lunch option if you want entry, transport and a meal all settled before the day starts. Nothing to arrange at each stop. Choose Only Car with Driver if you prefer to explore at your own pace without a guide. The Private Car + Professional Guide option splits the difference: you get expert commentary along with private transport.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

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

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (6 to 11 years); Infant (under 6): free.

What exactly is inside the tombs in the Valley of the Kings?

The Valley of the Kings holds elaborately decorated burial chambers of pharaohs like Tutankhamun, Ramses II and Seti I. The walls carry hieroglyphic texts and painted scenes meant to guide the dead through the afterlife, and some tombs still hold sarcophagi and artifacts that reveal how ancient Egyptians prepared for death.

Is lunch included, and what are my options?

Lunch is included only if you book the Car + Guide + Tickets + Lunch option at checkout. You choose which option suits your needs when you book.

What is Deir el-Medina and why is it different from the royal valleys?

Deir el-Medina is an ancient workers' village where artisans lived while carving and decorating the pharaohs' tombs. Unlike the royal burial sites, it shows the homes, shrines and daily objects of ordinary skilled workers (painters, sculptors and stonemasons), so you see how they lived rather than how they were buried.