3 days in Luxor itineraryLuxor Unburied: Tombs, Temples & the West Bank in Depth

Three days of painted walls, colossal stones, and desert light on both sides of the Nile

3 days19 stopsSMOVECITY EditorsUpdated

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Luxor, Egypt

Photo: Ad Meskens (CC BY-SA 3.0)

This itinerary peels back Luxor layer by layer, from the workers who carved the royal tombs to the pharaohs they served. Day one is an arrival afternoon with a late lunch and an early-evening first look at Luxor Temple as the floodlights come on. Day two starts with a sunrise balloon flight over the West Bank, then the painted tombs of Deir el-Medina, the Valley of the Queens and the Tombs of the Nobles, with the Colossi of Memnon in between. Day three opens at Medinet Habu and the Ramesseum, drives north to the Hathor temple at Dendera, and ends on the East Bank at Karnak and the Luxor Museum before a farewell dinner across the Nile.

  • culture
  • classic
  • food
  • outdoors

At a glance

3
days
10
sights
4
food & drink stops
  1. Day 1First Look: Luxor Temple by Night
  2. Day 2Deir el-Medina: The Workers' Village, Valley of the Queens, Colossi of Memnon and Tombs of the Nobles: Nakht and Menna
  3. Day 3Medinet Habu at Opening Hour, The Ramesseum, Dendera Temple Complex and Karnak Temple Complex
Day 1Day 2Day 3

Day 1 in Luxor

3 stops · 14:00 to 18:00 · about 650 m between stops, in a straight line

Highlights: First Look: Luxor Temple by Night.

  1. 14:00about 60 min

    Arrive & Settle In

    Check into your hotel on the East Bank and get oriented — the Nile is your compass. Tonight is an early one: your balloon is airborne before the sun clears the cliffs.

  2. 15:00about 75 minLunch

    Late Lunch at Sofra

    Sofra fills an old 1930s Egyptian house in central Luxor and serves Egyptian food. Stuffed pigeon, tagines and mezze are among its popular dishes. Fuel up well; tomorrow starts before breakfast.

    About 650 m to the next stop

  3. 18:00about 75 minSight

    First Look: Luxor Temple by Night

    Come in the early evening. Once the sun sets the temple is floodlit and takes on a completely different character, with the avenue of sphinxes casting long shadows and the great pylon glowing amber. The Ministry lists hours of 6am to 8pm and one guide gives last entry at 7pm, so be inside before then. A gentle first encounter with the scale of what Luxor holds.

    Luxor Temple, Luxor

Photo: Ad Meskens (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Day 2 in Luxor

7 stops · 05:00 to 19:00 · about 6.3 km between stops, in a straight line

Highlights: Deir el-Medina: The Workers' Village, Valley of the Queens, Colossi of Memnon and Tombs of the Nobles: Nakht and Menna.

  1. 05:00about 150 min

    Sunrise Balloon Over the West Bank

    Before first light you cross the Nile and meet your balloon crew. The wind sets the route, but as the basket lifts the West Bank's temples and patchwork of fields spread below in the first pink of dawn. Check where your operator drops you off afterwards, or arrange a West Bank driver from the landing field, so you reach Deir el-Medina by 08:00.

  2. 08:00about 120 minSight

    Deir el-Medina: The Workers' Village

    The craftsmen who carved and painted the royal tombs lived here in a compact, self-governing community for centuries. Their own tombs — smaller than a pharaoh's but arguably more vivid — are decorated with scenes of daily life and the afterlife in colours that still sing. The site rewards slow attention: read the walls rather than rush them.

    Deir el-Medina, Luxor

    About 850 m to the next stop

  3. 10:15about 90 minSight

    Valley of the Queens

    A short drive from Deir el-Medina, around the hill to the west, the Valley of the Queens shelters the tombs of royal wives and princes. The painted chambers are intimate and often less crowded than their famous neighbours across the ridge — a rare chance to stand close to New Kingdom art in something approaching quiet.

    Valley of the Queens, Luxor

  4. 12:00about 60 min

    Lunch near Medinet Habu

    Stay on the West Bank for lunch. A few simple outdoor cafés face Medinet Habu, a short drive from the Valley of the Queens, and serve easy meals such as salads and tagines.

  5. 13:15about 30 minSight

    Colossi of Memnon

    These two immense seated figures of Amenhotep III have stood at the edge of the cultivation for 3,400 years. Up close, the sheer mass of them — each one taller than a five-storey building — reorders your sense of scale in a way photographs simply cannot.

    Colossi of Memnon, Luxor

    About 1.3 km to the next stop

  6. 14:00about 90 minSight

    Tombs of the Nobles: Nakht and Menna

    The tombs of Nakht (TT52) and Menna (TT69) sit in Sheikh Abd el-Qurna and are sold together as one ticket cluster among the Tombs of the Nobles. Nakht's walls show feasting, musicians mid-performance, farming and fishing; Menna's show ploughing, sowing and the harvest in fine, colourful detail. Unlike the royal tombs, these chambers record everyday life. Both are open 6am to 5pm.

    About 4.1 km to the next stop

  7. 19:00about 90 minDinner

    Dinner at Blue Sky Restaurant

    Dinner is on the West Bank tonight, at Blue Sky in Al Bairat. Tables look out over the Nile, and reviewers praise the grilled fish and tender meat. Cross back to the East Bank afterwards.

Photos: Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0) · MusikAnimal (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Day 3 in Luxor

9 stops · 06:00 to 19:30 · about 7.5 km between stops, in a straight line

Highlights: Medinet Habu at Opening Hour, The Ramesseum, Dendera Temple Complex and Karnak Temple Complex.

  1. 06:00about 90 minSight

    Medinet Habu at Opening Hour

    The mortuary temple of Ramesses III is one of the best-preserved in Egypt, and arriving just as the gates open — when the light rakes low across the relief carvings — reveals details that midday sun will flatten entirely. The battle scenes on the outer walls are graphic, panoramic, and strangely moving.

    Medinet Habu, Luxor

    About 1.3 km to the next stop

  2. 07:45about 75 minSight

    The Ramesseum

    A short ride north brings you to the mortuary temple of Ramesses II — partly ruined, which only adds to its atmosphere. The fallen colossus that inspired Shelley's 'Ozymandias' lies in fragments in the first court, and the hypostyle hall still carries traces of its original painted ceiling. Quiet and profound.

    Ramesseum, Luxor

  3. 09:00about 75 min

    Drive north to Dendera

    Take a car and driver north from the West Bank to Dendera, near Qena, about 60 km by road.

  4. 10:15about 135 minSight

    Dendera Temple Complex

    About an hour's drive north of Luxor, near Qena, the Dendera Temple complex is one of the best-preserved temple complexes in Egypt, and its main temple is dedicated to Hathor. Look up in the temple's pronaos, the columned front hall, where rectangular zodiacs decorate the ceiling. The famous circular zodiac came from the ceiling of a chapel to Osiris in the same temple. It was cut out and taken to Paris in 1821 and is now in the Louvre. Arrange a car and driver for the round trip.

    Dendera Temple complex, Luxor

  5. 12:30about 75 min

    Drive back to Luxor's West Bank

    Return south by car to Luxor's West Bank for a late lunch near the ferry.

  6. 13:45about 45 minLunch

    Late Lunch at El Fayrouz

    Back on the West Bank, El Fayrouz is a small hotel in Gezira, Al Bairat, a few minutes' walk from the ferry, with a peaceful garden restaurant that is open to non-guests. Take the ferry across to the East Bank afterwards.

    About 3.0 km to the next stop

  7. 15:15about 90 minSight

    Karnak Temple Complex

    No visit to Luxor is complete without walking the processional axis of Karnak — 2,000 years of construction compressed into one awe-inspiring site. The hypostyle hall, with its forest of columns each wider than a human armspan, is best experienced in the late afternoon when shadows deepen the carvings. The site closes at 5pm, so head straight here after lunch.

    Karnak Temple Complex, Luxor

    About 1.8 km to the next stop

  8. 17:00about 90 minSight

    Luxor Museum

    Compact, beautifully lit and carefully curated, Luxor Museum on the East Bank corniche is the antidote to overwhelming mega-collections. Its statuary includes New Kingdom statues found buried in Luxor Temple in 1989, and the mummies of two pharaohs, Ahmose I and Ramesses I, are on display. The museum closes in the middle of the day and reopens at 5pm, so come for the evening session.

    About 1.3 km to the next stop

  9. 19:30about 90 minDinner

    Farewell Dinner at THEBES Restaurant

    Cross back to the West Bank for a farewell dinner at THEBES, a restaurant on the main road beside the Nile in Al Qarnah, whose name nods to the city's ancient identity. Let the evening run.

Photos: Roland Unger (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Bernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 3.0) · © Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0)

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Good to know

What can you see in Luxor in 3 days?

Day 1: First Look: Luxor Temple by Night. Day 2: Deir el-Medina: The Workers' Village, Valley of the Queens, Colossi of Memnon and Tombs of the Nobles: Nakht and Menna. Day 3: Medinet Habu at Opening Hour, The Ramesseum, Dendera Temple Complex and Karnak Temple Complex.

Where does this itinerary eat and drink in Luxor?

It stops at Sofra, Blue Sky Restaurant, El Fayrouz and THEBES Restaurant. Each one is placed on the day and at the time it fits the route.

How many days do I need for Luxor?

Luxor Unburied: Tombs, Temples & the West Bank in Depth covers Luxor in 3 days, with 19 planned stops. You can follow it exactly as published, or shorten and extend days after opening it in the SMOVECITY app.

Can I customize this itinerary?

Yes. Opening it in the SMOVECITY app turns it into your own editable trip — reorder days, add or remove stops, and invite friends to plan together with live co-editing.

How do I get around in Luxor?

The SMOVECITY app shows public transport, shared bikes, e-scooters and other mobility options in Luxor on one live map, so you can compare routes between the stops on this itinerary as you go.

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