Discovering Egypt’s Ancient History in Luxor, the City of Palaces
Luxor is the former capital of Egypt, and the world’s greatest open air museum. Here you’ll find a plethora of ancient Egyptian temples and more tombs than you can see in one lifetime. Luxor is fairly smaller than Cairo, so I would recommend spending about 2 or 3 full days exploring. The amazing monuments around the city give Luxor a more aesthetic vibe than Cairo, but there is still a myriad of hustlers around. It also has much less traffic and pollution than up north. Here’s our top 8 most breathtaking experiences to have in Luxor.
8. Luxor Temple
Luxor’s outdoor monuments are on par with the ancient sights in Rome. However, visiting these landmarks are much less expensive. This temple complex was used for worshiping the Egyptian Pharaohs, and was even claimed by Alexander the Great during its long history. Luxor Temple is considered the oldest temple in Egypt. It’s located on the eastern bank, a walkable distance from most of the major hotels. The temple is open from 6am to 10pm everyday. It lights up beautifully at night, so I would recommend seeing other excursions during the day.
7. Luxor Museum
While you’re in the area, check out Luxor Museum for a plethora of ancient Egyptian artifacts. This archeological goldmine of antiques is second in the country only to Cairo’s Egyptian Museum. It’s relatively small, so I would suggest going at night after visiting the other iconic sights.
6. Colossi of Memnon
Located on Luxor’s west bank are 2 colossal stone statues. The massive Colossi or Memnon are the guardians of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III memorial temple. Or rather, the only remaining relics that survived a huge earthquake that destroyed the rest of the temple. It is an impressive sight, but not much else to do here. At least it’s free.
5. Cross the Nile River
Luxor is divided in half by the mighty Nile, the largest river in the world! Majority of the temples and museums reside on the east bank, while the west bank holds all of the tombs and burial grounds. This river is one of the few on the planet to flow from South to North. With a scheduled tour, a boat ride crossing the Nile will likely be included. There are a few other ways to traverse the giant body of water, including a multi-day Nile cruise.
4. Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple
This mortuary temple was created to commemorate the first female pharaoh, Queen Hatshepsut. It has a very unique architectural design, as the temple is carved into the base of a mountain. Queen Hatshepsut is one of the most interesting pharaohs in history, so spending some time to learn her story is well worth it. We signed up for a full day tour, which gave us insights into the rich history of each temple and included lunch!
3. Valley of the Kings
This royal burial ground for 60 ancient pharaohs also lies on the west bank. The Valley of the kings is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. Here you’ll find exquisitely decorated tombs for many of Egypt’s former kings, cut directly into the rock tunnels below. Many of the wall paintings and hieroglyphics remain perfectly preserved too. You’ll also find one of the most famous pharaohs, King Tutankhamun’s mummified corpse resting in his tomb. There’s an extra entrance ticket needed for King Tutankhamun’s tomb though, which is much smaller than some of the others. The best ones we saw were Ramesses IV, Ramesses III, and Ramesses IX.
2. Karnak Temple
Karnak Temple is the largest religious building ever created. This enormous temple complex feels like a small city, and contains many pylons, chapels, and other structures within its walls. It was dedicated to Amun Ra, the Sun god. The magnificent sandstone columns tower over 70 ft and are intricately designed with detailed carvings. You can easily spend an entire day wandering around, so make sure to give yourself plenty of time. After you’ve explored it during the daytime, check out the Karnak Sound and Light show to continue the history lesson at night. Our tour was filled with incredible amount of history and insight.
1. Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride
The best way to see the incredible monuments of Luxor is all at once, hundreds of feet above the ground! Witnessing everything with the golden light of Egypt’s sunrise makes it a breathtaking experience you’ll never forget. Your journey will begin in the darkness of 4am, where a van will escort you to a boat to cross the River Nile, and another bus will take you to your departure point. You’ll spend about an hour floating peacefully above the Egyptian landscape, where you can get the best views in the country. Usually the air is filled with dozens of other balloons. However since the recent travel bans, we got an exclusive ride. Book your hot air balloon tour here. For an even more extravagant ballooning experience, check out the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.
Luxor is definitely one of the coolest places to visit in Egypt. Although there is an immense amount of temples to see and history to learn, you can see most of it in just a few days. The city is much smaller than Cairo, so it’s easier to get around and less crowded too. If you have extra time, you might want to take a trip to Aswan, another amazing Egyptian city. For those looking to plan everything perfectly for their first trip to Egypt, check out this post. If you’re looking for the best and cheapest transportation options for getting between Luxor and Cairo, check out this post. Thanks for reading, and keep leveling up!
Check out part 1 of our Luxor travel vlog series, where we explore the majestic Luxor Temple!
And here’s part 2 of our Luxor travel vlog series, where we ride a hot air balloon to watch the sun rise!
And here’s part 3 where we explore some of the royal tombs in Valley of the Kings and more!
And here’s part 4 of our Luxor travel series, where we explore the enormous Karnak Temple!
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