Egypt Luxor Tours
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Luxor & beyondLuxor tours · overview

Luxor tours & trips — which one fits your day

Luxor tours fall into a handful of shapes — one bank or both, shared or private, tickets in or out. Pick the shape first; the operator matters less than the listings make it seem.

Shared full day
from about $30
Private full day
from about $80 per person
Most-reviewed tour
2,233 reviews
Time needed
1–3 days

Updated October 21, 2026

Papyrus columns in the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak
Papyrus columns in the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak Photo: Jorge Láscar from Melbourne, Australia, CC BY 2.0

The short answer

  1. Best overallFull-Day Shared Tour to West and East Banks4.62,233 reviewsfrom $30GetYourGuide

    Both banks in eight hours with an Egyptologist, the most-reviewed Luxor tour on any platform. Entry tickets are extra — budget for them.

  2. Best valueHalf-Day Luxor West Bank Tour: Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut with Transfers, Optional Tickets and Lunch4.8130 reviewsfrom $25Headout

    Half-day West Bank with transfers for the price of a taxi there and back; good when you want the afternoon free.

  3. Best privateWest & East Banks & Tut's Tomb Private Full-Day Tour4.8264 reviewsfrom $80GetYourGuide

    Your own car and guide for a full day including Tutankhamun's tomb, at a price that's only slightly above shared.

  4. Skip it ifYou're coming from Hurghada

    These tours start at Luxor hotels. From the Red Sea, book a trip with the transfer built in.

Which kind of Luxor tour do you need?

The sights don't change much between operators — the format does. Start from the table and follow the link to the page that compares that format in detail.

Format What you see Time Price on the platforms Best for
Full day, both banks Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Colossi, Karnak (+ Luxor Temple on longer days) 7–8 h from about $30 shared One day in town
West Bank half day Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon 4–5 h from about $23 The tombs, before the heat
East Bank half day Karnak, Luxor Temple, Avenue of Sphinxes 4 h from about $25 Afternoons and sunset
Private guide & car Your choice of sites and order 4–9 h from about $50 per person Families, photographers, slow travel
Entry tickets only One site, no guide as long as you like from about $12 Independent travellers
Day trips beyond Luxor Dendera & Abydos, Edfu & Kom Ombo, Aswan, Abu Simbel 8–14 h from about $65 A second or third day

The most-booked Luxor tours right now

US-dollar prices come from each platform's own feed and were checked on October 21, 2026. Dates and group size change them — the booking page has the final price.

Shared or private: the honest difference

In Luxor the gap between shared and private is smaller than in most cities. A shared minibus means 8 to 20 people, fixed timings and the occasional wait for latecomers; a private tour puts two people in an air-conditioned car with their own Egyptologist for roughly two to three times the shared price. Because guides and drivers are relatively inexpensive here, private is often the better value for families of four.

Same trip, different desksBoth banks in one day, shared
  1. GetYourGuideFull-Day Shared Tour to West and East Banks4.62,233 reviewsfrom $30Check dates
  2. HeadoutFrom Luxor: Full-Day All-Inclusive Tour to Luxor West & East Banks with Transfers, Optional Tickets and Lunch4.7129 reviewsfrom $30Check dates
  3. TiqetsGuided Day Tour to West and East BanksNew listingfrom $113Check dates

What the price includes — and what it doesn't

Three lines decide whether a cheap tour stays cheap:

  • Entry tickets. Most budget tours exclude them. The Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Hatshepsut and Luxor Temple each charge their own fee, and Tutankhamun's tomb is extra again.
  • Lunch. "With lunch" listings usually mean a set meal at a local restaurant on the West Bank — fine, but not a reason to pay $20 more.
  • Pickup. Most tours collect from East Bank hotels. Staying on the West Bank or on a Nile cruise boat? Check the pickup area before booking.

Beyond the two banks

Luxor is also the base for the great temples up and down the river. Dendera and Abydos lie north, Edfu and Kom Ombo south on the way to Aswan, and Abu Simbel is a long day or a cruise extension. Felucca rides at sunset and the Sound & Light Show at Karnak fill the evenings.

In this section

Questions travellers ask

What is the best tour in Luxor?

For a first visit, a full-day tour of both banks gives the best return on one day — Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut and the Colossi in the morning, Karnak after lunch. The most-reviewed version on GetYourGuide has more than 2,000 reviews at 4.6 stars. With more time, split it into two half days and add a sunrise balloon flight.

How much is a guided tour in Luxor?

Shared half-day tours start at about $23–25 a person, full days of both banks at about $30, and private full days at about $80–105 a person for two. Those are platform prices without entry tickets on most listings, so read the "includes" line before comparing.

Can you visit Luxor without a tour?

Yes. Taxis and Careem cars cross the bridge to the West Bank, tickets are sold at each site, and the East Bank temples are walkable from the Corniche hotels. What you lose is a guide who can read the walls — and in the Valley of the Kings that's most of the point.

Do Luxor tours include Tutankhamun's tomb?

Usually not by default. KV62 needs its own ticket on top of the Valley of the Kings ticket, and many tours list it as optional. Tours that name "Tut's tomb" in the title normally include it; others let you buy it on the spot.

Which is better, the West Bank or the East Bank?

If you can only do one, most people choose the West Bank for the painted tombs of the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's temple. Karnak, on the East Bank, is the bigger single site and the one people remember for scale. Both fit comfortably in one day.

Sources and checks

  1. GetYourGuide — Luxor activity feed (prices, ratings, review counts) — checked 21 Oct 2026
  2. Headout — Luxor listings (public catalogue) — checked 21 Oct 2026

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