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Around LuxorThings to do · evenings

Luxor at night — lit temples, the river and the souk

Luxor at night means Luxor Temple under floodlights, the Sound & Light Show at Karnak, a felucca at sunset and a walk along the Corniche and through the souk. The timing differs sharply between winter and summer.

Luxor Temple
last entry 7 pm
Sound & Light
$20, 7 pm in English
Felucca at sunset
from about $29
Winter sunset
about 5 pm

Updated October 21, 2026

Luxor Temple's colonnade floodlit after dark
Luxor Temple's colonnade floodlit after dark Photo: Sandy Gamal, CC BY-SA 4.0

The short answer

  1. Best overall2-Hour Private Sunset Felucca Sailing on the Nile4.9405 reviewsfrom $29GetYourGuide

    A private felucca timed for sunset, rated 4.9 from more than 400 reviews. Start your evening on the water, then walk to Luxor Temple as the lights come on.

  2. Most flexiblePrivate Sound & Light Show at Karnak with Transfers4.344 reviewsfrom $39GetYourGuide

    Sound & Light with a private car both ways, from about $39. Worth it if your hotel is far from Karnak; otherwise buy the show directly.

  3. Best privatePrivate Luxor Temple Sunset Tour4.84 reviewsfrom $39GetYourGuide

    A private guide at Luxor Temple in the golden hour, with door-to-door transport. Only a handful of reviews so far, but the format is hard to get wrong.

  4. Skip it ifYou'd book the show through a reseller

    The official site sells Karnak tickets at $20. Resellers charge $28–50 for the same seat, sometimes without transport.

What is there to do in Luxor at night?

Less than in Cairo, but what there is, is good. Luxor at night revolves around four things: Luxor Temple under floodlights, the Sound & Light Show at Karnak, the Nile at sunset, and the Corniche and souk once the heat breaks. The West Bank sites are closed by then — last entry is 4 pm in winter and 5 pm in summer — so evenings belong to the East Bank.

The season matters more than you'd expect. In December the sun sets around 5:00 pm; in June, with Egypt's summer time, it's closer to 7:40 pm. Luxor Temple takes its last visitors at 7:00 pm all year, so a winter evening gives you two hours of floodlit temple, and a summer one gives you dusk at most.

Evening activity When Price Book ahead? Best for
Luxor Temple after dark Sunset to 7 pm last entry 500 EGP (about $10) No — ticket at the gate Everyone, especially in winter
Sound & Light at Karnak 7 pm English, 8 pm other languages $20 official; $28–50 on platforms Online the day before First-time visitors, families with teens
Felucca at sunset About 2 h ending at sunset from about $29 private Same day is usually fine Couples, photographers
Felucca dinner About 3 h from late afternoon from about $86 Yes Special occasions
Evening museum session From 5 pm 220–400 EGP No Rainy-day types, history fans
Souk and Corniche walk After sunset Free No A last evening

Luxor evening tours and tickets

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.

Karnak Sound & Light Show: times, price and how to book

The show's operator sells tickets directly on its official website. The current schedule lists an English performance at 7:00 pm daily and a second show at 8:00 pm in the other languages, which goes ahead only with at least five foreign visitors. Tickets are $20 for adults and $11 for children aged 6–12. The company notes that dates are subject to change.

A recorded narration tells the temple's story while the pylons, columns and obelisks are lit in turn. It is old-fashioned theater; the floodlit stone is the real attraction. Ratings on the platforms are middling — 4.1 for the most-reviewed GetYourGuide listing.

Same trip, different desksKarnak Sound & Light — the same show on different platforms
  1. HeadoutKarnak Temple Sound & Light Show Skip-the-Line Tickets1.01 reviewsfrom $28Check dates
  2. GetYourGuideBook online Sound and Light Show at Karnk Temple in Luxor4.174 reviewsfrom $50Check dates
  3. GetYourGuidePrivate Karnak Sound & Light Show with Entry Ticket3.510 reviewsfrom $40Check dates

The platform versions cost more: about $28 on Headout, $39–50 on GetYourGuide. What you pay extra for is a car and someone to meet you. If your hotel is on the Corniche, a taxi to Karnak is a short ride, and the official ticket is the better deal. Our Sound & Light page compares every option.

Luxor Temple after dark

Luxor Temple is the one ancient site you can walk into after sunset. The official booking site lists 6:00 am opening and 7:00 pm last entry in every season, and the ministry's own page gives 8:00 pm as closing time. The ticket is 500 EGP (about $10) for foreign adults, the same as by day.

What changes at night is the light and the crowd. The floodlights pick out the reliefs and the seated colossi of Ramesses II, and the coach groups have gone back to their boats. Come about 30 minutes before sunset, watch the color drain from the stone, and stay until the guards start walking you out.

If you'd like it explained, a private guide for a two-hour sunset visit starts from about $39 including transport. It's also easy to do alone: the temple is on the Corniche in the center of town, a short walk from most East Bank hotels.

The ram-headed sphinxes in front of Karnak, the setting for the Sound & Light Show
The ram-headed sphinxes in front of Karnak, the setting for the Sound & Light Show Photo: Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 3.0

A felucca at sunset — or dinner on the water

Luxor's feluccas sail from the East Bank Corniche, and the best hour is the one before sunset, when the West Bank hills turn orange. The most-reviewed private felucca on GetYourGuide costs from about $29 for two hours and is rated 4.9 from more than 400 reviews; when the wind dies, the boat is towed by a motor launch. See our felucca guide for shared and private options.

A felucca dinner is the same boat with a meal served after dark. The one listing we track starts from about $86 with hotel transfers, but it has only a single review so far, so book with free cancellation and read the "includes" line on drinks.

The souk and the Corniche after dark

Two walks finish a Luxor evening well. The Corniche el-Nil runs along the East Bank past Luxor Temple, the Mummification Museum and the Luxor Museum towards Karnak; it is the town's promenade once the heat drops. A drink on the terrace of the Old Winter Palace hotel at sunset is the classic way to watch the light go.

The old souk starts a few streets inland from Luxor Temple. The first stretch is the tourist end, with persistent sales pitches; carry on and it turns into the market where Luxor residents shop. Settle on a price in your head before you ask, and walk away freely. Our museums, carriages and walks guide covers the route by day.

A winter evening in Luxor (December timings)
  1. Felucca from the Corniche, about two hours on the river
  2. Sunset over the West Bank hills; back on shore
  3. Luxor Temple as the floodlights come on (last entry 19:00)
  4. Taxi about 3 km north to Karnak
  5. Sound & Light Show, English performance
  6. Dinner near the souk, or a walk back along the Corniche

Questions travellers ask

Is Luxor Temple open at night?

Yes, into the early evening. The official booking site gives 6:00 am opening and a 7:00 pm last entry all year, and the ministry's site lists closing at 8:00 pm. In winter the sun sets around 5 pm, so you get about two hours under the floodlights; in midsummer it sets after 7:30 pm, so you'll see dusk rather than darkness.

What time is the Sound and Light Show at Karnak?

The official schedule shows an English show at 7:00 pm every day and a second show at 8:00 pm in other languages, which runs only with at least five foreign visitors. The organizers note that dates are subject to change, so check the official site the day before you go.

Is the Karnak Sound and Light Show worth it?

If you like the idea of Karnak at night, yes — the floodlit pylons and columns are the draw. The narration is dated and theatrical, and the most-reviewed GetYourGuide listing rates 4.1. At $20 on the official site it is a reasonable evening; at $50 through a reseller it is less so.

Can you visit museums in Luxor in the evening?

Yes. Both the Luxor Museum and the Mummification Museum run a second session from 5:00 pm, with last entry about 7–8 pm depending on the season. That makes them a good fit for an evening walk along the Corniche between Luxor Temple and Karnak. See our museums guide.

Can I visit the West Bank at night?

Not the sites. The Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple and the other West Bank monuments take last entry at 4 pm in winter and 5 pm in summer. Evenings on the West Bank mean a quiet dinner by the river or the sunset from a felucca, looking across from the East Bank.

What is a felucca dinner cruise like?

A private felucca sets off before sunset and dinner is served on board as the light goes. The listings we track start from about $86 for about three hours with hotel transfers, but have very few reviews so far. If there's no wind, the boat is usually towed by a small motorboat.

Sources and checks

  1. Sound and Light Show (official) — Karnak show schedule and prices — checked 21 Oct 2026
  2. Egymonuments official booking — Luxor Temple (ticket price, 7 pm last entry) — checked 21 Oct 2026
  3. Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities — Luxor Temple (6 am–8 pm, tickets) — checked 21 Oct 2026
  4. Egymonuments official booking — Luxor Museum (evening session) — checked 21 Oct 2026
  5. Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities — Mummification Museum (evening hours) — checked 21 Oct 2026
  6. Egymonuments official booking — Valley of the Kings (seasonal last entry) — checked 21 Oct 2026
  7. timeanddate.com — Sunrise and sunset times in Luxor, 2026 — checked 21 Oct 2026
  8. Wikivoyage — Luxor/East Bank (Corniche, souk, Luxor Temple at night) — checked 21 Oct 2026
  9. Wikivoyage — Luxor (old souk, touting, bargaining) — checked 21 Oct 2026
  10. Mara House Luxor — Transport in Luxor (agreeing fares before boarding; updated June 2026) — checked 21 Oct 2026
  11. Wikipedia — Avenue of Sphinxes (2.7 km between Karnak and Luxor Temple) — checked 21 Oct 2026
  12. GetYourGuide — Luxor night tours (prices, ratings, review counts) — checked 21 Oct 2026

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