Luxor in a day
Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and the Colossi of Memnon, reached by a four-hour drive each way. The most rewarding thing you can do from this coast, and the most exhausting.
How long it really takes
Fifteen to seventeen hours door to door. Pick-ups start between 3am and 5am and you will be back after dark. Brochures describing it as a "full day" are being generous with the word full.
The drive crosses the Eastern Desert on a good road and takes about four hours from Hurghada, less from Safaga. That is the price of admission: eight hours of coach in a day that also contains three of the most significant archaeological sites on earth.
A standard itinerary is the Valley of the Kings in the morning while it is merely hot, the Colossi of Memnon as a photo stop, lunch, then Karnak in the afternoon. Hatshepsut’s temple is sometimes swapped in. Entry to the Valley includes three tombs; Tutankhamun’s and Seti I’s cost extra and both are worth considering — Seti I in particular is extraordinary and priced accordingly.
Whether it works depends almost entirely on your guide. A good Egyptologist turns Karnak from impressive rubble into something you understand; a bad one herds you through it and into a papyrus shop.
Is it worth it?
Yes, emphatically, if you accept the day for what it is. These are sites people plan entire holidays around, and you are four hours away. Doing it once badly beats not doing it.
Skip it if
- You are travelling with young children — the coach hours are brutal and the heat at the sites is real
- You have mobility difficulties; the Valley of the Kings involves significant walking and steps in full sun
- Your holiday is five days long and you would lose a fifth of it
What it costs, and how
Sold everywhere at wildly different prices. The cheap end usually means a bigger coach, a shared guide and a shopping stop; the expensive end usually means a smaller group and a proper Egyptologist. Booking through your hotel costs more than the street and comes with someone to complain to. Confirm in writing what is included — entry tickets, lunch, and which tombs.
What to watch out for
- Extra tomb tickets are not usually included, and neither is the tram at the Valley of the Kings. Carry cash.
- Shopping stops at alabaster or papyrus "factories" are commission arrangements, not itinerary. You are allowed to sit them out.
- Take far more water than you think, and a hat. There is no shade in the Valley of the Kings.
Runs from
Last reviewed 1 August 2026. Which trip we recommend is never decided by commission — how we make money. Sold something that did not match the description? Tell the desk.