Luxor travel guide

Home Africa Tours Egypt Tours Luxor Tours

Luxor is a city located in the southern side of Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. Luxor boasts an execptionally rich legacy of histrical monuments, temples, tombs, etc that it is an ideal place for those history buffs. For many years, these numerous monuments dotted around Luxor have attracted tourists from all over the world assisting Luxor to emerge as the major holiday destination.

The town is flooded with souvenir shops, hotels and restaurants etc. The streets are as captivating as the temples and monuments that the tourists come to see. Luxor is a perfect holiday destination if you are looking for tranquility and peace as the places here are not very crowded.

Fast Facts

Luxor is the only Egyptian town which is dotted with extremely beautiful and intricately carved out historical structures that have been attracting tourists from years. Some of the places well worth a visit are : -

→ Temple of Karnak : -

→ Deir el-Medina : -

→ Temple of Deir El-Bahri : -

→ Temple of Luxor : -

→ Valley of the Kings : -

→ Valley of the Queens : -

Luxor is an ideal place, brimming with countless holiday activities. Besides the awe-inspiring historical sights, stunning monuments and beautifully carved out temples, there is an endless list of thrill packed activities like riding on a horse, camel, or donkey on the rugged terrain.
The Nile River offers Felucca trips throughout the day. You can unravel the mysteries of the ancient Egypt by visiting the surrounding temples, or the exquisite Valleys of the Kings and Queens. Lastly, Luxor is a city of various religious as well as social festivals, celebrating the events with full vigor and enthusiasm.

Luxor is an Islamic city so there are not many bars and clubs open for the tourists to party hard. But still one of the most popular but expensive bar is Metropolitan Cafe where alcoholic drinks are served. There is another English pub in the town known by the name of the King's Head which offers games like dart, billiards, bowling and televisions for live soccer broadcasts.

Apart from partying in the clubs and discos you can also choose to spend quality time with your dears at some historical places like Karnak Temple, the Ramesseum, Medinet Habu, the Temple of Hatshepsut or the night bazaar near the Luxor temple. Luxor is a town which has a lot in store for its visitors so that they have a perfect holiday here.

Luxor is world-wide popular for its magnificent monuments and hot weather, but its dining scene is fairly average. But still there are numerous good restaurants in Luxor that serve the best local cuisines of Egypt like the kebab, the kofta and kushari etc. You will find most of the restaurants in the centre of town such as The Oriental which is positioned close to Luxor Temple then the Amoun Restaurant and the El-Hussein all are located closely. The famous Sheraton Hotel is situated on the banks of the river Nile.

Shopping in Luxor is a very memorable experience. Luxor is a good place to buy silver jewellery as you will find rares collection of designs here. Luxor's markets are located at Sharia el-Birka and an amazing tourist bazaar at Saria el-Karnak. These markets are popular for their scarves, scarabs, spices, carpets, home decor and other local souvenirs amongst the several holiday visitors. But haggling is a common form of trade in these markets. You must use your bargaining skills while buying things as the price marked is generally very high. You will find several souvenir shops located close to the Luxor Temple.

The city of Luxor is referred to as the world's greatest open-air museum as it houses numerous museums exhibiting some of the rarest artifacts and antiquities. You can visit any of these museums and acquaint yourself to the golden history of Luxor. Here are Luxor's main museums and art galleries : -

• Karnak Open-Air Museum
• Museum of Mummification
• Luxor Museum

Luxor isn't a crowded place and so you can actually enjoy some great moments here. The city provides cheap and convenient means of traveling around inside the beautiful places. You can hire a taxi or take a car on rent to visit various places. Buses are also available but are usually crowded.

There are countless ways of reaching Luxor. Traveling by planes is an excellent option to reach Luxor. There are several daily international flights served by Luxor's international airport. You can also travel by road to reach Luxor from any of the main cities of Egypt as the expressways and highways are safe and smooth.