Luxor in 5 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)
Five days, both banks, at a pace that does not burn you out
Five days is enough to cover both banks properly, including the sites most two-day visitors skip: the Valley of the Queens, Medinet Habu, the Mummification Museum, and a souk afternoon. This is the same spine as the 2-day version , extended; add two more days with the 7-day itinerary if you want a genuinely unhurried trip.
Book these before you go
- Check East Bank hotel rates on Booking.com , especially December to February, when rooms run tightest and priciest.
- Book a Valley of the Kings tour on GetYourGuide for context a bare ticket will not give you.
- Arrange a sunset felucca sail on Viator and fix the total price and duration before you board.
| Day | Focus | Rough cost (tickets, food, transport) |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Karnak Temple, Luxor Museum optional, Luxor Temple by night | EGP 1,600 to 1,900 (~$32 to $38) |
| Day 2 | Ferry to the West Bank, Valley of the Kings, Colossi of Memnon, Hatshepsut’s Temple | EGP 1,600 to 2,000 (~$32 to $40) |
| Day 3 | Valley of the Queens, Medinet Habu, bike between sites | EGP 900 to 1,300 (~$18 to $26) |
| Day 4 | Luxor Museum, Mummification Museum, souk, felucca sunset | EGP 900 to 1,300 (~$18 to $26) |
| Day 5 | Flex day, corniche, departure prep | EGP 400 to 800 (~$8 to $16) |
Day 1: East Bank, Karnak and Luxor Temple by night
Karnak Temple (EGP 600, card only) opens around 6am; arrive early to beat the heat and the tour buses. Walk the full axis to the Sacred Lake, and do not skip the Open-Air Museum included in the same ticket. Eat koshari from a street stall (EGP 30 to 80) rather than a corniche restaurant. In the evening, Luxor Temple (EGP 500) stays open past 7pm and is better lit after dark than in daylight.
Day 2: West Bank, Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut
Cross on the baladi ferry (EGP 5 to 10) rather than a private motorboat, then rent a bike (EGP 10 to 20 a day) or hire a taxi for the half day (EGP 300 to 600, negotiated). The general Valley of the Kings ticket (EGP 750, confirm current tiers on valleyofthekingsegypt.org ) covers about three tombs, not Tutankhamun or Seti I, which stack separately. Stop at the free Colossi of Memnon on the way, and close the day at Hatshepsut’s Temple (EGP 440).
Day 3: The Valley of the Queens and Medinet Habu
Morning. The Valley of the Queens general ticket (EGP 180) covers several tombs in the same rotating structure as the Kings; Nefertari’s own tomb is a separate EGP 1,500 to 2,500 ticket with strictly capped daily numbers.
Is Nefertari’s tomb open right now?
Do not assume it is. Nefertari’s tomb closes periodically for conservation work protecting the paintings, and admits only a few hundred visitors a day for roughly 10 to 15 minutes each. Confirm at the ticket office, the same morning, before planning your day around it, or check egymonuments.com ahead of time.
Afternoon. Medinet Habu (EGP 200) is a genuinely underrated stop, quieter than the Valley of the Kings and rarely crowded. Cover the distance between sites by bike; the loop road is flat and the whole area is desert hills with no direct footpaths, so a taxi is your only other option.
Day 4: Luxor Museum, Mummification Museum and a felucca sunset
Morning. The Luxor Museum (EGP 400) is compact but high quality, and a good midday heat break in either direction. The Mummification Museum on the corniche (EGP 220) rounds out the East Bank’s indoor sites.
Afternoon. Browse the souk streets near the train station, free to walk, haggling only if you are actually buying papyrus, spices, or jewelry.
Evening. A felucca sail at sunset is hired by the boat, not by the person; realistic 2026 asking rates start around $10 a boat per hour once you have negotiated. Fix the total price and duration before you cast off.
Day 5: Flex day and departure
Is the Luxor Pass worth it over five days?
Usually still no. The seven core East and West Bank sights bought separately total roughly EGP 3,070 (about $61), well under the $130 Standard Pass, unless you are also paying entry at Deir el-Medina, the Ramesseum, and the Tombs of the Nobles, where the math starts to shift. Cross-check current fees on valleyofthekingsegypt.org before you commit either way.
Use the last day as a buffer: revisit whichever site the heat cut short earlier in the week, walk the corniche one more time, or simply rest before your flight. Keep both a card and EGP 200 to 300 in small notes on you until the moment you leave; the gates take card, the ferry and baksheesh never do.