Luxor in 7 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)
A full week on both banks, no out-of-town days needed
A week in Luxor lets you cover both banks at a genuinely slow pace, adding the secondary sites most short-stay visitors never reach: Deir el-Medina, the Tombs of the Nobles, and the Ramesseum. This extends the same 5-day itinerary spine, which itself extends the 2-day version . If you would rather spend extra days on Dendera, Abydos, or a Nile cruise to Aswan, see our Luxor as a base guide instead.
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 | Deir el-Medina, Tombs of the Nobles | EGP 700 to 1,100 (~$14 to $22) |
| Day 6 | The Ramesseum, Karnak revisit or Seti I add-on, rest | EGP 500 to 2,500 (~$10 to $50) |
| Day 7 | Flex day, corniche, departure | 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. 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
The Valley of the Queens general ticket (EGP 180) covers several tombs in the same rotating structure as the Kings. Nefertari’s tomb is a separate EGP 1,500 to 2,500 ticket with strictly capped daily numbers and periodic closures for conservation; confirm same-day before planning around it, or check egymonuments.com ahead of time. Medinet Habu (EGP 200) is quieter than the Valley of the Kings and worth the full afternoon.
Day 4: Luxor Museum, Mummification Museum and the souk
The Luxor Museum (EGP 400) and the Mummification Museum on the corniche (EGP 220) cover the East Bank’s indoor sites, useful as a midday heat break. Spend the afternoon in the souk near the train station, free to browse, and take a sunset felucca sail, hired by the boat rather than the person, with the total price and duration fixed before you cast off.
Day 5: Deir el-Medina and the Tombs of the Nobles
These are the sites a two or five-day trip skips: Deir el-Medina, the workers’ village that built the royal tombs, and the Tombs of the Nobles, painted with everyday-life scenes rather than religious afterlife imagery. Both have their own separate, smaller entry tickets, cheaper than the headline sites; confirm the current figure at the gate.
Should you buy the Luxor Pass for a full week?
Closer, but still marginal. The seven core East and West Bank sights total roughly EGP 3,070 (about $61) bought separately. Add Deir el-Medina, the Tombs of the Nobles, and the Ramesseum on top and you approach, but typically still land under, the $130 Standard Pass. Cross-check current fees on valleyofthekingsegypt.org and run your own numbers before buying.
Day 6: The Ramesseum, a second look, or the Seti I splurge
The Ramesseum, Ramesses II’s mortuary temple, rounds out the West Bank’s secondary sites with a genuinely low crowd count. If Seti I’s tomb (KV17, EGP 2,000) has been on your mind since Day 2, this is the day to return to the Valley of the Kings and add it as a standalone ticket; if not, revisit Karnak’s Open-Air Museum or simply rest.
Day 7: Flex day and departure
Keep the last day open: catch whichever site the afternoon heat cut short earlier in the week, walk the corniche once more, or finish any souk shopping. Carry both a working card and EGP 200 to 300 in small notes until you leave; the gates take card only, the ferry and baksheesh never do.