Luxor in One Day
Whistle stop day including The Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut’s Temple, Luxor Temple and Karnak - Read about other Luxor Attractions
A single day in Luxor is by no means enough. The rich history of this area means that most choose to spend at least two or three days here admiring the various Luxor Attractions. But if you like to take your time when perusing antiquities, you could quite easily spend more. (See itineraries for two day in Luxor or three days in Luxor)
But, if you only have time to see Luxor in one day, you may as well make the most of it.
The below itinerary is a whistle stop one day tour of Luxor’s most impressive sites. It’s recommended you employ the services of a taxi driver, at least for the West Bank sites (available through most hotels, travel agencies or directly and more cheaply though any taxi driver) to limit the time travelling and arranging travel in between sightseeing.
Seeing all of these sites in a day may be near impossible in the summer when temperatures soar and sights close early.
Ensure that you order a boxed lunch from your hotel or pre buy from a local store to avoid any lengthy lunch stops. Time is of the essence.
The Schedule
Get up early! Literally at the crack of dawn - avoid the crowds, beat the sunshine and make the most of the day.
More than likely you’ll be staying on the East bank of the Nile where most hotels are located so take the ferry boat across and meet your pre arranged taxi driver.
Be at the Valley of the Kings as it opens. Spend 1.5 hours seeing the most famous tombs only.
Exit the site and drive to Hatshepsut’s Temple, also located on the Nile’s West Bank.
1.5 hours later you should be leaving to take a ferry back to the East Bank. Upon exiting the ferry take a car or Kalesh to Karnak. Allow yourself 1.5 - 2 hours here before tearing yourself away and heading back to the centre of Luxor. This should leave you with an hour or so to enjoy the Luxor temple.
Take yourself to a local restaurant (via the bazaar if you have any energy left) for a well earned drink, dinner and rest.
