One Day Independent Itinerary of Luxor West Bank

The night before this one day independent travel along Luxor west bank, you are advised to stay in Nefertiti Hotel Luxor. Located on Luxor east bank, it is only 600 meters (660 yards) from Luxor Train Station. Its rooftop terrace provides various Egyptian dishes and you are highly advised to try traditional Egyptian water pipe.

In the morning, please take a ferry to the Luxor west bank at first. The National Ferryboat Dock is about 1 kilometer (0.67 mile) away. From the hotel, you need to walk southwest for about 350 meters (380 yards) to a roundabout, then walk towards the Nile along Mabad Al Karnak Street to Kornish Al Nile Street, turn right and keep walking for about 650 meters (710 yards) to reach the ferry dock. The total walking time is about 12 minutes. The single-trip ferry ticket fare is EGP5 per person.

On arrival at the west bank, you are advised to hire a cab to visit the Valley of the Kings. The taxi fare is about EGP30-40. Most cab drivers in Egypt do not give changes, so you’d better prepare enough changes in advance. When passing by the Colossi of Memnon on the way, you may ask for a photo stop.

Valley of the Kings is where 64 ancient pharaohs rest and only a part of it is open to the public. You can choose either 3 tombs open that day for visits. The admission fee is EGP240 per person and camera charge is EGP300.

You can also pay additionally to visit the three following tombs: KV9 for Ramesses V & VI at EGP100 per person; KV17 for Seti I at EGP 1,000 per person; and KV62 for Tutankhamun at EGP 300 per person. Among them, KV19 is the most cost-effective; KV17 preserves the best murals; and the small KV62 is where the Tutankhamun mummy lies.

Please know that all tickets of the Valley of Kings are sold at the Entrance & Ticket Office only. If you change your mind temporarily and plan to see more during the visit, you need to walk 15 minutes back to the ticket office to pay for it. In hot Luxor, it won't be a nice experience. So, you'd better decide which tombs to visit just upon arrival at the entrance.

The next recommended stop is Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. You may take a taxi to get there from the Valley of Kings and the cost is around EGP40. The temple was built for the most powerful female pharaoh in ancient Egypt against a mountain. It all together has three levels in perfect symmetrical. Admission fee is EGP140 per person.

Next, you may move on to Medinat Habu by taxi at the cost of about EGP50. As the entrance is a little far from the ticket office, you'd better ask the taxi driver to send you to the ticket office to purchase a ticket and then to the entrance. Medinat Habu is a grand temple built by Ramesses III with delicate reliefs and vivid murals. It is not touristy, so you can appreciate it at a leisurely pace. Ticket fare is EGP100.

Finally, hop on a taxi to the ferry dock at EGP30 or so and then take the ferry back to your hotel.

Warm Tip on Hiring Taxis:
It is more cost-effective to hire a taxi for each transfer. But you may feel exhausting to bargain with the drivers for several times under the hot sun and watch out for their tricks. If possible, you may charter a taxi for the all visits, to save you trouble and time. The cost is about EGP200-300 per car per day on the Luxor west bank.