When thinkยญing about Egypt, likeยญly the first image that pops into your mind is one of soarยญing, masยญsive pyraยญmids. Like the ones depictยญed in so many movies that make the most of these ancient and breathยญtakยญing strucยญtures as a backยญdrop for action scenes shot in North Africa, the pyraยญmids of Giza are indeliยญbly linked with our perยญcepยญtion of Egypt, whether youโ€™re an avid, amaยญteur archaeยญolยญoยญgist, an eager tourist or a proยญfesยญsionยญal historian.  Yes, ancient ruins and pyraยญmids are part of Egyptโ€™s image, and the entire globe thinks of them when ponยญderยญing Egyptโ€™s past, peoยญple, and modยญern culture. But Cairo, the capยญiยญtal, and those very famous pyraยญmids are not the entire stoยญry. Not even close. Luxยญor, a city in southยญern Egypt, may not come quite as quickยญly to mind when youโ€™re thinkยญing of a trip to Egypt, but it deserves attenยญtion too, and plenยญty of it. You can even take a boat cruise up the Nile and visยญit both cities! But weโ€™re getยญting ahead of ourยญselves! For now, letโ€™s stay with Luxor.  In this artiยญcle, we offer some highยญlights of the amazยญing sites on offer in Luxยญor. It is a magยญiยญcal place that has been in exisยญtence for many cenยญturies, known once at Thebes. It even served as the pharaohโ€™s capยญiยญtal, back when the gods and godยญdessยญes ruled everyยญday life and Egypt was a major hub of trade and commerce.  Letโ€™s do a deep dive into all you can explore in Luxยญor and the many day trips filled with advenยญtures awaitยญing you.

Here Are a Few Quick Facts About This City Of Just Over 1.3 Million:

  • Luxยญor is dividยญed into the East and West Banks on oppoยญsite sides of the Nile Rivยญer. Both sides have enorยญmousยญly popยญuยญlar sites to see โ€“ archaeยญoยญlogยญiยญcal wonยญders that deserve plenยญty of your time.
  • A five-star hotel room in Luxยญor can be found for approxยญiยญmateยญly $90 (USD). Thatโ€™s a barยญgain to any tourist and makes the idea of stayยญing in Luxยญor for longer than one night not only appealยญing but ecoยญnomยญiยญcalยญly savvy, too. Also availยญable are guest housยญes, short stay apartยญments and othยญer accommodations. 
  • Before headยญing to Egypt and many othยญer counยญtries in North Africa, the Midยญdle East and Europe, be sure to have proof of vacยญciยญnaยญtion docยญuยญments verยญiยญfyยญing that youโ€™ve been vacยญciยญnatยญed against COVID-19. Some meaยญsures may have loosยญened by the time you arrive, but proof of vacยญciยญnaยญtion is still required at the time of this writing. 
  • Luxยญor has a hot, dry desert cliยญmate, so when youโ€™re headยญing out for the day, dress lightยญly but respectยญfulยญly, keepยญing with the modยญest tastes of the Egyptยญian peoยญple, parยญticยญuยญlarยญly the women. Wear a hat when youโ€™re going into the sun and plenยญty of sunscreen!
  • Many guideยญbooks refer to Luxยญor as the โ€œworldโ€™s largest open-air museยญum,โ€ so keep that in mind when choosยญing your wardrobe. You will be doing lots of walkยญing, so sneakยญers or supยญportยญive sanยญdals are the best options. 

Letโ€™s Look At The Most Compelling Sites In & Around Luxor.

The East Bank:

things to do in luxor egypt l places to visit in luxor egypt
  • The Karยญnak Temยญple. This astoundยญing comยญplex conยญsists of many ancient columns, temยญples and a Great Hall. It is locatยญed outยญside Luxยญor, on the East Bank. It is visยญitยญed by thouยญsands of peoยญple every week and is secยญond in popยญuยญlarยญiยญty only to the Pyraยญmids of Giza as a tourist desยญtiยญnaยญtion. Some of the sites here are the Precinct of Mun-Ra, the Temยญple of the Mut, the Precinct of Monยญtu, and the Temยญple of Amenยญhotep IV. Also locatยญed here is the Karยญnak Open Air Museยญum, chapels, statยญues, and delยญiยญcateยญly and intriยญcateยญly carved masยญsive stone blocks.
  • Luxยญor Temยญple. Many kings in ancient Egypt were crowned in this temยญple; it wasnโ€™t dedยญiยญcatยญed to the gods and pharaohs like othยญer temยญples were. Walkยญing around this ancient buildยญing is truยญly awe-inspiring!
  • Luxยญor Museยญum. This museยญum was opened in 1975, and many artiยญfacts and antiqยญuiยญties are on disยญplay here. Objects found around Luxยญor are housed here, and so are many artiยญfacts found in King Tutankhamenโ€™s tomb. 
  • The Mumยญmiยญfiยญcaยญtion Museยญum. This locaยญtion is dedยญiยญcatยญed to the art and sciยญence of how ancient Egypยญtians preยญserved bodยญies using the process of mumยญmiยญfiยญcaยญtion. And bodยญies are indeed on disยญplay here, but so are othยญer creaยญtures, includยญing mumยญmiยญfied birds and crocยญoยญdiles, to name but a few. 

The West Bank:

things to do in luxor egypt l places to visit in luxor egypt
  • The Valยญley of the Kings. These are the burยญial grounds of many pharaohs from the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasยญties, includยญing that of Ramessยญes II and Tutankhamen. In addiยญtion, many powยญerยญful men and their wives were buried here, and tourists are able to tour these tombs and see the intriยญcate, detailed buriยญals these imporยญtant peoยญple were givยญen so many cenยญturies ago.
  • The Valยญley of the Queens. Here is the burยญial site of imporยญtant women of the rulยญing classยญes, and of course, queens. Queen Neferยญtari is here, and her tomb is truยญly specยญtacยญuยญlar, regal enough to rival that of the kings. Although she was laid to rest approxยญiยญmateยญly 3,000 years ago, the colยญors and details etched into the walls of her tomb are almost as clear and vivid as they were all those many cenยญturies ago.
  • The Morยญtuยญary Temยญple of Queen Hatยญshepยญsut. This temยญple stands out for many reaยญsons, but one of the most comยญpelling is its locaยญtion โ€“ built almost into a high series of cliffs. The setยญting is draยญmatยญic, and the temยญple is truยญly stunning.
  • The Valยญley of the Nobles. These burยญial sites are those belongยญing to the elite and powยญerยญful milยญiยญtary men and othยญers who comยญprised ancient Egyptโ€™s rulยญing classes.
  • The Howard Carter House. As almost every amaยญteur hisยญtoยญriยญan knows, Howard Carter was the British archaeยญolยญoยญgist who disยญcovยญered King Tutโ€™s tomb almost a cenยญtuยญry ago, in 1922. The house is locatยญed in the Valยญley of the Kings, and stepยญping through its doors is like stepยญping back into a whole difยญferยญent world. The house has been preยญserved as a museยญum, and seeยญing it โ€“ and the objects belongยญing to Carter back then โ€“ lends a sense of almost tanยญgiยญble time travยญel, as though the famous Egypยญtolยญoยญgist were about to enter the room, shake your hand and start telling you all about this adventures!
These are some (but not all!) of the comยญpelling reaยญsons to choose Luxยญor as the next desยญtiยญnaยญtion for a dream vacaยญtion. It has all the best ingreยญdiยญents of a satยญisยญfyยญing holยญiยญday โ€“ a litยญtle hisยญtoยญry and awe-inspirยญing sights to see, as well as eleยญgant places to stay, great food, good weathยญer and friendยญly people. If you just canโ€™t decide between Cairo and Luxยญor, why not plan a trip to both locaยญtions? Spend three days in Luxยญor getยญting your fill of all things archaeยญoยญlogยญiยญcal, then head to Cairo for the vibrant sophisยญtiยญcaยญtion and busyยญness of the capยญiยญtal city. And of course, go to the pyraยญmids while youโ€™re there. Or conยญsidยญer takยญing a cruise on the rivยญer Nile and visยญit Luxยญor and Cairo as stopovers along the way. The cities are about 400 kiloยญmeยญtres apart โ€“ about sevยญen hours by car. Most tour guides and travยญel experts recยญomยญmend that, once youโ€™re setยญtled in your quarยญters in Luxยญor and ready to head out to see the archaeยญoยญlogยญiยญcal wonยญders, hire a car or a cab to take you there and back.  Whether you stay in an apartยญment or a luxยญuยญry suite at the Hilton, Luxยญor has many options for accomยญmoยญdaยญtions that will suit you to a tee.  An excelยญlent place to start planยญning your trip to Egypt is by visยญitยญing the governmentโ€™s Minยญistry of Tourism & Antiqยญuiยญties webยญsite at Egypt Travยญel webยญsite. Othยญer links from there can help you learn about when the best time to visยญit is, in terms of weathยญer and any restricยญtions in place because of the pandemic.  But there is one part of the trip you can take today: a visยญit to Luxยญor in your imagยญiยญnaยญtion, seeยญing in your mindโ€™s eye all the fabยญuยญlous tourism spots youโ€™re going to see!

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