1.6kBook a tour of Karnak Temple with round-trip flights, entrance fees and a licensed Egyptologist guide included. Stand under the 134 columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall instead of queuing at the ticket booth, and let your guide explain what the hieroglyphs mean. Door-to-door from your Cairo hotel, it fits in one well-planned day.
Karnak stands at the north end of Luxor's East Bank, and reaching it from Cairo means a flight, a train or a cruise first. Most take an all-inclusive guided day trip that bundles flights, entry fees and an Egyptologist; a few ride the overnight sleeper train and tour on a second day. Going it alone suits travelers already in Luxor.
Answer a few quick questions and the finder picks the tour that fits you.
Your best matchSolo travelers, families with kids or teens, friends, couples. 93% of solo travelers, 90% of families gave it 4 or 5 stars.
The all-inclusive day: flights, entry fees, lunch and a felucca ride all included.
Your best matchSolo travelers, friends, families with kids or teens, couples. 94% of solo travelers, 95% of families gave it 4 or 5 stars.
A four-day cruise from Aswan to Luxor with a sunrise balloon over the West Bank.
Your best matchSolo travelers book it most. 100% of solo travelers gave it 4 or 5 stars.
Overnight in Luxor with a sunrise balloon before a full day of sightseeing.
Your best matchA VIP train overnight with one hotel night in Luxor included.
Your best matchSolo travelers make up most of its bookings, and it works for anyone who wants a private day.
The shortest private day: one full day of Luxor sights, booked 48 hours ahead.
Your best matchCouples are the main group that books this cruise.
A slower three-night cruise with Abu Simbel and a balloon flight included.
Your best matchThe sleeper train both ways, with private guides in six languages.
Your best matchKarnak is the first stop of the day, before Luxor Temple and the tombs.
Your best matchFive days and four nights on the water, with Karnak visited on day one.
Your best matchLets you pick economy or business class flights and add King Tut's tomb.
Cairo: Private Luxor Day Tour with Entrance fees by FlightsFrom $436 /personFrom Cairo: 4-Day Nile Cruise to Luxor with Balloon FlightFrom $1,170 /personFrom Cairo: Luxor & Hot Air Balloon Private Trip by PlaneFrom $486 /personCairo: Overnight Tour to Luxor from Cairo by VIP TrainFrom $876 /personFrom Cairo: Private All-Inclusive Tour of Luxor by PlaneFrom $420 /personFrom Cairo: 3-Night Aswan to Luxor Nile Cruise with FlightsFrom $1,600 /personFrom Cairo: Luxor Sightseeing Tour by Sleeper TrainFrom $604 /personFrom Cairo: Immersive Luxor Attractions Day Tour by FlightFrom $450 /personFrom Cairo by Plane: 5 Days & 4 Nights Nile Cruise to LuxorFrom $1,800 /personFrom Cairo: Trip to Luxor By Flight and King Tut’s Tomb VisitFrom $850 /personCarry a bank card with you even if you joined a tour that includes entrance fees, because the self-service ticket machines at the Valley of the Kings and other Luxor sites work the same card-only way.
One 10-hour private day with flights, entry fees, guide and lunch sorted, rated 4.4 by 287 travelers.
The most reviewed pick here, 832 ratings at 4.5, on a 15-hour day that ends with a felucca ride on the Nile.
Compact 8-hour day with a King Tut tomb add-on and economy or business seats on the flight, your choice.
Adds a hot air balloon over the West Bank to a 14-hour overnight trip, rated 4.4 by 153 travelers.
The day's first stop is the Valley of the Kings, where your guide leads you into rock-cut tombs painted for the pharaohs of the New Kingdom.
From there the West Bank unfolds: the terraced temple of Hatshepsut, the Colossi of Memnon by the roadside, and lunch at a Luxor restaurant before a felucca ride on the Nile.
The afternoon belongs to the East Bank. At Karnak Temple your guide walks you down the Avenue of Sphinxes into the Great Hypostyle Hall, a forest of 134 stone columns, and past Hatshepsut's obelisk, the tallest still standing in Egypt.
Luxor Temple closes the day before the evening flight back to Cairo, with every entrance fee, transfer and meal already covered.
Green marks the lowest price. Prices per person.
Adam gave me such a great day. So knowledgeable and enthusiastic, he shared real insights.
The tour went really well. Nice Tours coordinated everything smoothly, Zeinab was easy to reach and kept us informed, and guide Ahmed Majid explained the history brilliantly.
Fantastic Luxor day trip from Cairo. Early start but worth it! Saw so much without ever feeling rushed. Guide Shereen was knowledgeable and honest, driver Sayed always on time. Well organised, highly recommend.
Mohammed our guide was so kind and professional. Incredible experience, so much fun. Clean cruise rooms, lovely staff, interesting activities. Highly recommend this trip.
Remarkable experience, so many sights in one mesmerizing day.
We loved this Nile cruise, everything was so well organised, the visits, transport, and the boat staff were helpful and very attentive.
Well organised, really enjoyable tour of everything we wanted. Guide Ahmed Moussa was knowledgeable and professional, even planned our day to avoid the crowds. Long day but worth it.
Most reviewers praise their guide's knowledge of Egyptian history, naming Ahmed, Salma and Adam.
Several couples loved it when guides filled spare hours before the flight with a sunset felucca ride.
A few reviewers wished the itinerary stretched further, with extra stops before the evening flight.
Choose a morning date and book a few weeks out for winter travel, when seats on Cairo to Luxor flights fill first. You can cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund.
On this private day tour, entrance fees, lunch and a felucca ride come as standard, and an English-speaking guide is included. Select the add-on if you want a guide in Spanish, German or French.
Right after booking, the operator asks for the full names and passport numbers of every traveller. Without these, the domestic flights cannot be booked and the tour is not yet confirmed.
The evening before, WhatsApp and email messages arrive with your pickup time and the vehicle details, a car or van carrying the operator's logo. Keep your phone reachable.
Wait in the hotel lobby before the pickup, about 6 am in Cairo or Giza. After the one-hour flight, your guide meets you at Luxor airport with a name sign and drives you 25 minutes to Karnak's gate.
A driver collects you at your hotel in Cairo or Giza, and the start is early: one flight tour picks up around 6 am, another at 3:30 am. A tour representative confirms the exact time the evening before, usually by WhatsApp and email.
Transfers run in a private air-conditioned vehicle, and the Cairo to Luxor flight takes about an hour. At Luxor airport a guide or representative waits with a name sign, and the drive to the Karnak gate takes about 25 minutes.
These tours bundle the big costs into one booking: Tips and drinks with lunch stay extra.
Karnak opens at 6 am daily, and big tour buses start arriving between 8 am and 8:30 am. A guided visit runs about two hours, and last entry is at 4 pm in every season, so an early flight puts you ahead of both the crowds and the heat.
Guides and drivers on a private tour expect a tip at the end of the day, and it sits outside the tour price. Carry small notes in Egyptian pounds for tomb guards and attendants who unlock a chamber or point something out.
Two of these tours are not suitable for wheelchair users. Karnak asks for moderate fitness: expect two to three hours of walking over uneven stone and gravel with little shade, and rest at the visitor center's shaded spots.
Book at least 48 hours ahead so the operator can secure flight seats, and send passport details promptly after booking. A flight tour is only confirmed once those seats are secured, and the operator will ask you to get in touch after booking.
Most of these tours cancel free up to 24 hours in advance. One all-inclusive flight tour is the exception: once its flights are booked, the booking is non-refundable unless the tour operator cancels.
Karnak is cashless: entry tickets are bought with bank cards only, and cash payments are prohibited for foreign visitors too. E-tickets bought in advance get fast-tracked entry past the ticket booths.
No strict dress code applies at Karnak, but modest clothing that covers shoulders and knees fits local custom and shields you from the sun. Wear shoes with solid soles, because the paths cross sand and uneven stone.
Bring your passport; a copy is accepted on some tours. Operators ask for passport copies up to two days before departure so domestic flights can be booked, and parents flying with children carry a birth certificate as proof of age.
Phone photos inside most open tombs and temples are free. Flash is banned indoors, a tripod reclassifies you as a professional and triggers a ministry permit, and one of these day tours bans cameras outright, so keep the phone handy.
Short answers to the questions travelers ask before a tour of Karnak Temple: hours, tickets, guides and the evening show.
Luxor2026Karnak Temple opens daily from 6 am to 5 pm, with last entry at 4 pm. The schedule stays the same in summer, winter and Ramadan.
No. Entry tickets are sold for bank or credit cards only, and the machines at the gate take cards too. The Luxor Pass is the exception and takes cash in dollars or euros.
The complex covers about 250 acres, and its main enclosure, the Precinct of Amun-Re, measures roughly 500 by 600 meters. Only Angkor Wat is larger among ancient religious complexes.
A guided visit runs about 1.5 to 2 hours and covers the Avenue of Sphinxes, the Hypostyle Hall, the obelisks and the Sacred Lake. Walking the whole site on your own takes 3 to 4 hours.
Unlicensed guides approach visitors at the gate, give short explanations and ask for tips without showing a badge. Egyptian law requires a guide to hold a licence from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, so book ahead or ask to see one.
An English show runs at 7 pm, Tuesday through Saturday, followed by an Arabic and all-languages show at 8 pm. In summer the first performance moves to 8 pm. Headphones carry narration in ten languages.
You can walk the full length of the avenue without a ticket for either temple. Karnak and Luxor Temple each need their own separate ticket bought at the gate.
The temple area is patrolled by police during the daytime, and serious crime against visitors in Luxor is rare. If walking is a concern, focus on the main courts near the center of the route.
The visitor center has drinking water stations and shaded rest areas. A restaurant directly outside opens daily from 9 am to 9 pm.
Plan for 2 to 3 hours on your feet over 1 to 4 kilometers. The main route from the First Pylon through the Hypostyle Hall is largely flat, but the wider site has uneven stone, gravel and few places to sit.
A student discount exists for international visitors, and you qualify only with a valid ID if you are 24 or younger.
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Fly from Cairo, tour Karnak and the other big Luxor sites with a guide, entrance fees and lunch covered, and cancel free up to 24 hours before you go.
