Luxor and the Nile Valley itinerary, day by day

The temples and royal tombs of Luxor, then a cruise up the Nile to Aswan: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

🗓️ 4 or 7 days📍 2 stops☀️ Best time: October to March

Louxor · Photo Alina Zhabynska / Pexels

Route map (numbers = order of the stops).

Luxor and the Nile Valley in 4 days

2 stops · 4 things to do · Cruise & felucca

1Luxor

Days 1-2

Ancient Thebes, capital of Egypt at the height of the New Kingdom. Karnak and Luxor temple stand on the east bank, the Valley of the Kings across the river on the west.

🎟️ Worth booking

Valley of the Kings, with an EgyptologistHalf day · from €45
The painted royal tombs cut into the west bank hills. Tutankhamun's is among them, on a separate ticket.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Hot-air balloon at sunrise1h · from €90
Up before dawn to float over the west bank, the Colossi of Memnon and the edge of the desert as the sun comes up.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Luxor temple, lit up at night

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: El Mesala Hotel (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Steigenberger Resort Achti (€95 a night) · Luxury: Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa (€160 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

مطعم سنوبس Snobs Restaurant ★ 4.9 · 1258 reviews · €€
Fish House ★ 4.8 · 910 reviews
Nubian House ★ 4.8 · 646 reviews · €
Metro Restaurant ★ 4.7 · 550 reviews
Restaurant Mohamed ★ 4.7 · 136 reviews

Photo Pexels

⛵ Cruise · 2 nights · Nile

2The cruise to Aswan

Days 3-4

Upriver between Luxor and Aswan, stopping at the temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo, with the Nubian country of Aswan at the end.

🎟️ Worth booking

Two-night cruise, Luxor to Aswan2 days · from €180
Two nights on board heading upriver, with guided stops at the temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo and the banks sliding past in between.
Book on GetYourGuide →

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Nile Castle (€26 a night) · Mid-range: St Joseph Hotel (€40 a night) · Luxury: Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa (€160 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Fish House ★ 4.8 · 910 reviews
Bob Marley Moonlight terrace restaurant cafe ★ 4.7 · 1664 reviews · €€
King Jamaica Restaurant & Café – Best Restaurant in Aswan ★ 4.7 · 1530 reviews
Metro Restaurant ★ 4.7 · 550 reviews
Al Sahaby Lane Restaurant ★ 4.6 · 4385 reviews · €€

Photo Cristian Bagnarello / Pexels

Luxor and the Nile Valley in 7 days

2 stops · 4 things to do · Cruise & felucca

1Luxor

Days 1-3

Ancient Thebes, capital of Egypt at the height of the New Kingdom. Karnak and Luxor temple stand on the east bank, the Valley of the Kings across the river on the west.

🎟️ Worth booking

Valley of the Kings, with an EgyptologistHalf day · from €45
The painted royal tombs cut into the west bank hills. Tutankhamun's is among them, on a separate ticket.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Hot-air balloon at sunrise1h · from €90
Up before dawn to float over the west bank, the Colossi of Memnon and the edge of the desert as the sun comes up.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Luxor temple, lit up at night

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: El Mesala Hotel (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Steigenberger Resort Achti (€95 a night) · Luxury: Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa (€160 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Pexels

⛵ Cruise · 2 nights · Nile

2The cruise to Aswan

Days 4-5

Upriver between Luxor and Aswan, stopping at the temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo, with the Nubian country of Aswan at the end.

🎟️ Worth booking

Two-night cruise, Luxor to Aswan2 days · from €180
Two nights on board heading upriver, with guided stops at the temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo and the banks sliding past in between.
Book on GetYourGuide →

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Nile Castle (€26 a night) · Mid-range: St Joseph Hotel (€40 a night) · Luxury: Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa (€160 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Cristian Bagnarello / Pexels

Hotel prices are per room per night, activity prices per person, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links (Booking, GetYourGuide): we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Take this itinerary with you

The free printable Luxor and the Nile Valley guide: map, stops day by day, hotels by budget. Works offline.

📥 Get the free guide

Good to know before you go

🍽️ What to eat

Koshari: rice, pasta and lentils under a spiced tomato sauce and fried onions, sold on every corner.
Ful medames: fava beans stewed overnight, the breakfast of the country.
Taameya: the Egyptian falafel, made with fava beans rather than chickpeas.
Molokheya: a thick green soup of jute leaves, heavy on the garlic.
Sugar cane juice, and karkade, the hibiscus drink served cold.

⚠️ What to avoid

Getting into a taxi, carriage or felucca before agreeing the price.
Stopping for the touts on the corniche and at the temple gates: a clear no, and keep walking.
Unsealed bottles and washed salads outside good restaurants.
Running out of small notes: baksheesh is part of every day here.

Plan this trip

📒 The free printable Luxor and the Nile Valley guide→ 🗓️ Best time to visit Luxor and the Nile Valley, month by month→ 🎟️ What to book before you go→

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