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Luxor is an ancient Egyptian city known for numerous cultural and architectural monuments, including ancient temples, valleys of Kings and Queens, and the excavation sites of the city of the "living" and "dead". This landmark is the second in Egypt that deserves attention and is mandatory to visit after Cairo and the Pyramids. Excursions to Luxor from Hurghada are especially popular, because it is much closer to the ancient city than Sharm El-Sheikh. Accordingly, the trip will be less tedious and will be cheaper. No additional visas and permits will be required to visit Luxor from Hurghada.
You can visit Luxor on your own, and it will be much more exciting and interesting than an excursion. The fact is that with a one-day excursion trip you will have time to visit only a couple of the "top" attractions of Luxor, while there are many more of them here. If you go on your own, then, of course, slowly and at will you will be able to see everything you want. For example, no excursion provides for a visit to the majestic Luxor Temple in the city center, or the Luxor Museum, although you will pass by them several times during the tour. At least, we did not come across such excursions. But you need to understand that it will be more expensive and longer on its own. In our opinion, for a full acquaintance with Luxor, it is worth allocating two full days, which, taking into account the road, will take three or four days and at least two overnight stays in the city.
Nevertheless, for the majority of holidaymakers, excursions will still be the best way to see Luxor. Yes, you may not see everything, but in principle it will be enough to understand the scale and significance of this ancient city, to learn its history. In addition, during the tour you will be accompanied by a guide who is in a clear language (Russian, English, etc. optional) will introduce you not only to Luxor, but also tell you a lot of interesting things about the life of modern Egypt.
Excursions from Hurghada to Luxor are different in terms of saturation and the sights visited. There are inexpensive group tours on large buses, and individual tours by car or as part of a mini-group in a minivan. Large buses are comfortable, with a toilet room, but a long trip can tire and even make you seasick, so take motion sickness pills with you just in case.
Excursions to Luxor can be purchased from the hotel guide, on the street or online. The standard and most inexpensive program includes the Karnak Temple (temple of the god Amon Ra), the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the colossi of Memnon, a walk along the Nile with lunch, the Nile Valley, the City of the "living" and the City of the "Dead". And in fact, you will visit only 2 temples and colossi, and you will inspect the rest through the bus window along the way. A mandatory point will be a visit to the alabaster factory or the papyrus museum. But these are not attractions at all, but shops where you will be offered to buy souvenirs. There are slightly more expensive programs that include visits to the Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Kings.
During excursions, guides actively offer, for an additional fee of $ 10, a boat trip to Banana Island on the Nile. Moreover, the guides do not act very honestly: they report that if you do not sail to banana island, the bus will have to travel long and far around the river, and then the return home will be delayed for another couple of hours. This is complete nonsense and deception, and a visit to the island, on the contrary, delays the excursion for 40 minutes. In fact, Banana Island is not even an island, but just a banana grove on the shore. Here you will see how bananas, dates and figs grow, and look at an elderly camel in the company of a decrepit crocodile in a cage. In our opinion, it's not worth it, and it's quite possible to refuse this trip and wait on the bus, or take a little walk around the city during this time.
Useful tips for a trip to Luxor
- Take one or two bottles of water with you, as the trip will be delayed for the whole day, and it will be expensive to buy it near the sights or in a cafe.
- Considering that check-out is scheduled at midnight, be sure to order an early breakfast (breakfast-box) at the hotel reception the night before, and don't forget to pick it up in the morning before check-out.
- It can be cool at night and early in the morning in the desert areas of Egypt, besides there are one or two stops along the way where you can warm up and get off the bus. Here you will need a warm sweatshirt. It will also be needed if the air conditioner is turned on in the bus, because it's not close to go.
- A headdress, sun glasses are mandatory items that will be needed during a walking tour to the monuments of antiquity. Those who are particularly sensitive to the sun should also take care of sunscreen.
- Walking will be more comfortable if you wear comfortable shoes, because you will have to walk on the sand.
- Do not forget a certain amount of money, which you need to pay with the guide, and leave for unforeseen expenses (souvenirs, drinks in a cafe at lunch, tips (bakhshish) for the services of accompanying and guide). Do not take a lot so that there is no temptation to spend on unnecessary things.
- For a comfortable sleep on the way to the sights, and you have to go one way for only 6-8 hours, you can take a travel pillow with you.
- Upon arrival to the sights for a walk, things can be left on the bus, but the most valuable (documents, money, phone, camera) is better to carry with you, for which a small backpack is useful.
🕐 Working hours: departure from the hotel for an excursion early in the morning (3-5 am), the duration of the excursion is about 18-20 hours.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price: the cheapest excursions from Hurghada cost from $ 35, entrance fee and meals during the trip are included. Additionally, a walk on Banana Island ($ 10) is paid on request.
🚶 How to get there: Luxor is located about 300 kilometers from Hurghada, it's about 6-8 hours by bus in one direction. An independent trip to Luxor will be more interesting, because you can see more without limiting yourself in time, but it will cost more, given the cost of accommodation, meals and travel. If you choose an excursion, then the trip will be cheaper, will be more organized, will take 1 day without an overnight stay, and you will learn more interesting information. You can buy ready-made excursions to Luxor from hotel guides, travel agencies on the street or on sites with reviews: Tripster.ru, Sputnik8.com or Tezeks.com.
💥 We remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Hurghada with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at online booking options on these proven search and price comparison sites: