Luxor Things to Do Tips by Mark_Harris

Luxor Museum Luxor Museum Review

Although nowhere near as large as the Cairo museum a visit to the Luxor museum is still worthwhile

There are some particularly fine New Kingdom statues and a reconstructed wall from the Armarna period.

Valley Of The Kings Valley of the Kings Review

No trip to Luxor (or Egypt) would be complete without visiting the Valley of the Kings. Surely one of the highlights anywhere in the world.

Most people visit the Valley of the Kings as part of a tour group. This is a BAD idea as you`ll be rushed in and out of just 3 tombs and back on the bus before you`ve read the first hieroglyph!

To make the most of a visit you really need more time which means going on your own. Whether that mean getting a taxi, cycling or even riding a donkey is up to you.

Tickets:
Tickets must be bought from the kiosk near the Colossi of Memnon - a long way from the entrance if you forget. Each ticket permits you to visit 3 tombs, but get 2 tickets and visit 6 tombs. Tickets for Tutankhamun`s tomb are separate.

Photography:
If you want take photographs you`ll need a ticket for each tomb. These can be bought fairly cheaply at the site entrance. You`ll also need some fast film, ISO 800 should be sufficient.

Video cameras and digital cameras are both charged at exorbitant rates. Don`t expect to be able to use them unless you`re as rich as the pharaohs.

Claustrophobia:
Between 3,000 and 4,000 tourists visit the Valley of the Kings every day. As they nearly all visit before 11:00 and the tour guides take them to the same 4 or 5 tombs it can get very crowded at times. The tombs are also hot and airless so if you suffer from claustrophobia here are some tips:

Wait until the tombs are empty - it does happen if you`re patient.

You should be able to come out and go back in the same tomb several times, although it may need a little baksheesh.

Early tombs can be deep and usually have a 90 degree bend. Later tombs are straight so you should always be able to see the entrance. Try to visit tombs such as Merenptah (KV8) and Ramesses VI (KV9). rather than Amenhotep II (KV35) and Tuthmosis III (KV34).

Further Information:
The Theban Mapping Project is the best guide to the Valley of the Kings without doubt.

Valley of the Queens Valley of the Queens Review

The Valley of the Queens is much smaller than the Valley of the Kings with only a handful of tombs open to the public.

Tickets:
A single ticket covers entry to all the tombs, except one...

Tickets to Nefertari`s beautifully restored tomb must be bought seperately. In December 2000 these cost LE200 and were limited to just 100 tickets a day. You`ll need to be at the ticket office before it opens around 6:00 to stand any chance of getting a ticket as most are taken by tour groups.

Medinet Habu

Medinet Habu is one of the best preserved temples of ancient Thebes. Not many tours visit the site which means it's left relatively empty for the rest of us to enjoy.

One of the reliefs on the outside wall of the temple depicts a sea battle - the only example in ancient Egypt.

Directions:
Follow the road from the ticket office back towards the Colossi of Memnon. Take the first right turn and a short walk or bike ride will bring you to the temple entrance.

The Ramasseum Ramesseum Review

I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read,
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed,
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away

Percy Bysshe Shelley
1792-1822

Bits of the giant statue which inspired Shelley's poem are still at the Ramasseum, although the head is in the British Museum.

For a superb view of the Ramasseum turn left as you enter and head behind the First Pylon. From here it`s an easy scramble to the top.

Tomb of Rameses V & V1 (KV9) Valley of the Kings Review

Of all the tombs in the Valley of the Kings that are open to the public this is probably the most lavishly decorated.

In fact it is probably only surpassed by the tomb of Seti I, which is always closed.

As a result this is one of the most popular tombs for visitors.

Deir-el-Bahri Temple of Hatshepsut Review

Deir-el-Bahri on the is the location for the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut.

After the Valley of the King's it's one of the most visited sites on the West Bank, probably because the temple has been heavily rebuilt (sorry - restored).

Luxor Temple Luxor Temple Review

Luxor Temple is best visited in the morning when the light is on the First Pylon, and again in the evening when it is floodlit.

Colossi of Memnon Colossi of Memnon Review

It`s hard to miss the Colossi of Memnon as they`re on the main road to just about anywhere in the Theban Necropolis.

They`re also a useful signpost as tickets to all monuments on the West Bank must be bought at the ticket office about 400m past the Colossi.

Take a hot-air balloon flight...

Take a hot-air balloon flight over the ancient monuments of Thebes

A truly amazing experience and about the best way to appreciate how all the monuments fit together. The memories will remain for ever

In December 2000 the cost was around £120 (US$200) but that`s unimportant. Miss this at your peril!!!

There are two balloon companies operating in Luxor. I flew with Hod-Hod Soliman Balloons who were excellent. They don`t give you a champagne breakfast but you do get a T-shirt!

Flights can be arranged from all larger hotels in Luxor, or directly with the operator.

Hod-Hod Soliman
Omar Ali Street
Television Street
Luxor

Tel: Luxor 370116

Book early to avoid disappointment.