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How To Visit Luxor Temple In Egypt

Luxor Temple is one of the most famous and easily accessible Egyptian temple ruins in the Luxor area of Egypt.

Luxor was formerly the ancient capital of Egypt, so the city is loaded with great Egyptian temples, tombs, and artifacts left over from times past.

Don’t miss this gem of the Nile on your trip through Egypt! This travel guide will explain how to get there, and everything you need to know before you go!

History Of Luxor Temple

The history of Luxor Temple dates back to 1400 BC, when what is now Luxor city used to be the site of ancient Egypt’s city of Thebes.

Thebes was the capital of the Egyptian kingdom for hundreds of years, and a lot of the most famous temples were built here on both sides of the Nile River.

Luxor Temple was mostly constructed by pharaohs Amenhotep III and Ramesses II, with some additions by Tutankhamun, Alexander the Great, and the Romans.

During Roman times, the temple was taken over and parts were converted into a church. In the years that followed, the temple gradually became lost to the world.

It was almost completely buried by sand over time, and medieval Muslim settlers built over it with houses and a mosque that’s still there today.

Massive excavation and restoration works by French Egyptologists started in 1885 and continued off and on through the 1960s, with a newly renovated avenue of sphinxes being unveiled in 2021.

The temple is amazingly well preserved for its age — thousands of years old! — and today it’s recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Visiting Luxor Temple

Like the rest of the ancient sites in Egypt, Luxor Temple is pure magic, and you don’t have to be a history buff to enjoy it.

That said, most people could probably walk through the whole temple in about 60 minutes or less, depending on your pace and how much time you spend soaking things up.

A good time to visit is early in the morning before the heat and crowds, or in the evening when the sandstone walls glow in the sunset.

After dark, the whole temple is lit up for an even more mystical effect!

Best Things To See & Do

These are some of the main features to see at Luxor Temple:

• The avenue of sphinxes at the front entrance
• The pharaoh statues and main pylons (walls) with carvings showing Egyptian chariots in battle
• The inner courtyard with its dozens of stone columns still standing

One of the top highlights for me was the huge 25 meter (80 foot) obelisk at the front of the temple. It’s got some of the best animal hieroglyphs at Luxor Temple.

There used to be two of these obelisks, but the other one is in Paris now.

Hours & Entrance Fees

• Hours: 6 AM – 10 PM
• Entrance Fee:* 160 EGP
• Students: 80 EGP with ID
• Photos: Free**

*If you buy the Luxor Pass, this is one of the temples included in the pass.

**There’s no extra charge for taking photos with a phone/DSLR at Luxor Temple.

How To Get There

Luxor Temple is located on the east bank of the Nile River in Luxor, Egypt.

The Cairo International Airport (CAI) has 1 hour direct flights to the Luxor airport (LXR) for around $90 USD or less, or you can take a 9 hour day train for around $10 or so. You can shop for flights to Luxor at Skyscanner.

Once you’re in Luxor city, you can walk to the temple from many hotels in the area. If you happen to be staying on the west bank, there’s a cheap public ferry that goes across the Nile and stops near the temple.

You’ll be bombarded by clingy touts on your way there, but that’s normal in Luxor!

Best Luxor Temple Tours

If you would rather go with a vetted tour company and skip the hassle of arranging everything yourself, there are several companies that offer tours to the Luxor temples.

Here is a Luxor day tour package of either the West Bank or East Bank, including popular sights like the Colossi of Memnon, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings/Queens, Karnak Temple, and more.

We’ve used this company for lots of tours and activities around the world, and they’re great. Highly recommended!