When you google Luxor, the focus is often on the West Bank and its historical sites such as the Valley of the Kings. This means the East Bank of Luxor is largely overlooked, but did you know it is home to two of the most magnificent temples in Egypt?
In this guide you will find advice on how to get around the East Bank, where to stay, eat and explore, with updated pricing for 2024, and by the end you’ll be adding the East Bank of Luxor to your bucket-list of places to visit!
WHAT IS THE EAST BANK OF LUXOR AND HOW TO GET THERE?
Located on the east side of the Nile River, Luxor’s East Bank houses two of the most important temples in Egypt, the Luxor Temple and the Karnak Temple.
To reach the East Bank of Luxor you can fly into Luxor International Airport which is located 20 minutes away. There are daily flights from Cairo, which is the main transfer hub as very few international flights fly directly to Luxor. Alternatively, you can drive from Cairo to Luxor although this is an 8 hour drive so flying is often the preferred route and relatively inexpensive on EgyptAir.
GETTING AROUND LUXOR EAST BANK
The East Bank of Luxor is small, making getting around quite easy with three main options:
- Taxi: Uber is not used in Luxor but the alternative to this is an app called Careem. The pricing is very cheap, helped by the fact that the East Bank is small. You can also use the normal taxis but there is a chance of being overcharged on these as they don’t use meters so you have to negotiate a price.
- Walking: Depending on where your hotel is located you can opt to walk around the East Bank. For example the walking time from Luxor Temple to Karnak Temple is 45 minutes, along the avenue of sphinxes which is another must-see sight. If you aren’t visiting in the peak of summer, the temperature will be more bearable to walk this distance.
- Bicycle: Most hotels have bicycles you can rent for the day, and some provide them for free. This is a cheaper alternative to taking a taxi and also quicker than walking, providing a happy medium. However, if you’re visiting during the summer months it will be too hot to cycle during the day and I would recommend paying for a taxi instead.
WHAT ARE THE BEST SITES TO VISIT IN EAST BANK OF LUXOR?
Luxor Temple
Luxor Temple was constructed over hundreds of years, and was first built by Amenhotep III around 1390-52 BC, followed by Tutankhamun and Horemheb, and further added to by Rameses II. It was the largest and most significant religious centre in ancient Egypt, and unlike the other temples it was not dedicated to a god, but rather to the rejuvenation of kingship. In fact, many of the kings were believed to have had their crowning at Luxor Temple.
The Temple was used continuously as a worship site which is evidenced by the remains. For example, during the Christian era the hypostyle hall was used as a Christian church, with remains of another Coptic church to the west. Later, the mosque of Sufi Shaykh Yusuf Abu al-Hajjaj was built over a part of the Temple and some still remains intact.
Whilst the Temple is no longer in use, it has been largely preserved. Today, you’ll find two giant statues of Ramesses II that guard the temple and only one remaining obelisk at the entrance (the second obelisk is located in Place de la Concorde in Paris). Towards the rear end of the temple there is a granite shrine dedicated to Alexander the Great. The entire structure is magnificent to see and is known to be one of the best kept ancient monuments in Egypt. Going early in the morning is the best time as you get the morning rays shining through the Temple. We got there for 7am and it was completely empty for an hour before small groups started arriving.
- Entrance Fee as of 2024: 400EGP
- Opening Times: 6am – 4pm
Avenue of Sphinxes
The Avenue of Sphinxes is a 2.7km avenue connecting Luxor Temple to Karnak Temple, with over 1000 statues of sphinxes and rams on either side of the avenue. It is believed to date back to 5000 years ago and to be used for celebrations, special occasions, and coronations. However, its main use is believed to be for the annual Opet Festival with statues of gods being paraded down the avenue, and where the journey from Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple was thought to be a symbolic recreation of Amun-Re and Mut’s marriage and the renewal of birth.
During the winter months, it is the perfect temperature to walk from one of the temples to the other via the Avenue of the Sphinxes!
Karnak Temple
Unlike Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple is much larger (over 200 acres) in scale and is believed to be the second most visited historical site in Egypt after the Pyramids of Giza, but also the largest temple complex in the World. It was built as a cult temple and was dedicated to the gods Amun, Mut, and Khonsu. One of the standout features of the Temple compared to other temples across Egypt is the sheer time it took to construct the Temple. It began in the Middle Kingdom and continued into Ptolemaic times, with approximately thirty pharaohs contributing to the buildings that inevitably enabled it to reach a size, complexity, and diversity not seen elsewhere.
Karnak Temple is divided into three areas: the precinct of Amun, the precinct of Mut, and the precinct of Montu. However, most tourists only visit the precinct of Amun as it contains the most famous sections of the Temple, including the Great Hypostyle Hall with its 134 towering columns. Just imagine, the 54,000 square feet Great Hypostyle is large enough to fit the Cathedral of Notre Dame!
Given it’s size I would highly recommend getting a guide to show you around the complex or otherwise read about the history before visiting the Temple to make the most of your visit! Also leave plenty of time to see the Temple as it will take at least 1.5 – 2 hours to properly cover the main grounds. You could easily spend half a day here, however this will very much depend on the heat as it is an open site with very little shade. I would recommend visiting early morning in the summer months – we got there for 9am and it was already 32 degrees!
- Entrance Fee: 450EGP
- Opening Times: 6am – 5pm
ONE DAY ITINERARY FOR EAST BANK OF LUXOR
The key to visiting the East Bank of Luxor is to start early to avoid the peak heat (especially in summer) and the large tour groups!
- 7:00 am: Luxor Temple
- 8.30 am: Avenue of Sphinxes (takes 45 minutes to walk)
- 9:30 am: Karnak Temple
- 12:00 pm: Lunch
- 1:30 pm: Mummification Museum
- 2:30 pm: Luxor Museum
We didn’t do the Mummification Museum or the Luxor Museum as it was 40 degrees outside and by that point we wanted to get back to the hotel to rest and cool down! Also in my view, it would have been underwhelming to visit these museums compared to the temples, especially as the Luxor Museum contains more statues found at the temples. However, if you have time to kill I would suggest the Mummification Museum as something different to do and a break from historical sites. It focuses on the ancient art of mummification, not only to humans but also to animals and reptiles!
WHERE TO STAY AND EAT
The East Bank of Luxor has numerous accommodation options, although only a few luxury hotels. We stayed at the Hilton Luxor and it was by far the nicest hotel in Luxor, with a prime location along the banks of the Nile! It is further out from the other hotels, but given Luxor is small it doesn’t make much difference. Another luxury hotel we considered was Sofitel Winter Palace, but the rooms looked more dated compared to Hilton Luxor.
For food, we mainly ate at the hotel as we found the local restaurants in Egypt to be quite bland. We tried Al-Sahaby Lane in Luxor, which was one of the highest rated restaurants, and in all honesty we left most of our food untouched. We actually ended up back at the hotel and eating there! I’m a massive foodie, eating pretty much anything, with a love of trying local food, and steering clear of upmarket restaurants, but the food in Egypt just did not sit well for me. Having spoken to many others who have visited, they found it to be the same so just be prepared for this!
Some other highly rated restaurants in Luxor, but which we didn’t try, are:
- Sofra Restaurant
- Aboudi Coffee Break
For a tried and tested restaurant which was good I recommend Silk Road at the Hilton Luxor Resort and Spa.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EGYPT
Aswan: Guide coming soon, keep your eyes peeled!
Cairo: Check out the best hotel to stay in Cairo.
Luxor: For more on Luxor, check out my guide on Luxor West Bank.
If you have any questions about how to visit the East Bank of Luxor, or to share your personal experience, drop a comment in the comment section below.
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6 responses to “LUXOR EAST BANK – YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE ON WHERE TO VISIT, EAT, AND SLEEP”
So amazing! I wish I could go NOW. Beautiful photos and excellent advice to get around. Thank you for posting!
Oh my gosh I love this! I’m always hesitant about going to Egypt because of scams. This is super helpful.
Gorgeous post and photos! I love how the background color reflects the colors in the photos. Definitely on my list for travel.
This is an awesome post! I always wanted to go to Egypt. It’s definitely on my bucket list! Your pictures are incredible and the information is so helpful for people planning a trip there!
I’ve never been to Egypt but Luxor East Bank looks like a nice place to visit. Plenty of history to discover there as well. Perhaps one day I will be able to visit and make use of this helpful guide.
I have never been to Egypt but would love to visit one day. The east bank of Luxor seems like an interesting place to tour. I particularly love to visit the Karnak temple.