الأربعاء، 30 مارس 2011

Use Jolleys a tour agency next to Winter Palace - they organise very small tours of Valley of Kings etc. You can go to Luxor Temple, Karnack Temple and museums by yourself.from caroline
in londonStayed at Sonesta St George Luxor HotelDecember 2006
Luxor is a beautifull place, what ever you find to do, it will be enjoyable and the people are so friendly.from Joseph
in ActonStayed at Sofitel KarnakJanuary 2007
Tip 1. Go on a hot air balloon flight. Even if you are scared of heights. My wife is, and was petrified at the thought, and loved every minute. Tip 2. The Latern restaurant on the road down the side of the St Joseph, Fillet steak £4.00. Beautiful Tip 3. Tip the waiters well,they do a great job and only earn about £27.00 a month. Tip 4. Enjoy every minute!!!!from Simon
in DoncasterStayed at St Joseph HotelFebruary 2007
Everything on the East bank of Luxor is fairly close. Definitely worth checking the Souk out and also Luxor museum and Luxor Temple. There is a good internet cafe on Cornishe, and our favourite restaurant, El Kebabgy, was there too, just opposite the Winter Palace.from j
in londonStayed at Pola HotelJuly 2007
We only ate in the hotel and the food was good. there are no beaches in luxor but the people are very friendly and we loved being in amongst them and their culture. we had a great time.from Elaine
in GlasgowStayed at St Joseph HotelNovember 2006

Apart from Valley of the Kings we did all site visits by ourselves just by getting a taxi. This worked out much cheaper than organised tours and was not difficult. You will be hassled but not as bad as I remember from 16 years ago.from Elisabeth
in KnutsfordStayed at Maritim Jolie Ville Luxor Island ResortJanuary 2007
You don't have to go into Luxor temple, you can just drive round it! Karnak temple is not really worth it. Balloon ride is worth it for the experience and value for money, but you won't do much sightseeing- depends where the wind takes you and how low the basket goes! Was lovely to see the sunrise though. If you do the Fellah's tent- organised by the tour reps- you will get to experience Eygptian food, get costumes to keep, ride a camel and go on a feluca (boat) ride. Only saw Valley of the Kings- just a load of tombs- couldnt be bothered with the Queens etc!!! Took sleeping train to cairo. £60 return, bit grubby but make sure you have a jam packed day as you will get there 7.30am, and have to amuse yourself until the evening train home!!!! Not many signs on the platform and all instructions over the loudspeaker is in Arabic! You will get proper skanked in Cairo by taxi drivers. Maybe best to go with a tour company!from Deborah
in EdmontonStayed at Sheraton Luxor Resort HotelAugust 2007
If you are taking a trip over to the valley of the kings check out the workers village, Dar El Medina. Its not crowded the tombs although small are in excellent condition and the remains of the village and a Greek temple are stll there.from Yvonne
in BelperStayed at Pyramisa Isis Luxor HotelOctober 2006
Luxor is great, loads to see, would recommend one of the balloon ride. Is a safe place but be prepared to be harrased for a ride everywhere. Don't believe them when they say the local market is only on for one night. Enjoyed the stay and learn to say no a thousand different ways!from K
in BeckenhamStayed at St Joseph HotelAugust 2006
Unless you enjoy groups and history lessons, avoid the official tours, hire Abdim and his taxi for a 1/2 day to visit the sights on the West Bank - 100 Egyptian pounds (£10) plus tip For local sights in town on the East bank, hire Ebrahem and his horse Jimmy and carriage - 25 Egyptian pounds (£2.50) one way into town plus tip or £4 return Feluca sail boat ride for 2 people for 1hr not including Banana Island 100 Egyptian (£10) Try the outdoor restaurant Al Dwarma in front of the old Mercure Inn, great rustic atmosphere, typical Egyptian food. If you want to go on a hot air balloon ride, don't book it for the last day of your holiday because if it's too windy they won't risk it and you don't get another chancefrom Susan
in WORCESTERStayed at Pyramisa Isis Luxor HotelMarch 2007

We went on a Felucca, there are boats at the hotel but they were asking for 60 egyptian pounds plus extras for 1 hour sunset sail but if you go just out side the hotel you can barter and get it for 40 egyptian pounds. You do get hassle from the locals so we didn't walk much. We had the number of a taxi driver called Turkey and called him to pick us up from hotel then he would come back at a time we asked him to and take us back which cut out a lot of the hassle from the locals.from Jillian
in WickfordStayed at Sheraton Luxor Resort HotelOctober 2006
For arranging trips try Mohammed at Monaliza tours ------ just trust him! (opposite Sonesta) Eat at Smiley's (ignore the name!) cheap, wonderful food, or Joan's, both 2mins walk from Sonesta.from Christopher
in SkiptonStayed at Sonesta St George Luxor HotelDecember 2006
Don't be frighten get out of the hotel and try not go at the hottest time of the year the heat is really too much.from Eduard
in RochdaleStayed at Sonesta St George Luxor HotelJune 2007
Take pens for the children on the west bank and use the local mini bus it takes you straight in the heart of the commercial market with lots of bargains at set prices.from Janet
in BuryStayed at Sheraton Luxor Resort HotelDecember 2006
Jolley's Tours were good for short trips out to West Bank - take both trips 1 and 2.from Clive
in LondonStayed at Sofitel New Winter PalaceApril 2007

Temples and tombs in luxurious Luxor.

Enjoy a felucca cruise and watch the sun set over the Valley of the Kings.

Just over 5 hours from most UK airports. Transfer time approx 20 minutes by taxi.
For a once in a lifetime holiday visit Luxor. Make this the year you do it.
There are fabulous 3*, 4* & 5* hotels, local restaurants and bars.
Are there beaches in Luxor? No, but most of the hotels have amazing pools. There are also excursions to The Red Sea - excellent for diving.
Sightseeing in Luxor. Visit the temple ruins at Luxor, Karnak and Abu Simbel. Explore Tutankhamen's tomb, the burial chambers of King Tut and Queen Nefertiti. A River Nile cruise or hot air ballon trip are a must. Superb shopping and bazaars. Prepare to haggle!
Where are the pyramids? In Giza, an overnight train or one hour flight to Cairo.
The best place to watch the sun set over the River Nile? 'Drinks on the Nile Terrace at the Old Winter Palace - pure Agatha Christie.'
What to wear in Luxor? Think 'The Jewel in the Nile' and 'The Mummy'.
Day wear: sensible shoes, sunhats, khaki, cotton and linen. Evenings: Dress modestly. And ladies, something vintage or floaty for that sunset dinner by the Nile.
Do I need a visa to visit Luxor? Yes, but it's easy to apply for one on arrival.
When is the best time to visit Luxor? From mid October to May.
What is the time difference with Luxor? It is 2 hours ahead of GMT in the winter.
Health Tip: Drink water, wear sunscreen, hat, use mozzie repellent at night.
Do I need jabs? In most cases no, but you can check further with the FCO site and your GP. Check the small print of your travel insurance. Some require protection like Tetanus are up to date.
How much should I tip in Luxor? In Luxor wages are low and tipping is a way of life. Here is a suggested guide, but really it is up to you. Restaurant - 5-15% Hotel - 5% Tour guide - £1 a day Taxi - 10%. If you are staying All Inclusive, it's worth giving small tips to your All Inclusive waiters throughout your holiday. And, at the end of a cruise, leave tips for the boat crew. For caleche or horse-drawn buggys, a tip on top of the agreed fare is expected. Top 'Tips' Tip: Keep lots of small currency with you in Luxor for tips.
Holidays to Luxor: We have an excellent choice of holidays in Luxor.
Hotels in Luxor: We have an excellent choice of hotels in Luxor.
Cheap Flights to Luxor: We have cheap flights to Luxor with all your favourite airlines and operators.
The flight takes just over 5 hours from UK airports.
Car hire in Luxor: There’s so much to explore, you would be wise to hire a car.
Travel Republic can offer great deals on car hire in Luxor so check us out when completing your holiday booking.
Transfers to Luxor: We can book your transfers to your hotel in Luxor by either shuttle or private taxi.
Luxor Hotel Reviews: Written exclusively by genuine customers who have booked and stayed in the hotel.

Did you know? Luxor is built on the remains of Thebes which is 4,000 years old and was ruled by the Pharoah Ramses II.

Book your holiday to Luxor with the lowest prices guaranteed.
Read our holidaymakers' top tips on Luxor.
Check out our holidaymakers' reviews of hotels in Luxor; and pick the best one for you.
Look and book our cheap flights and hotels in Luxor.
Have a fantastic holiday.
Tell us all about it when you get back.

Top Tips you shouldn't miss

Use Jolleys a tour agency next to Winter Palace - they organise very small tours of Valley of Kings etc. You can go to Luxor Temple, Karnack Temple and museums by yourself.more Beaches & Sights Top Tips
Metropolitan restaurant next to Felucca moorings on Corniche -good food & reasonable prices. El Hussein restaurant behind Luxor Temple good food, friendly, cheap prices and internet cafe next door more Food Top Tips
Top Tip for me would be Habiba a nice family night out south of Movenpick Hotel. Local cuisine, local music (Live) close to bridge over nile.more Entertainment Top Tips
Go for drinks at sunset on the Nile Terrace at the Old Winter Palace in central Luxor - pure Agatha Christie and great to soak up the atmosphere in town
more Bars, Pubs & Clubs Top Tips

Luxor Forum, Travel Discussion for Luxor - TripAdvisor

HOW TO GO TO LUXOR EGYPT

Luxor, Egypt Tourism - Holiday Reviews - Travel Deals - TripAdvisor

Luxor Travel Guide - Uncover Egypt

Luxor Holiday - Egypt - Luxor Travel Guide

Trains, Luxor - Transportation - VirtualTourist

How to Book Train Travel From Cairo to Luxor, Egypt | eHow.com

Temperature in Luxor at local (Luxor) time:

This is the temperature in Luxor now. Temperatures are measured in the shade. The actual temperature may be much higher in the sun.

Click here for more about the weather, including a forecast.

These are the sun and moon rising and setting times today.

Exchange rate now

1 Pound Sterling is worth 9.51 Egyptian Pounds
1 Euro is worth 8.37 Egyptian Pounds
1 United States Dollar is worth 5.95 Egyptian Pounds
1 Australian Dollar is worth 6.10 Egyptian Pounds
1 Egyptian Pound is worth 13.75 Japanese Yen

These are current exchange rates, provided by coinmill.com and updated constantly. (If the list does not appear, or has fewer than 5 currencies, it may be because the rates are being updated. Please come back to this page later).

You are not likely to get these rates outside Egypt. For a better exchange rate, get your currency when you get there, not before you go.

Click here to read more about money including other exchange rates
Click here for a list of Visa cash machines in Luxor

Visas

Most visitors need a visa to get into Luxor. Travel Agents often suggest you get one in advance. Read the page about visas to help you decide when to get yours.

Don't buy your visa from a tour rep. Many of them take huge commission without even telling you. Save up to £10. Read more ...

Luxor is back to normal

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) are no longer advising against travel to Luxor. Their latest advice is here. The airlines and travel companies are all providing flights and holidays in Luxor again.

Some excellent deals

Low cost 7 day 4* Nile Cruises

Holiday companies are offering some really good deals to attract tourists back to Luxor. Click one of the logos in the right margin of this page to go straight to the appropriate page on that company's web site.

What to pack

Light cottons for the day. A woolly or fleece for the evening if you are in Luxor between November and March or if you are going to Cairo on the overnight train. Beachwear is only appropriate within the hotel grounds or on a cruise ship. There is more about this on the What to Wear page.

Skin care

Avon's Skin So Soft body oil

is reputed to have 'anti insect' qualities as well as keeping your skin moist in the dry Egyptian heat. For more about caring for your skin in the sun see the Sun page.

Travel insurance

Insurance provided by credit card companies usually only covers you for personal accident whilst on the journey paid for using the card - not for illness or other accident whilst you are abroad. Check the terms with your card issuer.

Most adults under 65 can get insurance for a week, including hot air ballooning, for around £8. See the insurance page for more.

Airport formalities

Read the item called arriving to take you step by step through what happens when you get to the airport.

Gippy Tummy

A lot of the problems are not caused by food, but when you pick up bugs on your hands (e.g. from dirty notes) and don't have chance to wash before touching your food or your face.

It is best to take some anti-bacteria gel wherever you go and use it regularly. You can get it from most pharmacies or buy online at just over £2 for 50ml - click the picture for more details. The same people sell bigger ones and another that you can click to a belt. For more about tummy problems see the health page.

Our sponsors

We travel anonymously, pay all travelling, hotel and other costs ourselves and do not accept donations or advertising from anyone. This keeps us independent and neutral. We also do the web site design and management ourselves. We have no connection to anyone, any company or any government or private organisation in Luxor or elsewhere.

We have to pay for web hosting (that enables you to access the site from anywhere in the world). These costs are subsidised bybesthighstreet.com a web site that helps visitors to find internet shops and providers of a large range of services. If you go tobesthighstreet.com and use it as a shopping directory, it helps us (a lot) to keep going.

Where to stay

Most kinds of accommodation are available, from tent pitches to 5 star hotels. Read the Hotelssection for a review of some.

Where to eat

Descriptions and reviews of some restaurants and cafes are in theEating section.

What to see

Luxor is probably best known for its decorated tombs, for its temples and as a start or finish point for Nile cruises. Luxor has all this to offer and a great deal more. For a hint of things to see, visit thesights page.

Getting around

Read the page on getting aroundto find out about taxis, buses and the different boats that sail the Nile.

Holidays

The Holidays section has information about booking packages or just flights or hotels.

Luggage

The airlines are getting very fussy about weights. Worse still, there are reports of a scam at the Luxor end when you are charged at the check-in even when you are convinced that your luggage is not over weight. You can get a useful gadget for about £10 that includes a 34kg scale and a 1M tape, or a tiny digital one for about £15, so that you can check, and demonstrate if necessary, that your luggage is not overweight.

These gadgets could save you a lot more than their cost in luggage supplements avoided. Click either image for more details.

Reading in Luxor

Many of the bigger hotels have libraries of English language novels you can borrow. Ask at reception. Magazines are more difficult to find in Luxor. If you prefer to read magazines it is best to take them with you. You can get trials of the 3 latest issues of some major magazines for £1.

Drink plenty

It is extremely hot all year round. Dehydration is the greatest health risk. Always take plenty of water. It is cheap and easy to get safe bottled water. Keep it cool if you can, but don't drink it really cold as this may upset your stomach.More about keeping well.

Balloons

Following 3 serious accidents in 2009, balloon trips were stopped for several months but restarted on 26th October 2009. There are new rules limiting the number of balloons and requiring new licensing and fees to various authorities. These things combined have caused prices to increase. For more see 'Hot air balloon' on the Sights page andinsurance.

ASWAN

Many people spend some time in Aswan during or at the end of a Nile cruise from Luxor.

We will soon be adding some tips on Aswan, including hotels, restaurants, trips and a little map.

New Ferries

The National Ferry now has new boats operating across the Nile. For a while the cost for tourists doubled to LE2 but it has now reverted to LE1 each way. Read other news about improvements to the city and the facilities.

Hotel changes

The Mercure Inn (Coralia) became the Swiss Inn and has since been demolished. The Mercure Hotel (Etap) on the Corniche is now the El Luxor hotel.

Emergency Numbers

Police 122
Ambulance 123

Time

Luxor is 2 hours ahead of GMT most of the time, but not all of the time. See more about time.

Tipping

This is often difficult. You don't want to overdo it, but you don't want to be mean. Read the tippingpage for the latest guide.

Electricity

You will need a 2 pin continental type converter.

This one provides two 13 amp outlets plus a nightlight and is about £9 from the travel section of Presents For Men. They also charge postage. You need the European one, not the US one.

If you are unwell

Most hotels have access to English speaking doctors. Most medicines are easily available and very cheap. Read about pharmacies on the health page. If the worst happens, Luxor has a large and quite modern hospital.

Children's luggage

Not many people take children to Luxor, but if you do, look out in luggage shops forTrunki, a range of ride-on child's suitcases. They cost from around £30. If you can't find them locally, click on the picture to go to John Lewis, who sell them and will deliver free if your total order is over £30.

Situation during the unrest

The local office of the ruling party, the Suzanne Mubarak library and the police station (in Medina Street more or less behind the Gaddis but one road back) were damaged and there were demonstrations, but on a small scale compared with the incidents reported on TV. The biggest were near the Governorate - next to the El Luxor hotel and on the paved area behind Luxor temple, in front of McDonald's. There were parades of vehicles on both banks of the Nile and a little looting. Tear gas was used but we are not aware of injuries.

Barriers were erected around Luxor's monuments on the East and West Bank but all sites remained open throughout as far as we can tell, although balloon flights and the Karnak sound and light shows were cancelled. A would-be looter, allegedly a police or security man, tried to get into Karnak temple but was seen off by local people.

The city centre and the market were very quiet: most tourists keeping a low profile or taken home by tour companies of all nationalities. Hotels were said to be 80% empty and cruise ship sailings severely reduced.

Day trips to Luxor from the Sinai and other places were cancelled by the major tour companies until the end of February.

There was an article 'Luxor a Tourist Ghost Town amid uprising' in The Independent newspaper on 11th February. Link to ithere.