Hurghada to Luxor Day trip (2026) - To the Valley of Kings and Queens!

Many visit Egypt mainly for its Pyramids and take a quick stop in Cairo. However, if you do have time to spare, there are so many places beyond the pyramids that are worth exploring! Luxor is full of awe-inspiring architecture, history and landscapes. Hurghada by the Red sea is an underrated destination and can definitely be visited in a day if not more!

Luxor, the world’s largest open-air museum, has stunning architecture, prolific ancient Egyptian history and tombs of many significant pharaohs of the country.

Walking through the ruins and tombs of pharaohs in Luxor is like stepping back thousands of years in time.

Luxor is easily accessible from Hurghada, Cairo and Aswan. Hurghada is about 310 km away from Luxor, and tourists usually take a day-long Luxor trip from Hurghada.

A Hurghada to Luxor day trip in Egypt is enough to see the city’s highlights. If you want a hassle-free experience, consider booking this Luxor Private Guided Day Tour with Lunch.

If you want to follow a relaxed itinerary and see all the monuments, plus spend some time taking a hot air balloon ride or cruise on the Nile, consider spending two to three days in the city rather than a day-long Hurghada to Luxor tour.

The first Hurghada to Luxor bus (GoBus) starts at 7.30 am.

It usually takes about 4 hours to get to Luxor so you’re estimated to get to Luxor by 11.30 am if you take the GoBus and about 9 am if you prefer a private trip or a group tour. Starting at 7.30 am would give you barely any time in Luxor if you have to get back to Hurghada by night.

To leave for Luxor early, you’ll have to take a private car/transfer from your hotel in Hurghada.

All Luxor day tours from Hurghada begin between 4–5 am to have ample time for sightseeing.

You can hire a car from one of the agencies to pick you up from the hotel, take you from one site to another in Luxor and drop you back at the hotel in Hurghada at night. This will cost around 150-200$.

Here are a few car hire options :

123 Taxi & Tours – 133$

Sharm Wonders – 158$

Private Taxi Hurghada – 175$

Ensure you communicate clearly with the hiring company that you are looking for a car for a Hurghada to Luxor day trip and using the car to get from one place to another in Luxor and for their day trip package (which would mean you’ll have to follow their itinerary and only see those places)

If you are looking for a day trip package, there are many companies that provide these. Here are a few options for day trip packages for a Hurghada to Luxor day trip –

Sharm Wonders

Memphis Tours

Marsaalam tours

The twin colossi depict the Pharaoh Amenhotep III (c. 1386-1353 BCE), the ninth king of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. The statues depict the seated king, imagery of his mother and wife, the god Hapi and other engravings.

Amenhotep III was one of the most prosperous rulers of ancient Egypt. During his reign, the regime prospered – he maintained peace with other nations through diplomacy, increased its wealth and built many buildings and statues.

The statues are made of quartzite sandstone which was excavated near modern-day Cairo and transported here. The figures were part of a large temple complex built by the king and completed in 1350 BC. A violent earthquake in 27 BC and floods ruined most of the temple complex, yet the statues have remained, albeit damaged.

There’s an interesting story about why the statues have been named Colossi of Memnon. One of the statues would ‘sing’ at sunrise. By the time this was observed, Alexander the Great had taken over Egypt (332 BC). Soon, Romans and Greeks would visit the statues, and that’s how the name was associated with it.

At dawn, one of the statues would make a high-pitched noise. The Greeks and Romans attributed this noise to Eos, Memnon’s mother singing and mourning for her son.

Researchers think that the noise was due to the rise in heat and humidity, which affected the cracks produced in the stone post the earthquake in 27 BC. The statue stopped making noise after restoration work under the Roman emperor Septimius Severus (reigned 193-211 CE) repaired the fissure.

12.30 pm – Get to the East Bank of Luxor

Getting to one of the restaurants on the East Bank from the West Bank would need about an hour.

A local ferry also starts from the dock near Gezira village on the West Bank and lands near Luxor temple on the East Bank and costs 5EGP. Small motorboats too take customers from one end to the other.

1.30 pm – Lunch

Here are a few good options to have lunch on East Bank :

Al Sahaby Lane Restaurant 

Cuisine: Egyptian

Address: Al-Sahaby Street, Luxor City,

Hours: 7 am – 11.30 pm

Sun Rise Restaurant 

Cuisine: Egyptian, European

Address: Kaled Ebn Elwaled Street, first floor, front of Sonesta Hotel & Lotus Hotel & Steigenberger Hotel

Hours: 12 pm – 1 am

Gerda’s Garden 

Cuisine: Egyptian, European

Address: Ali Ibn Abi Taleb, Gazirat Al Awameyah, Luxor,

Hours: 11 am – 11 pm

4 pm – 5 pm – Luxor temple

The Luxor temple was built over hundreds of years by different pharaohs and was the largest religious site in ancient Egypt.

The temple is made from sandstone from Nubia and limestone. Pharaoh Amenhotep III started the construction of the temple in 1392 BC.

5 pm – Return to Hurghada

Start from Luxor by private car to return to Hurghada. Go Bus runs a bus from Luxor to Hurghada at 5.30 pm.

So if you want a cheaper option instead of a private car, you can take the bus from the Go Bus terminal on the East Bank.

If you are staying for longer than a day here, here are the top things to do in Luxor :

More things to do in Luxor

Visit the Luxor Museum

The Luxor museum has a collection of artefacts, items of everyday use and mummies that display the history and culture of the country.

The museum was opened in 1975 and was designed to face the Nile. A glass facade in the museum offers beautiful views of the Nile.

The museum contains important artefacts that date back to the Mamluk period of the Old Kingdom. Visiting the Luxor Museum will cost 160 EGP.

See the Ramesseum

The Ramesseum is a part of the funerary complex built for pharaoh Ramesses II. His tomb was found in a secret royal cache near Deir-El-Bahri.

The Ramesseum has not survived time well, unlike the other structures built by Ramesses II. It is well known for the remains of fallen statues, which inspired a verse in Percy Shelley’s Ozymandias.

Mummification Museum

See how the Egyptians created Mummies

Ancient Egyptians used the process of embalming and treating a dead body to preserve it. Mummification was an expensive process – done only for the pharaohs and their officers and was beyond the reach of most commoners.

The Mummification Museum displays tools and equipment used for this mummification process and the significance of the rituals conducted during the process.

The museum displays mummies of pharaohs as well as those of animals that have been preserved.

Enjoy a felucca ride on the Nile

You can book a boat by the hour at Corniche Road by the riverside – boat captains usually look for customers here or pre-book a tour. Catch a beautiful river sunset and enjoy at Banana Island.

A trip from Luxor to Banana Island and back to the riverbank at Luxor will need about 3 hours. A felucca ride will cost approximately 150-700 EGP depending on the number of people taking the ride.

Enjoy a hot air balloon ride

If you stay longer than a day, consider a hot air balloon ride early in the morning to get an aerial view of the ancient sites and the Nile River.

Some hot air balloon rides are cheap in Luxor, costing as low as 785/50$USD. Here is a list of operators providing hot air balloons.

Shop in the local markets

Shop in the Luxor market (near the Luxor Temple) and local shops such as the Fair Trade Center, Nobles Art Gallery, Imhotep Alabaster Luxor, Caravan Serai and Habiba Gallery. You can buy spices, perfumes, handicrafts, antiques, clothes, Bedouin jewellery and alabaster objects from here.

Alabaster, a speciality of Luxor, is a marble-like stone used to make lamps, statues and artwork here.

If you are shopping at the local stalls, bargaining is a must! Sellers will quote a higher price, and you have to haggle to get the best price.

Shop independently during your Hurghada to Luxor day trip – if you shop with your guide, they will insist you shop from those places where they get a kickback on your purchase. Buy only certified precious jewellery and authentic items; beware of the shops selling counterfeit goods from China.

Getting around the city on your Hurghada to Luxor day trip

Most tourists take Hurghada excursions to Luxor through a package tour or through private cars with drivers. This is the best way to get around.

There are microbuses around the city area in the East Bank, which charge as little as 1 EGP. Still, it’s best to avoid them, especially on this itinerary for a Hurghada to Luxor day trip, where you’ll have limited time in the city.

If you have not hired a car for your Hurghada to Luxor day trip, you can hire a taxi for the day or from one location to another or for the day. Ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft do not operate here, and the cabs do not operate on a meter.

So, before you get into a taxi, you must decide on the fare. Scamming and trying to overcharge tourists is common here, so be careful regarding the fares and routes.

Hotels also give out bicycles for rent, which you can use for short distances.

What Documents are needed to Enter Egypt?

If you are planning a holiday or a trip to Egypt, there are several documents you will need to prepare. These documents are required by the federal government and must be obtained before you can visit the country.

These include the following:

COVID – Test

A negative COVID-19 test taken 72 hours prior to visiting Egypt has to be provided to Egyptian authorities at the airport. Keep in mind that the test has to be taken in this specific duration before landing in Egypt or you could be denied entry into the country.

Yellow Fever Certificate

If you belong to a region with cases of Yellow fever, you will also require this certificate. Ensure that you check before you leave for Egypt whether you require this certificate.

Should you buy the Luxor pass for the Hurghada to Luxor day trip?

The standard Luxor pass costs 100$/1571 EGP, and you can visit all the places except the tombs of Seti I and Nefertari for five days.

The premium Luxor pass costs 200$/3142EGP and you can visit all sites for five days. For students under the age of 30, you can buy either at a 50% discount with a valid student ID.

For a Hurghada to Luxor day trip, the ticket prices of the few places you’d visit do not add up to $100. If you are spending longer in Luxor, and the ticket prices add up to almost $100 or exceed it, you can save the hassle of buying tickets everywhere and buy the pass.

You can buy the pass at the ticket booths at Karnak temple, Valley of Kings and Antiquities Inspectorate Ticket Office (a few metres away from the Colossi of Memnon).

To buy a pass, one needs a passport photo, a photocopy of the passport, and a valid student ID (in case you want a discount).

Egypt e-Visa

Visas to most Asian and Middle-Eastern countries can be stressful but it doesn’t need to be this way!

Many countries are now introducing electronic visas and Egypt is one of them and all it takes is a couple of minutes. You could obtain either a single-entry or a multiple-entry visa depending on your Egypt itinerary.

You only need a computer, a reliable internet connection, and a few minutes to apply for an e-Visa online to Egypt.

The best bit is that it only takes about 72 hours or so to acquire it.

 Best time for Hurghada to Luxor day trip – Luxor Weather

The best time to visit Luxor is between October to April (Winter-Early spring). December and January are the peak season, and hotels are expensive during this time.

Accommodation is cheaper between May and August, but it would be uncomfortable to do sightseeing during the daytime as the temperature goes up to 42°C. It barely rains here, so rainfall shouldn’t be a problem for sightseeing during your Hurghada Luxor trip.

FAQs – Hurghada to Luxor day trip

• Can you visit Luxor from Hurghada?

Luxor is about 310 km away from Hurghada. Tourists usually see the city as a day-long Luxor trip from Hurghada. The cheapest way to travel is by bus. You can also hire a cab or drive yourself. There is no direct flight from Hurghada to Luxor.

• Can I visit the Pyramids from Hurghada?

You can visit the Pyramids from Hurghada, but it will be a long journey as they are 475 km away from here. If you are travelling by road, it will take about 6 hours to reach Cairo, so plan your overnight stay in Cairo.

Day trips from Hurghada to Cairo are available though through tour companies. Buses run every 2-3 hours and cost about 13$-17$. You can book a bus through companies such as GoBus or Highjet.

• Is Hurghada near Valley of the Kings?

Hurghada is 287 km away from the Valley of Kings. You can visit it on a day-long Luxor trip from Hurghada.

• Can you visit Cairo from Hurghada?

Cairo is 463 km away from Hurghada. If you are travelling by road, it will take about 6 hours to reach Cairo, so plan your overnight stay in Cairo. Buses run every 2-3 hours and cost about 13$-17$. You can book a bus through companies such as GoBus or Highjet.

• Is Luxor, Egypt, safe?

Luxor is one of the main tourist cities in Egypt and is safe to visit. Women should dress modestly, though, as Egypt is a conservative country. Beware of aggressive salesmen and taxi drivers who want to overcharge tourists during your Luxor trip from Hurghada.