If you are an international traveller most likely your first stop will be in Cairo (CAI airport) from where you select a domestic flight. In our case it will be flight Cairo - Luxor.
Only 40-min aero journey to the magic city of Luxor, the pearl on the Nile. Luxor’s ancient name was Thebes, the city of the god Amon, capital of Egypt during the period of the Middle and New Kingdoms. Today people from around the world are coming to this powerful it its energy place to rebalance and reset.
Luxor is a "millefeuille of civilizations" with layers of pharaonic, christian and islamic traditions peacefully coexisting under the bright sun of Egypt.
The city of Luxor is known as the world’s largest open-air museum. Together with other prominent historical sites such as Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, and the Value of the Queens it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.
It is a place unique in its history, energy, with grand temples and ancient tombs scattered along the East and West bank of the Nile River.
When we visited Luxor for the first time we used a dedicated agency who provided us with booking: Flight to Luxor, The Nile Cruise, Aswan Stay, Flight to Cairo and back home to Dubai, including professional guides at every destination.
Luxor Stay
Old Winter Palace Hotel, is a historic British colonial-era resort that opened its doors to the public in 1907, having attracted the world’s attention in 1922 with the discovery of the King Tutankhamun tomb by Howard Carter. Since then some major politicians and celebrities chose the hotel as the place for stay and inspiration, including Agatha Christie. It is believed the Death on the Nile novel was incepted during her stay at Winter Palace.
Alternatively you could explore some of the AirBnB’s available in the city, located mostly on the West Bank.
The Luxor city spreads across the West and East banks of the river Nile, there is a bridge connecting the two, whilst the most efficient and joyful way to commute - using local boat called Felucca.
Luxor East Bank
Luxor Temple for a long time has been the largest and most important religious center in ancient Egypt. The 3,000-year old avenue of Sphinxes used to connect the Luxor Temple and Karnak. The avenue was reopened only in 2021. The Temple itself is located in a walking distance from the Winter Palace.
Karnak Temple has been the largest cult temple ever built in Ancient Egypt, also known as the house of God Amun.
Both Luxor and Karnak are being located on the East bank of the Nile. Historically the West bank was dedicated to the necropolis hiding numerous tombs of the rulers and the elite. There are lengthy mysterious legends surrounding the area.
Luxor West Bank
The below sites can be visited in one day using a car with a dedicated egyptologist guide.
Valley of the Kings - sacral place where the bodies of pharaohs were buried and preserved inside the rocks.
Valley of the Queens - it is believed (and rightfully so) that Valley of the Kings supersedes the peer location dedicated to ladies with intricacy of wall art and sarcophagus. Personally I tend to agree, with an exception of the tomb of queen Neferati, discovered by an Italian expedition in 1904 (as you glance though tomb's and temples' photos - bear in mind that the colors are the original ones..).
Hatshepsut temple was dedicated to the most important female ruler - the queen Hatshepsut during whose reign the kingdom reached the highest economic growth, prosperity and peace, with trade and development being the highest priority for the wise woman.
Colossi of Memnon are the remnants of a mortuary temple, the gigantic statues, 60 feet in height, weighing approximately 720 tons. Visiting this sight can be a brief stop on your way to the Valley of the Kings.
Abydos & Dendera
If the time allows - a day trip to Abydos and Dendera from Luxor would be recommended.
The temple of Seti I is probably one of the most important archeological sites in Ancient Egypt, also known as a pilgrimage of the worshipers of God Osiris, located in Abydos.
Dendera Temple of Hathor, in my opinion, is the most feminine temples I’ve experienced in Egypt. Upon entering the site you will be mesmerized by the vibrancy of colors preserved over time. It is also the place where the ceiling panel depicts the first ever known zodiac - so called Zodiac of Dendera.
Upon 2-3 days of exploring Luxor you can embark on a 5-star cruise. What we did with Sonestra.
We checked-in on the cruise in the afternoon with the final destination - Aswan.
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