The 16 Best Things to do in Luxor, Egypt with kids

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Luxor in Egypt is known as the land of the pharaoes and as such is full of history. There is so much to capture the imagination that it’s a great place to inspire kids if days are carefully planned.

It’s very easy to get temple fatigue (for adults as well as children!) as there are so many things to do in Luxor. We tried to balance out our days to involve sightseeing and pool time.

As well as the pool there are plenty of things to entertain children. Ours loved taking a hot air balloon ride, valley of the kings and the mummification museum to name just a few!

Things to do in Luxor with kids

We all really enjoyed our time in Luxor. We were there for five nights so felt like we really got a feel for the place. Yes, there were occasionally moans about going to ‘another temple’, but the experiences we had were truly memorable.

When planning where to stay in Luxor we made sure we chose a hotel with a swimming pool to allow downtime in between sight seeing. We loved Villa Belzoni, which is on the quieter West Bank. In my opinion a great choice if you’re looking for a fantastic Luxor budget hotel.

If you have less time in Luxor with kids, a private tour is a great way to make the most of your time. It also takes away the hassle of arranging transport and guides seperately.

1. Karnak Temple

Karnak temple was our first experience of ancient Egypt and it really is incredible. It’s difficult to describe the vastness and it’s almost impossible to imagine how it was built thousands of years ago.

Located on the East Bank, Karnak is around 3km from central Luxor. To get there we had taken the public river ferry from our hotel on the West Bank.

We did the direct opposite of all the advice and arrived at karnak around 11a.m, when I imagine it is at it’s busiest. It was fine but I was regretting slightly not having been more firm with my family about getting up earlier to arrive before the crowds.

The temple is open from 6a.m, so if you’re an early riser, head there first thing. We always struggle to get our family up and out early on holiday!

We probably spent 2-3 hours in the temple complex (it’s big!), so allow plenty of time to fully explore. I’ve written another post with more details about planning your trip to Karnak temple.

Check out the Egypt monuments website for up to date prices and opening hours. You can also book tickets or as we did just buy them on arrival.

2. Valley of the Kings

Probably the most famous of the Luxor landmarks is Valley of the Kings. This is an absolute must for any visit to Luxor and our kids really enjoyed it.

They found it much more interesting than any of the temples. Valley of the Kings is sheltered under the fringe of mountains which line the West Bank. Depending on where you are staying in Luxor you may need to cross the Nile to get there.

Once on the West Bank the easiest way to get to Valley of the Kings is by taxi unless you are on an organised tour.

We organised a taxi through our hotel. We hired the taxi for the day to visit all the main sights on the West Bank. As a family we liked this as it gave us full flexibility to spend as long as we wanted at each landmark.

On arrival at the Valley of the Kings we paid our entry fee and spent a little time looking around the inital information hall. Once through this you can either walk up towards the tombs (which we didn’t fancy in the heat) or buy a ticket for one of the electric trams.

The main entry ticket for valley of the kings includes entry to three tombs. Some tombs can be booked as extras including King Tutankhamun’s. These extra tickets can be booked at the ticket office or at the entrance to the individual tombs.

It can be quite overwhelming trying to work out which tombs to visit so it’s best to have a bit of a plan before arriving. We ended up visiting Ramsese IV, Tausert/ Setnakhet and Ramases III. We also paid for the extra ticket to see Ramses VI/ V, which in my opinion is definitely worth it.

Tickets can be booked in advance on the Egypt monuments website or when you arrive at the counter or one of the ticket machines. The website gives pricing details of each of the tombs that attract extra fees so it’s worth looking before you arrive to plan what you want to see.

3. Hatshepsut Temple

Also located on the West Bank it is very easy to combine a visit to Hatshepsut Temple with your trip to Valley of the Kings. Most tours combine both of these sights too.

We had asked our taxi driver to take us to Hatshepsut after valley of the kings and it is really impressive. Carved into the rock and displaying three large terraces, the view when you arrive is very dramatic.

Similarly to at Valley of the Kings there is an option to pay for an electric tram to take you from the ticket office to the temple. The distance is shorter than at Valley of the Kings though so we decided to walk this one.

Our visit to Hatshepsut was slightly marred by the oppressive heat. We had made the mistake of arriving in the middle of the day and it was sooooo hot! Adam read afterwards that it’s one of the hottest places in the area due to the shelter of the rocks causing a sun trap.

I would really recommend going either earlier or later in the day to avoid the hottest temperatures as there is very little shade which led to hot and grumpy children (and adults!).

4. The Colossi of Memnon

Another West Bank monument which we combined in our day tour. This monument doesn’t take long, it’s just a stop off at the side of the road but definitely to be recommended.

The Colossi are two large stone statues each carved from a single piece of stone and are really impressive. We stopped there in the morning on the way to Valley of the Kings.

Our taxi driver advised that it would be much busier later. He was right, we had the place pretty much to ourselves (at around 9a.m.) and when we came past again later in the day there were lots of coach tours and big crowds.

5. Habu Temple

Habu Temple hadn’t been on our radar at all but was recommended by our taxi driver. We were so glad that he had made the recommendation because we all really enjoyed this temple.

It’s really beautiful and was very quiet when we visited (around 2pm-ish). It’s a reasonably large complex and we probably spent around an hour there.

It felt much more low-key after Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut, which was part of it’s appeal. We would definitely recommend a visit to Habu if you have time while on the West Bank.

6. Take a hot air balloon ride

Before arriving in Luxor I had read numerous accounts of hot air ballons over Luxor and was very keen to do this. Having never been in a hot air balloon before, it was very exciting and probably one of the most cost-effective places in the world to experience it.

We booked the trip online with Sindbad Balloons and had the most incredible experience. The hot air ballon airfield is located on the West Bank but most tour companies will collect you from your hotel to get there (including crossing the river if you’re staying on the East Bank).

Balloon rides are all in the early morning when conditions tend to be best, with options for sunrise and ‘after sunrise’ (which tends to be around 1 hour later).

Everyone in our family rated this as their favourite activity in Luxor so we would totally recommend it to everyone!

7. Luxor Temple

You can’t miss Luxor Temple situated next to the Nile in the central part of the East Bank. We had a great view of the temple from our hotel across the river.

In the evening it is illuminated and is open until 8pm. The entrance to Luxor temple is at the opposite side to the river, next to the souk.

8. Check out Avenue of the Sphinxes

This paved road is around 2.7km long and is the ancient processional route linking Karnak and Luxor temples. It can be accessed from either Karnak or Luxor temple, with entry included in the ticket price for either of these temples.

The route is lined by hundred of sphinx statues so is definitely worth checking out.

Our children weren’t up for walking the whole route- it’s quite long in the heat and there is no shade at all. We decided to enter the avenue from Luxor temple and walked for a while before exiting further down the road.

There are exit points along the way if, like us, you don’t want to go back on yourself.

We were there in the late afternoon and had the place pretty much to ourselves which was lovely and really peaceful after the hustle and bustle of central Luxor.

9. Luxor Museum

Since we were on our way to Cairo after Luxor and planned to visit the new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) there we decided to miss out this museum.

If you aren’t planning on going to GEM in Cairo then I think it would be a great addition to your Luxor itinerary, as I have read some great reviews.

10. Take a sunset Felucca trip

If you walk anywhere along the edge of the Nile in Luxor you will have plenty of offers for a ride in a Felucca. Felucca’s are the traditional Eyptian boats with one large single sail that have been travelling up and down the Nile for centuries.

If you can’t spot them sailing on the river, you’ll see the large masts that support the sails in the boats moored in a line along the river banks.

We were quite haphazard in the way we chose our felucca-ride. We just went with a guy that approached us as we walked along the corniche.

We enjoyed the trip, and seeing the spectacular sunset from the water was fantastic. However if I was to do it again I would have maybe chosen a different boat. I’ve detailed more about our experience and tips for choosing your sailboat in a separate felucca post.

My main advice would be make sure you see the boat you will be travelling in and confirm exactly where you will go and who will be sailing the boat!

11. Go shopping in the souk

We usually like to buy some souvenirs from any trip abroad, it serves as a great momento and can bring back lots of memories.

The children had been given some holiday money from their grandparents and so were keen to get something egyptian.

The souk is easy to find, with one of the main entry points being right next to the entrance to Luxor temple.

Don’t expect a large covered market hall. The souk is a collection of pedestrian streets and alley ways. Stalls are mostly geared for tourists with a huge array of souvenirs but you’ll also find lots of spices and textiles.

In most stalls you won’t find any prices displayed and haggling/ bartering is expected so don’t go with the first price that is offered.

Particularly with the children it was a lovely way for them to interact with some of the locals. It’s worth warning the children first though about the bartering culture and what to expect.

We prompted our children to try not to pick things up or ask about prices of objects unless they were definitely interested in potentially buying them.

The market was very quiet when we wandered through during the daytime so we had quite a lot of calls out to go into people’s shops.

12. Explore Valley of the Queens or Valley of the Nobles

The same band of mountains which house the Valley of the Kings also houses the less famous Valley of the Queens and valley of the Nobles.

Valley of the Queens is situated just south of Valley of the Kings and consists of more than ninety tombs. Most of the tombs are very plain compared with those of the kings.

The exception is the tomb of Queen Nefertiti which is said to be the most impressive tomb in the area. This impressive tomb comes with a high price tag though with entry fees of over $50 per person.

Currently the tomb is closed for ongoing scientific work so there was no debate for us over whether we should try and justify the cost!

We had planned to visit other tombs in the valley following valley of the kings but the children weren’t so keen! Our taxi driver advised us to visit Habu temple instead which he believed to be more interesting. We followed his advice and in the end were really pleased that we did.

I would say that if you have lots of days in Luxor and can seperate out the West Bank sights into a couple of days valley of the queens may be worth including in your itinierary. We decided to miss it and were happy with our decision.

Our taxi driver pointed out the openings of the tombs in Valley of the Nobles as we were driving towards Valley of the Kings. We didn’t really have time to visit but if you have time and have lots of interest in Egyptology they were recommended to us.

13. Eat traditional Egyptian food at Sofra

While you’re in Luxor it would be a shame not to try some of the amazing Egyptian food on offer.

We tried local food in a few places but by far our favourite restaurant was Sofra. Even Martha, the fussiest eater in the family loved the food here.

It was our favourite restaurant in Luxor and we really enjoyed our Mezze platter, allowing us to try a number of different dishes.

We turned up at lunchtime without a booking and got in without a problem. However I have heard that it can get busy in the evening so may be worth booking ahead.

14. The Mummification museum

This small museum is by the banks of the Nile, close to Luxor temple. It is small, with all the exhibits in one main room. We spent around thirty minutes in the museum in total and had a good look at everything.

Despite it’s small size, we all found the museum very interesting. As well as seeing a real human mummy there are mummified animals and explanations of the whole process.

Benjamin in particular was fascinated by it. It’s not an expensive museum so worth including in your Luxor itinerary if you have time.

15. Explore the area by horse

Martha and I both love horse so when I came across Luxor stables, which was close to where we were staying on the West Bank I was determined we would get a ride in.

The rest of the family didn’t want to miss out so all five of us went for a one hour ride through villages and banana plantations on the edge of Luxor.

We all really enjoyed the experience and felt well looked after. It’s easy to book online and choose how long you want to ride for. We would totally recommend this experience.

16. Sunset drink at the Winter Palace

The Winter Palace hotel sits proudly overlooking the Nile on the East bank, close to Luxor Temple. It is a historic hotel, famous for having hosted Agatha Christie while writing her famous novel Death on the Nile.

We didn’t stay here but visited for sunset drinks on the terrace. This was a lovely treat, watching the sun dip over the horizon on the far side of the Nile.

In order to buy drinks at the outside bar we needed to purchase tokens from inside the hotel that could then be used. It’s worth peaking inside the hotel lobby to see the sumptuous interior.

If visiting during cooler months, the royal bar makes a great alternative for a a drink.

Tips for families visiting Luxor

• Choose a hotel with a swimming pool. We were really glad to have a pool to retire to for some chilled time and to cool off between sight seeing.

• Pace your sight seeing so that children (and adults) don’t get too hot and grumpy!

• Try and have some small change with you for tips (baksheesh). This is expected by anyone that helps you in any way.

• Don’t hand your camera over to anyone that offers to take your photo unless you are happy to give them a small tip.

• Most toilets require a small fee to use them.

• We took a refillable water bottle out and about with us so that we could keep buying new bottles of water and refill it. Water and snacks cost a lot more at all the main tourist sites so if possible stock up beforehand.

• Wear breathable light clothing to help with the heat. Adults should try and have shoulder and knees covered to be respectful when out and about. Younger children are usually ok in shorts, but our teen wore loose trousers while visiting temples etc.

• It’s worth speaking to your hotel for recommendations of guides or taxi drivers. Once you have the contact details for a good taxi driver keep the contact and re-use them.

• An e-sim is a great thing to have in Luxor as it allows you to use data while out and about. Most taxi drivers rely on using Whatsapp to communicate and you’ll likely need to get in touch to arrange pick up times etc.

There is so much to explore in Luxor for both adults and children. Chloe, our teenager, said it was her favourite part of our Egypt itinerary. Benjamin liked the pyramids best and Martha loved our time at Jaz Makadina by the Red Sea.

Luxor was definitely my favourite place that we visited in Egypt too, the history there is phenomenal, and having four full days there was perfect to pace out sightseeing with some relaxation.

If you’re planning your trip, check out our travel resources page for our favourite travel planning tools and let us know if you discover some other sights that we missed!