Great day trip out overall, just ask your guide if you want them to follow you around more!
The Luxor day tour was a good experience in general. We went through the Valley of the Kings and Queens, as well as the amazing Hatchepsut and Habu Temples (highlight).
One thing I was surprised about was that our guide following us around and teaching us about the history was quite inconsistent - we entered the tombs of the Kings and Queens by ourselves whilst he was waiting in a cafe nearby (so we had less context on those). But then we saw the Valley of the Workers, and our guide was a fountain of knowledge (which made it more fascinating/enjoyable). So word of advice is to ask for your guide to follow you as much (or as little) as you want.
F1728DSalexw · Dec 2025 · via Tripadvisor
No knowledge, poor tour
Tour guide had no knowledge of sites, low English skills. Push for alabaster factories (don’t go). Constant rush. Driver was great and professional.
Sudarshan_B · Nov 2025 · via Viator
This was a fantastic...
This was a fantastic experience. Everything was clearly explained and very organised. The driver arrived exactly at the expected time and drove very safely(which is not guaranteed in Egypt).
Barry was my tour guide and he patiently explained everything at each sure and answered my questions thoughtfully. I thoroughly enjoyed spending the day with him. He added so much personality to the experience and made me feel truly welcome in Egypt. By the end, it felt like I was just spending the day with my family. I also appreciate the layout of the tour and I was able to access every site that was advertised.
Unfortunately, the tomb of nefertari is currently closed so that is beyond the the tour company's control.
Book this tour and you won't regret it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Akeemo_M · Nov 2025 · via Viator
Great Tour with an Amazing Guide - Some Tombs Are Can't Miss So You Should Pay the Extra Fee
Mohammed was an amazing tour guide. In fact, he was the best tour guide that my son and I had on our 6 tours in Egypt. He was extremely knowledgeable about everything we saw and he clearly loved the history of Egypt because you could hear his enthusiasm within his stories, and the level of detail was unmatched throughout our trip. Mohammed made the entire trip unforgettable by truly diving deep in the West Bank of Luxor for the entire day. He really went above and beyond at the last temple we went to (Ramses III temple) where he walked us through the entire story being told on the walls in pictures and hieroglyphs to give us a complete and in depth view of the reign of Ramses III.
In the Valley of the Kings you're allowed to view 3 tombs on the ticket. I would highly recommend Ramses IV, Ramses III and Ramses IX on this included ticket. I would even more highly recommend you pay the additional fee to see Seti I, Tutankhamun and Ramses V/VI which are simply amazing. Seeing those 6 tombs will take about 1.5-2 hours and you'll get a good feeling for the art and beauty of all the tombs. Muhammad of course was understanding that we wanted to see extra tombs and even told us that he was with us "for our day", which reassured me that he had our satisfaction as his highest priority. I'd highly recommend this tour and this tour guide.
Michael_A · Nov 2025 · via Viator
A fun 3 days in Luxor
As part of a three-day visit to Luxor in November 2025, my wife and I booked our tours through the Steigenberger Nile Palace Luxor. We were paired with Ahmed Adelhamid, and from the first hour it was clear we were in great hands. What could have been a standard three-day tour felt more like exploring Luxor with a friend who knows the city inside out.
Ahmed adjusted the schedule on the fly, focused our time on the things we cared about most, and handled changes smoothly whenever something came up. He made the entire experience easy, enjoyable, and far better than we expected.
If you’re heading to Luxor, do yourself a favor and see if you can book Ahmed. You won’t regret it.
bradmO5637PF · Nov 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Guide tried to bully us into writing this review mid-tour.
The first thing to note is that I’m writing this review after a disagreement with our guide, because he insisted I write a TripAdvisor review whilst STILL ON the tour- which I refused to do. I rely on honest reviews as I regularly book trips through TripAdvisor (this particular trip having been chosen in part due to it’s advertised score of 4.9), and I take care with my reviews so that other travellers can make informed choices too. For that reason, I would never review anything mid-tour or under pressure. When I declined, explaining that I’d happily write one later on tonight, he tried insisting, saying that I would write it in the car as his boss needed to see a photo of it (which he would take) before the end of the tour. I still said no, that I wasn’t using my data to do that in the dessert, to which he replied he’d give me data as I needed to do this! Still not prepared to be bullied over it, I forcefully said no, it absolutely wasn’t happening. I reiterated that I’d give a fair review, but I don’t appreciate being bulldozed. This argument made things a little awkward as I was very aware that we were half an hour from Luxor by car, with no other obvious way back- & I have to wonder how many tourists simply agree to the demand & write a rushed review to appease their guide as they feel they have no choice? Cue him making a call to his boss once we got back to the car, before telling me I had no need to write a review at all- presumably worried I’d mention all this in it. Fortunately this happened at the second-to-last stop on our tour, but it somewhat soured the experience for us and means I’d never use this company again.
But now back to the start! This will be a review of two halves; the overall experience, and the things we saw.
We were picked up on time in an immaculately clean & air conditioned car. Our first stop, inexplicably, was on the roadside under a bridge at what appeared to be a locals gathering area in no man’s land, where we were offered (& declined) coffee. Our guide apologised for the wait, saying he was going to get one for himself & the driver & disappeared off for 5 minutes- which seemed quite strange, but wasn’t the end of the world.
From there we went to the Valley of The Kings, with a stop to see a fabulous model of the valley’s topography- underneath which you can see where each tomb runs. This gives you a really good idea of the depth and length of some of the tombs discovered so far- and what else could so easily still be hidden under there! Whilst still in the cool of the entrance building, our guide showed us some photos to explain some of what we were about to see, before securing the back seats of a buggy which gave us a great view of the valley as we went towards the tombs- & saved a long hot walk!
The tombs of Merenptah (KV8) was our next stop- and the deepest of the three tombs we visited. You visit these alone- apparently guides aren’t allowed as they don’t want people talking down there & increasing the moisture in the atmosphere. Rather than being the difficult, claustrophobic experience we’d had exploring the pyramids in Cairo, this is a full height fairly wide walkway, in which you can easily stand up & pass people, so far more accessible for those who may otherwise struggle. The decor is absolutely stunning- with fragments of frieze still present & views into various ledges & areas as you go down. Towards the bottom, you’ll see a huge granite sarcophagus- & it’s amazing to think that came down the same entrance tunnel as you did, as it doesn’t look like it’d fit!
Next was the tomb of Ramses 3 (KV11). This one isn’t as steep or as deep as the last, and has beautiful walls of smaller hieroglyphs to peruse as you pass them. Imagine the stereotypical western idea of Egypt & you’ll be about there. It’s absolutely beautiful- and contained the usual people offering to take photos of the unwitting, for a price.
The third tomb we visited was the smallest, but still beautifully ornate- & a simple walk down the ramp before you’re encouraged straight back up, to keep everyone moving.
Our second unexpected stop was at an alabaster store where we were handed over to another “guide” who led us to three old men demonstrating how alabaster pots used to be made, before taking us into a huge shop & “museum, where all our good pieces are”. We didn’t want to make this stop as we had no intention of buying anything, and even our new “guide”remarked about how we seemed unhappy to be there. We were asked to stay for a while as our tour guide had just got a coffee, so had a look round the “museum”. To be fair, as much as they made it clear that everything was for sale, the staff here weren’t pushy, they had toilets, & we were able to leave without buying anything.
From there we went to The Valley of The Queens, and the Temple of Hatshepsut. It was great to use a buggy again here as it was HOT with the heat reflecting up from the ground, but a cool breeze made it tolerable. Now with three levels, this temple has an interesting history- Hatshepsut’s features having been obliterated by her stepson after her death. There are some incredible sights here & if you look back from the top of the ramp, you’ll see the Temple of Karnak on the other side of the Nile. We were given some free time here to wander & take photos, and thankfully weren’t bothered by anyone.
From there we went to Deir el-Medina, the workers village. Again, a useful model (a gift from The Louvre) shows the layout of the village from an eagle eye perspective, and another shows the layout of one of the houses as it would have been. From there, we explored three worker’s tombs, which were all brightly painted & the friezes mostly in remarkable condition. The entrance/interiors to some of these are tricky, with short steep/narrow areas. Our guide waited outside, which meant that in the first tomb we fell prey to a man who offered unsolicited advice to mind our heads, tried to show us things which were plainly obvious in such a tiny space- then partially blocked the exit to stop us leaving unless we tipped him. Thankfully in the second tomb there was another tour group so we stuck with them to avoid the same thing happening to both groups of us, and by the time we left the third tomb, the man who had been hovering on the upper level seemed to have given up & left ahead of us.
A walk up through the village took us to another temple with three beautifully decorated shrines, where bizarrely, our guide was approached by a gun wielding police officer who, he said, was happy to allow us to go behind some barriers to see the roof- an offer we politely declined. It was just after we left here that we argued as I refused to complete the review whilst still on the tour.
Having got back to the car, we were offered the opportunity to go for dinner at a cost of $15 each but again, we declined, sadly just wanting the experience to be over as it felt like people were trying to scam us everywhere we went, and the brief argument had somewhat ruined the trip.
On the way back, we stopped briefly to see the Colossi of Memnon- which are indescribably huge, and impressively imposing upon their backdrop of dessert, giving us a chance to take some good final photos.
The drive back to the pick-up point was smooth, and we returned just under six hours after setting out. Although the tour is advertised as eight hours, it only reaches that length if you choose to buy additional tickets or stop for the proffered meals or shopping at the spices & essences place on the way back. To be fair to our guide, he did say that any extra stops would only cost the price of the tickets themselves, with no other additional fees. That’s reasonable—but as other reviewers have noted, being upfront about the timings in the online tour description would make it much easier to plan your day. Being bullied to leave a review during the tour has been reflected in my rating & the tip we gave. If it hadn’t have been for this, I’d likely have rated the tour a 4.
sarahe832 · Nov 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Great guide, fantastic tour!
Our guide Mohammed was very knowledgeable and attentive. The tour was very complete and well organized. Great English too. We recommend him very much!
O857IUevar · Nov 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Disappointed
I booked this tour to see Deir el-Medina but the tour guide Hassan said it was $50 extra charge. When they dropped us off early I saw that my tour included tickets to Deir el-Medina. Also he insisted on buying the extra tickets for the Valley of the Kings and overcharged on those tickets too. We were only 2 ppl on the tour and I asked if we could change the order so that we could avoid the crowds but he insisted we had to start at Valley of the Kings in the morning when it was most crowded. We also had to stop at the alabaster factory on the way back.
Theresa_W · Nov 2025 · via Viator
An Unforgettable Journey Through Luxor with Khalid an Incredible Tour Guide
Had an amazing time exploring the temples and ruins on the East and West Bank of Luxor with my incredible guide, Khalid. He was extremely knowledgeable and explained the history behind each temple and tomb in such an engaging way. He was also very easy-going and never rushed me, even as I took my time capturing lots of photos. I highly recommend him if you’re traveling to Luxor—you’ll definitely enjoy your tour.
N7808FJginom · Nov 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Tour as you might expect it
Perfectoe tour with good guide. Easy pick up and bring with good car. The stop at the tourist trap stone shop was not necessary. Further top.
johnroeg · Nov 2025 · via Tripadvisor · Translated
