Day Tour to Luxor from Hurghada by Car

After a delicious breakfast at your accommodation in Hurghada, you will start your wonderful day tour by meeting your private Egyptologist guide in a private, air‑conditioned vehicle to begin your journey to Luxor by car.

Karnak Temple Complex

Your first stop is the majestic Karnak Temple on Luxor’s East Bank. As you step into this sprawling complex, you’re enveloped by a forest of towering sandstone columns, some soaring over 20 meters high. Your guide will lead you through the Great Hypostyle Hall, where sunlight filters through clerestory windows to illuminate intricate hieroglyphs and reliefs. These columns were built and decorated over centuries by many pharaohs, and their inscriptions tell stories of gods, kings, and ancient ceremonies. You’ll also see the obelisk of Thutmose I, an elegant red granite monument that stands as a testament to the engineering prowess of the New Kingdom.

Luxor Temple

Immediately after Karnak, you will visit the magnificent Luxor Temple, located in the heart of the city. This living monument, dedicated to the god Amun‑Ra, offers a dramatic contrast to the vastness of Karnak. Enter through the grand pylon built by Ramesses II, flanked by massive seated statues and a single towering obelisk. Inside, the open courtyard lined with papyrus-bundle columns leads to the colonnade of Amenhotep III and the hypostyle hall, where 32 towering columns create the feeling of a sacred forest. At the summit of the temple complex rests the Abu Haggag Mosque, blending Islamic architecture with ancient ruins, symbolizing centuries of continuous worship.

Avenue of Sphinxes

From Luxor Temple, you'll stroll (or drive, depending on your chosen route) along parts of the Avenue of Sphinxes, the ancient dromos that once connected Karnak Temple with Luxor Temple. Flanked by ram-headed and human-headed sphinx statues, this processional way evokes the grandeur of the Opet Festival, when pharaohs and priests paraded between these two sacred sites.

Valley of the Kings

Next, you cross to Luxor’s West Bank to explore the Valley of the Kings, the royal necropolis where pharaohs of the New Kingdom were laid to rest in elaborately decorated tombs. Walking into some of these tombs, you’ll feel the cool silence, see the vivid hieroglyphs, and sense the weight of millennia. Your guide may explain the spiritual journey of the soul and how each tomb’s unique architecture and artwork reflect the pharaoh’s beliefs about the afterlife.

Hatshepsut’s Mortuary Temple

From the valley, you’ll visit the striking mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el‑Bahari. Built into a cliff face, this temple is arranged in terraces and ramps, with elegant colonnades and finely carved reliefs that celebrate Hatshepsut’s reign and divine birth. The structure feels timeless, and the imposing cliffs behind it give a sense of peace and eternity.

Colossi of Memnon

On your way to or from Hatshepsut’s temple, you’ll pass by the Colossi of Memnon — two vast seated statues of Amenhotep III, carved from quartzite sandstone. Standing over 18 meters tall, these statues gaze out across the desert plain, silent sentinels of the past. Your guide will share the legend of how, in antiquity, one of the statues was said to “sing” at dawn.

Lunch

You’ll pause for a delightful lunch at a charming local restaurant overlooking the Nile. The meal features traditional Upper Egyptian cuisine: tender grilled meats or seasonal vegetables, aromatic rice, fresh bread, and flavorful salads made with local herbs and spices. The gentle breeze from the river and views of palm-fringed shores will make this a relaxing break, a moment to savor both the food and the scenery.

After these fruitful visits, we will return you to your accommodation in Hurghada in your private, air-conditioned vehicle, allowing you to relax and reflect on a day rich with history, culture, and timeless wonder.

Meals: Lunch