The 10 Best Things To Do In Luxor With Kids: A COMPLETE Guide
Luxor may not seem like an obvious family holiday destination but we’re here to let you know that there are so many great reasons to visit Luxor with kids! Luxor is one of the best places in Egypt for families.
We took a family trip to Jordan when the kids were really small. Visiting Petra was one of our favourite things to do in Jordan with kids and we wanted to try something similar.
Our kids were 7 and 9 when we visited Luxor and were really starting to get into Egyptian history (thanks to the amazing Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan!) so we started looking at Luxor holidays for families.
Even if your kids aren’t into the Egyptians and you think that they will get bored traipsing round museums and temples – think again!
Luxor is basically one enormous open air museum. Even if they just enjoy playing hide and seek in one of the most epic temples in the world – that’s a win right?
Make sure to check our recommendations at the end for where to stay with kids in Luxor and where to eat with kids in Luxor.
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The best things to do in Luxor with kids
We have written about the best things to do with kids in Luxor from the perspective of travelling independently. If you prefer to take a tour, you might want to check out these tours..
Full day tour of the best monuments in Luxor.
Private 2 day tour Luxor highlights tour.
Hurghada to Luxor day trip (this is a very long day out but a good option if you are staying in Hurghada and want a taste of Luxor).
When we go back, we would love to try a Nile Cruise. We were so tempted by watching them come and go!
Make sure to take a guide book with you. We recommend either Rough Guide or Lonely Planet as the most comprehensive.
1. Karnak Temple
Karnak Temple was our favourite place to visit in Luxor with kids. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 (along with the rest of the city) and is one of the most impressive temples in the world.
It is located around 2.5km north of the centre of Luxor and is easily reached either by driving if you have a car (they have a large car park) or by taxi. See our note on the horse and carts in Luxor (caleche) under ‘other things you need to know about visiting Luxor with kids’.
Karnak is the second most visited site in Egypt after the Pyramids at Giza so inevitably it can get very busy.
Our tip for visiting Karnak Temple is to arrive early (as it opens) or later in the afternoon. This way you will not only avoid most of the tour groups that arrive on day trips (and if you are lucky, you will have it to yourselves) but you will also get the best light for photography.
You should aim to spend around 2 hours there. It is a huge complex (one of the largest temples ever to be built) and spans around 200 acres in total. Building started over 4000 years ago and took around 2000 years to complete.
There are lots of ‘officials’ dotted around the complex. If you are not part of a large tour group, you can expect to be approached by them. They will offer to take your photo in ‘secret spots’.
If you don’t want to do this or don’t want to keep paying ‘tips’, just say no (la, shukran) when they approach you.
By the way, here’s a guide to how to say hello in different languages. We always learn the very basics whenever we travel as it helps to be friendly.
When we visited in 2022, the Karnak entry fees were:
- Adult – LE 200 (~ £10.00 / $13.00)
- Student (and children over 6) – LE 100 (~£5.00 / $6.50)
- Children under 6 – FREE
If you wanted to take a camera with tripod, it was an extra LE 20 (~£1 / $1.30). Phone photography is free.
Karnak Temple is open every day from 6am to 5pm but the ticket office closes at 4pm. You can also visit Karnak at night for the sound and light show. We didn’t do this because we heard mixed reports about it.
You can read more about Karnak Temple here.
2. Avenue of the Sphinxes
The Avenue of the Sphinxes is a 2.7 km long avenue lined with 1300 Sphinxes that connects Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple.
The Avenue was opened to the public in November 2021 after 70 years of restoration work. It is the largest open air museum, telling the history of Egypt from 2000 BC to the Roman Period.
If you have the energy after visiting Karnak Temple, you can walk back into the centre of Luxor via the Avenue of the Sphinxes.
We didn’t do this because we were tired after getting up at 5.30am to visit Karnak and we wanted to catch breakfast back at our hotel. If you have young children, it is a long walk and if you are visiting Luxor between April and October, it will be very hot!
We wanted to see the avenue lit up at night as we think it is the best time to see it. In the end, we didn’t have time to do the walk but we did get a great view of the avenue from the rooftop restaurant at the Nefertiti Hotel.
See end of post for restaurant and family accommodation recommendations.
3. Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings is situated on the west bank of the Nile (the opposite side to the centre of Luxor).
It is a large valley hidden in the Theban Hills and is the burial site of major royal figures and privileged nobles. There are 62 tombs in total (that have been discovered).
You can’t visit all of the tombs though as they operate a rotation system to help preserve the tombs. Some are no longer open to the public and can only be visited by VIPs.
Here is a map of the major tombs in the Valley of the Kings to help you get a sense of the layout.
The standard ticket for the Valley of the Kings will allow you entrance to three tombs of your choice (depending on what is open on that day). You can pay extra to visit up to three more ‘special’ tombs.
For the kids, it was all about Tut Ankh Amun (Tukankhamun or Tukankhamen) but several tombs of the other, lesser known pharaohs and kings were actually more impressive.
For the three standard tombs, we chose to visit #8 (Tomb of Merneptah), #14 (Tomb of Tawsert/Sethnakht) and #16 (Tomb of Ramses I). We paid extra to visit Tut Ankh Amun (#62) and Ramses V / VI (#9).
You can read more about visiting in our guide to the Valley of the Kings.
If you are visiting early (when the site opens), you are bound to have the place to yourselves. This is great but there is one drawback.
There is a guard at the entrance to each tomb. You will find that the guards follow you into the tombs and offer to take photos for you. As above with Karnak, you can say no but they will be persistent.
For the kids, descending into the depths of the tombs is just fascinating. If they are into Egyptology, they will love the hieroglyphics.
Our 9 year old just couldn’t believe that he had seen THE REAL Tut Ankh Amun mummy!!!
Valley of the Kings entrance fees are:
- Adult – LE 240 (~ £12.00 / $15.00)
- Student (and children over 6) – LE 120 (~£6.00 / $7.50)
- Children under 6 – FREE
There is an additional charge for cameras (phone photography is free). You will also be asked to pay LE 20 for the electric vehicle transfer to the entrance (and expect to be asked for a tip by the driver who will give tips on the best tombs to visit).
The Valley of the Kings is open every day from 6am to 5pm but the ticket office closes at 4pm.
If you like The Valley of the Kings, you might want to also read about visiting Petra with kids. as The Valley of the Kings reminded us very much of Petra.
Tip: For easy access to the Valley of the Kings, consider staying in a hotel on the west bank. Not only will you not have to get up so early, you will also have a more authentic stay in a local, family-run hotel.
We recommend the El Gezira Garden Hotel on the west bank. See below for more information on the hotel.
Another tip: Pop into the Colossi of Memnon on the way back from the Valley of the Kings. It is just a quick stop and will not take you far out of your way. The 18m tall statues are really impressive.
4. Luxor Temple
Luxor Temple sits right in the centre of Luxor and dates back to 1400 BC. It is smaller than Karnak but impressive nonetheless with similar towering statues and columns.
To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Amenhotep III, Other parts of the temple were built by Tutankhamun and Ramses II.
If you have a tight schedule, we would recommend visiting Karnak Temple over Luxor Temple.
Luxor Temple entrance fees are:
- Adult – LE 160 (~ £7.50 / $10.00)
- Student (and children over 6) – LE 80 (~£4.00 / $5.50)
- Children under 6 – FREE
Luxor Temple is open from 6am to 9pm. At night it looks lovely as it is lit up. If you have visited Karnak, you might want to visit Luxor Temple at night for a completely different experience.
5. Sunset Felucca trip
Taking a felucca trip down the Nile at sunset is just one of those things that you need to do when visiting Luxor with kids.
Feluccas are a traditional mode of transport in Egypt dating back to the Egyptian times.
It is a great way to escape from the hustle and bustle of Luxor – and believe us, you will welcome an escape at times!
Our trip lasted just over an hour. We set off at 4.30 pm and arrived back at 5.45 pm which was the perfect length and allowed us to catch the sun set.
It is one of the most family-friendly activities in Luxor because mum and dad get some down time as well as the kids!
Some of the boat trips will offer to bring a bottle of wine but this is something you would need to ask about in advance if you want this.
We paid $20 for our trip which was a little over the going rate but our captain was lovely and his English was excellent.
We arranged our trip through Mohammed (Momo) outside La Plage Café on the West Bank. We sailed on the Honeymoon with Captain Hassan.
Note – in general, life jackets are not provided by many felucca companies. You might want to ask about this before you commit.
Tip: Most companies offering felucca trips will suggest visiting Banana Island. We asked not to do this because we read reports of animals being kept in small cages in poor conditions and we don’t support this.
6. Luxor Museum
Luxor Museum is a modern museum with some excellent pieces on display.
Of note are the excellent quality of statues of Sekhmet, Amenhotep III and Tuthemosis III. There are also lots of mummies and other excellently preserved artefacts on display.
It is easy to get around and you can expect to spend about 90 minutes there.
Luxor Museum entrance fees:
- Adult – LE 140 (~ £7.00 / $5.50)
- Student – LE 70 (~£3.50 / $4.50)
The museum is open from 9am – 1pm and 5pm – 8pm.
7. The Mummification Museum
The Mummification Museum in Luxor is small but perfectly formed. Don’t go there expecting to see lots of mummies though.
The museum is all about the mummification process and actually, it can be quite graphic!
You will see the excellently preserved mummy of Maserharti, a high priest of Amun as well as other mummified animals.
They even have the tools that were used to remove the brain along with a description of how this was done.
You can see everything in the museum in about 30 minutes.
Mummification Museum entrance fees:
- Adult – LE 100 (~ £5.00 / $3.50)
- Student – LE 50 (~£2.50 / $3.50)
- If you wanted to take a proper camera, it was an extra LE 50. Phone photography is free but you must not use the flash. Videos are not allowed.
The museum is open from 9am – 1pm and 5pm – 8pm.
8. Hot Air Balloon Ride
Although we didn’t do a hot air balloon ride personally, we’re putting this on here because many people have done balloon rides in Luxor with kids and enjoyed it.
We chose not to do a balloon ride this time because our youngest (7) would not have been able to see over the basket as he was not tall enough.
We cannot stress enough that you need to do your research before you choose a hot air balloon company. There have been several tragic hot air balloon accidents in Luxor.
The company that was recommended to us was Magic Horizons Balloons – but we did not try them so we cannot give any advice. This Luxor balloon experience also comes highly recommended (but they don’t take kids under 6).
What we can say is that Egypt is probably one of the cheapest places in the world to do a balloon ride and the views must be magical. You fly over the Nile at sunrise and have spectacular views over temples and the Valley of the Kings. You can expect to pay around $50 per person.
Tip: If you don’t want to take a balloon ride, keep an eye out for them if you are heading to the Valley of the Kings at sunrise. They are a spectacular sight!
9. Visit the Winter Palace
The Winter Palace in Luxor was built in 1886 as a colonial era hotel and is now run by the Sofitel chain.
It is the grand dame of the Luxor hotels and is a beautiful building, inside and out.
Whilst it is not a particularly family-friendly hotel (with no family rooms), it is a lovely place to visit. You can take a stroll around the gardens and then have a drink in the Royal Bar.
Kids will enjoy their delicious mocktails. Note that you need to be reasonably smartly dressed to enter.
Interesting fact: Agatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile while staying at the Winter Palace.
10. Take a horse and car ride
I debated whether to include a caleche (horse and cart) ride as one of the best things to do in Luxor with kids or not. It almost always features as something to do in Luxor with kids but we decided not to do one.
We thought that the horses looked malnourished and we were driven crazy by the harassments of the drivers.
If you do decide to take a horse and cart ride, you will have no trouble finding one. There are lots parked up around Luxor Temple and there are touts everywhere.
They will give you the hard sell at every opportunity. If you keep saying no, their price will keep dropping.
You should also be aware that even though you have agreed a price at the start, they may try to get you to pay more at the end.
They may also try to sell you other tours during your ride, making it not such a peaceful experience.
Other things to know about visiting Luxor with kids
Stay on both banks of the Nile
We would highly recommend mixing up your stay in Luxor with a hotel on the west bank and a hotel on the east bank.
Staying in a hotel on the west bank will make visiting the Valley of the Kings much easier and staying on the east bank will make visiting Karnak and the museums much easier.
Staying on both sides of the river will give you very different perspectives of Luxor. On the west, you will get beautiful sunrises over the Nile and on the east, you will get beautiful sunsets!
See details below on where we stayed in Luxor with kids.
Look into the Luxor Pass
If you intend to visit all of the historical sites in Luxor, you could consider getting the Luxor Pass. It works in much the same way as the Jordan Pass.
There are two levels of Luxor Pass. The standard pass includes all of the archaeological sites on the East Bank and the West Bank of the Nile at Luxor except for the tombs of Seti I and Nefertari. The Premium Luxor Pass includes the tombs of Seti I and Nefertari.
The Standard pass costs $100 for adults and $50 for people under 30 with a valid student ID card. The Premium pass costs $200 for adults and $100 for people under 30 with a valid student ID card.
Movies set in Luxor
So many great films have been set in Luxor. If you like a little Luxor inspiration before you travel, here are some films to watch before you visit Luxor.
Family accommodation in Luxor
We spent 4 days in Luxor and stayed 2 nights on the west bank and 2 nights on the east bank. We loved both of the hotels we chose.
Luxor West Bank
We chose to stay at the El Gezira Garden Hotel. We really wanted a place with a pool so that we could relax after getting up early to visit the Valley of the Kings. The pool was heated which was essential if you are visiting during the cooler months.
This hotel had great family rooms with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a living area. There was also a lovely balcony / terrace area.
Breakfast was simple but good. The only thing we would say about this place is make sure you do not get room 101 which is right next to reception.
The owners were exceptionally friendly and we really loved our stay here.
Luxor East Bank
For our stay in Luxor centre, we chose the Steigenberger Nile Palace. Again, we were drawn by the pool. We loved that it looked out over the Nile and thought that we would enjoy some lovely sunsets there.
The hotel is a good standard and the food was excellent. They have a couple of restaurants (Mediterranean and Lebanese) which were reasonably priced.
The staff were attentive but when it came to asking about local attractions, some of them weren’t able to help.
If you are driving, they have a small number of parking spaces down an alley at the side of the hotel. It is not a car park and expect to be parked in amongst the hotel rubbish!
We had a family suite which had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. We had a very small balcony. You could contact the hotel after booking and check whether they can give you a room with a bigger balcony.
On the morning we checked out we were up early and just caught a sighting of the hot air balloons taking off on the other side of the river. It was the perfect end to our family holiday in Luxor.
Family-friendly restaurants in Luxor
There are a few restaurants that we recommend you check out when visiting Luxor with kids.
Our absolute favourite was Sofra. Make sure you pop in there yourself to make a booking. We saw so many people being turned away.
We also enjoyed a sunset meal at the Al Sahaby Lane restaurant – the rooftop restaurant at the Nefertiti Hotel which overlooks Luxor Temple.
While staying on the West Bank, we enjoyed a lovely meal at the Nile Valley Restaurant. There are amazing views from the rooftop across the Nile to Luxor Temple.
As mentioned above, the food at the Steigenberger Nile Palace was excellent.