Valley of the Kings, Luxor

Valley of the Kings tickets and prices

A foreign adult ticket costs EGP 750; students up to 24 with a valid ID pay EGP 375, and children under 6 go free. Phone photography is free. These prices and the hours come from the ministry's official ticketing system; the extra-tomb prices below do not.

Guidebooks agree that the main ticket covers three tombs. The extras are Tutankhamun (KV62) at EGP 700, Ramesses V and VI (KV9) at EGP 220 and Seti I (KV17) at EGP 2,000, with no student discount on Seti I. The Tomb of Ay in the West Valley is EGP 200, sold at the same office. Some sites quote lower extras, so check the board at the desk.

Buy on the official Egymonuments website, in the Experience Egypt app or at the desk. Visa and Mastercard are accepted on every channel, and unofficial reports say the desk no longer takes cash, so bring a card. Keep small Egyptian pound notes for the electric train, toilets and tips. Tickets are dated and non-refundable.

Opening hours and the best time to go

The valley opens every day at 6:00. Last entry is 17:00 in summer and 16:00 in winter and during Ramadan, according to the ministry's ticketing site, and there is no weekly closing day. The ministry asks visitors to arrive at least an hour before closing.

Go at opening. The tombs are cooler, the corridors are emptier, and the big coach groups from the Nile cruise boats and the Red Sea resorts arrive later in the morning. Late afternoon, an hour or two before last entry, is the second-best slot.

How long do you need, and is it worth it?

Plan 2–3 hours: about ten to twenty minutes inside each tomb, plus the train and the walks between entrances. Three tombs on the main ticket and one or two extras fit comfortably. With Hatshepsut's temple next door, the West Bank fills half a day.

Yes, it is worth it — this is the one Luxor site most people would not swap for anything. Be ready for what it is, though: there is no treasure left in the tombs, the valley itself is a bare, hot quarry of limestone, and you see the paintings in tight, warm corridors. The reward is colour that has survived more than three thousand years.

Which tombs to visit in the Valley of the Kings

• Ramesses V and VI (KV9, extra) — a long, fully painted tomb ending in a burial chamber whose ceiling shows the sky goddess Nut swallowing and rebirthing the sun. Best value in the valley.
• Seti I (KV17, extra) — long and decorated from the entrance to the burial chamber; the most expensive ticket here.
• Tutankhamun (KV62, extra) — small and mostly plain, but with the pharaoh's mummy and his stone sarcophagus still in place.
• Tausert and Setnakht (KV14) — a queen's tomb later taken over by a king, with two burial halls; often on the main ticket.
• Ramesses III (KV11) — side chambers with lively scenes, including the well-known harpists.
• Ramesses IV (KV2) and Ramesses IX (KV6) — near the entrance, wide and well lit, a good first tomb.
• Merneptah (KV8) — a deep descent to a huge granite sarcophagus lid.

Is Tutankhamun's tomb worth the extra ticket?

Only if seeing Tutankhamun himself matters to you. KV62 is a staircase, a short corridor and four small rooms, and only the burial chamber is painted. What makes it special is the king: his mummy lies in a climate-controlled glass case in the antechamber, and his sarcophagus is still in the burial chamber.

Howard Carter found the entrance on 4 November 1922; it is the only royal tomb here that survived nearly intact. The gold mask and the rest of the treasure went to Cairo and are now in the Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza. If you care more about wall paintings, put the EGP 700 towards Ramesses VI instead.

Can you take photos inside the tombs?

Yes. The ministry's rules say phone photography is free and needs no permit. Keep the flash off — it fades the paint, and the guards watch for it. Drones are banned in Egypt without a Ministry of Defence permit, so leave yours at the hotel.

The best shots are the ceilings: Nut and the starry sky in Ramesses VI, the blue vaults in Seti I. Hold the phone with both hands in the dim corridors and skip the zoom. Guards sometimes offer to take your picture or show you a closed area for a tip; that breaks the rules, so a polite "no, thank you" is the right answer.

Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut or Valley of the Queens?

The Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's temple make the classic West Bank morning. The Valley of the Queens is cheaper and quieter — add it if you have a second West Bank visit.

Historic sites in Luxor: compare and choose

Every historic site in Luxor rated by YesGo. Tap a column header to sort.

Nearby and on your route

44

Temple of Hatshepsut

Luxor, Egypt

1 h · EGP 440, students EGP 220 · 9 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Temple of Hatshepsut

39

Ramesseum

Luxor, Egypt

45 min · EGP 220, students EGP 110 · 28 min walk

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33

Valley of the Queens

Luxor, Egypt

1 h · EGP 220, Nefertari closed · 29 min walk

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36

Medinet Habu

Luxor, Egypt

1 h 30 min · EGP 220, students EGP 110 · 39 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Medinet Habu

How to do it right

• Be at the desk at 6:00 — the tombs are cooler and quieter before the coach groups arrive.
• Start with the tomb furthest from the entrance and work back, against the flow of the crowds.
• Guides are not allowed to talk inside the tombs, so listen to the explanation outside or read up beforehand.
• It's stuffy below ground and the steps are steep; leave big bags in the car.
• Agree one taxi for the whole West Bank loop, with waiting time, rather than haggling at every gate.
• There's almost nowhere to eat nearby — carry water and a snack.
• Keep the evening for floodlit Luxor Temple, right by the ferry landing, or Karnak across town.

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