# Valley of the Kings, Luxor > The Valley of the Kings is the New Kingdom royal burial ground on Luxor's West Bank, with more than 60 rock-cut tombs. A foreign adult ticket costs EGP 750 and covers three tombs of your choice; Tutankhamun's tomb costs extra. It opens daily at 6:00, with last entry at 16:00 in winter and 17:00 in summer. Allow 2–3 hours. Web page: https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/valley-of-the-kings - City: [Luxor](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor), Egypt - YesGo score: 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 2 h 30 min - Entry: EGP 750, Tutankhamun extra - With kids: Fine with kids - Foreign adult: EGP 750 - Students up to 24: EGP 375 with a valid student ID - Children: Under 6 free - Hours: Daily from 6:00; last entry 17:00 summer, 16:00 winter and Ramadan - What's included: Unofficial: any three of the tombs open that day - Extra tombs: Unofficial: Tutankhamun EGP 700, Ramesses VI EGP 220, Seti I EGP 2,000 - Where to buy: Egymonuments website, Experience Egypt app, ticket desk at the visitor centre - Payment: Visa and Mastercard on every channel - Electric train: Unofficial: visitor centre to the tombs, EGP 20 return - Photos: Phone photos free - Getting there: Ferry plus a 20-min taxi, or 30–45 min by car via the bridge - Time needed: 2–3 hours for three tombs plus one or two extras - Coordinates: 25.74025, 32.60236 - Facts checked: 03.11.2026 ## Key facts - **60+ tombs** — in the East and West Valleys, plus unfinished shafts (source: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities; English and Russian Wikipedia) - **Tutankhamun** — his mummy still lies in KV62, in a climate-controlled glass case (source: English Wikipedia; Earth Trekkers) - **18th–20th Dynasties** — New Kingdom pharaohs were buried here, roughly the 16th to 11th centuries BC (source: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities; English and Russian Wikipedia) - **Thutmose I** — the first king confirmed to have been buried in the valley (source: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities; Russian Wikipedia) - **El-Qurn** — the pyramid-shaped peak that towers over the valley (source: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities; English and Russian Wikipedia) - **4 November 1922** — Howard Carter found the entrance to Tutankhamun's tomb (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1979** — UNESCO World Heritage listing as part of Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis (source: UNESCO; English and Russian Wikipedia) - **KV** — "Kings' Valley" — the tomb numbering: KV62 is Tutankhamun, KV17 is Seti I (source: English Wikipedia; Wikivoyage) - **Amenhotep III** — his West Valley tomb reopened after some twenty years of restoration (source: English Wikipedia (WV22); AFP) - **Deir el-Medina** — the village of the craftsmen who cut and painted the tombs, over the ridge (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) > **Tutankhamun is not on the main ticket** The EGP 750 ticket gets you into three tombs of your choice from those open that day — that's the unofficial but consistent rule. Tutankhamun, Ramesses VI and Seti I each need their own extra ticket from the same desk. Decide before you queue and buy everything at once: the walk back from the tombs is long and hot. ## 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. ## How to get to the Valley of the Kings 1. Start at Luxor Temple on the Corniche — the public ferry to the West Bank leaves from the landing right beside it. 2. Cheapest: cross on the ferry, a ride of a few minutes, and take a taxi from the West Bank landing — about 20 minutes to the valley. Taxis have no meters, so agree the fare first, ideally for a full loop with Hatshepsut's temple and waiting time. 3. No change of transport: a taxi or the inDrive app (cash only) from the centre over the bridge south of town, 30–45 minutes each way. 4. You'll be dropped at the visitor centre. Buy the main ticket and any extras together at the desk. 5. An open-sided electric train runs up to the tombs — unofficially EGP 20 return. Walking takes a few minutes, uphill and in full sun. 6. On the way back to the ferry, stop at the [Colossi of Memnon](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/colossi-of-memnon), right beside the road. ## 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? | | Valley of the Kings | Temple of Hatshepsut | Valley of the Queens | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Rock-cut royal tombs | Terraced mortuary temple of a queen | Tombs of queens and princes | | Foreign adult ticket | EGP 750 | EGP 440 | EGP 220 | | Last entry | 16:00 winter, 17:00 summer | 16:00 winter, 17:00 summer | 16:00 winter, 17:00 summer | | Time needed | 2–3 h | About 1 h | About 1 h | The Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's temple make the classic West Bank morning. The [Valley of the Queens](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/valley-of-the-queens) is cheaper and quieter — add it if you have a second West Bank visit. ## Before you go - [ ] Arriving at 6:00, not at midday - [ ] In by last entry: 16:00 winter, 17:00 summer - [ ] Visa or Mastercard for all tickets - [ ] Decided on Tutankhamun, Ramesses VI or Seti I - [ ] Small Egyptian pound notes for the train and tips - [ ] Student ID if you're 24 or under - [ ] Water, hat and shoes with grip for the tomb steps - [ ] Taxi fare and waiting time agreed ## Historic sites in Luxor: compare and choose Every historic site in Luxor rated by YesGo. - [Luxor Temple](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/luxor-temple) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 15 min · EGP 500, students EGP 250 - [Karnak Temple](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/karnak-temple) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h 30 min · EGP 600, students EGP 300 - [Colossi of Memnon](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/colossi-of-memnon) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free, no ticket - [Valley of the Kings](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/valley-of-the-kings) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · EGP 750, Tutankhamun extra - [Temple of Hatshepsut](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/hatshepsut-temple) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · EGP 440, students EGP 220 - [Avenue of Sphinxes](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/avenue-of-sphinxes) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free to view (unofficial) - [Ramesseum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/ramesseum) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · EGP 220, students EGP 110 - [Luxor Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/luxor-museum) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · EGP 400, students EGP 200 - [Medinet Habu](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/medinet-habu) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · EGP 220, students EGP 110 - [Valley of the Queens](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/valley-of-the-queens) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · EGP 220, Nefertari closed ## The West Bank in a day Valley of the Kings at opening, then Hatshepsut, the Valley of the Queens and Medinet Habu after lunch, and the Colossi of Memnon on the way back. Add it to your route — YesGo sets the timings and transfers. 1. [Valley of the Kings](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/valley-of-the-kings) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · EGP 750, Tutankhamun extra 2. [Temple of Hatshepsut](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/hatshepsut-temple) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · EGP 440, students EGP 220 3. [Valley of the Queens](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/valley-of-the-queens) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · EGP 220, Nefertari closed 4. [Medinet Habu](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/medinet-habu) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · EGP 220, students EGP 110 5. [Colossi of Memnon](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/colossi-of-memnon) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free, no ticket ## Not to be confused with The Valley of the Queens is a separate necropolis further south, with its own ticket. Tutankhamun's treasure is not here but in the Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza; touring "Tutankhamun" exhibitions are replicas. [Hatshepsut's temple](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/hatshepsut-temple) is over the ridge at Deir el-Bahari, while her tomb is here in the valley. ## Tips - 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](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/luxor-temple), right by the ferry landing, or [Karnak](https://yesgo.io/egypt/luxor/karnak-temple) across town. ## Questions ### How much is the Valley of the Kings ticket? EGP 750 for foreign adults, EGP 375 for students up to 24 with ID, free under 6. Unofficially, it covers three tombs of your choice. ### Is Tutankhamun's tomb included in the ticket? No. It needs a separate ticket, unofficially EGP 700, sold at the same desk as the main ticket. ### Is Tutankhamun's mummy still in his tomb? Yes. The mummy lies in a climate-controlled glass case in the antechamber of KV62, and the sarcophagus is in the burial chamber. The gold mask is in the Grand Egyptian Museum. ### What are the Valley of the Kings opening hours? Daily from 6:00. Last entry is 17:00 in summer and 16:00 in winter and during Ramadan. ### Can I pay by card? Yes. The ministry accepts Visa and Mastercard online, in the Experience Egypt app and at the desk. Keep some cash for the electric train and tips. ### How long do you need at the Valley of the Kings? 2–3 hours for three tombs and one or two extras; about half a day if you add Hatshepsut's temple. ### How do I get to the Valley of the Kings from Luxor? Take the ferry from the Corniche by Luxor Temple and a taxi for about 20 minutes, or drive over the bridge in 30–45 minutes. ### Which tombs are best? Of the extras, Ramesses VI and Seti I for the paintings, Tutankhamun for the mummy. On the main ticket, Tausert and Setnakht, Ramesses III and Ramesses IV are reliable choices when open. ### Can you take pictures in the tombs? Yes, phone photos are free. Don't use flash, and don't bring a drone without a permit. ## How we checked The main ticket price, concessions, hours (summer, winter and Ramadan), free phone photography, card payment and rules come from the official ticketing system of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, as do the Hatshepsut and Valley of the Queens prices used for comparison. The ministry's monuments website gives 6:00–17:00 without seasons, so we show the stricter ticketing figures; the date the winter hours begin isn't published. The three-tomb rule, the extra-tomb prices, the EGP 20 electric train and the cash-free ticket desk are not on any official site: they come from two guidebooks (Wikivoyage and Earth Trekkers) that agree, and are marked as checking. Some sites quote lower extra prices; we don't use them. Wikivoyage says photography in the tombs is forbidden, but the ministry's rules explicitly allow phone photos, so we show the official rule. Sources count the tombs differently (63, 65, "over sixty"), so we say "more than 60". English Wikipedia's main article lists Amenhotep III's tomb as closed, while its own WV22 article and AFP report it reopened after restoration; entry terms are unpublished, so ask at the desk. Travel times come from guidebooks and are marked as checking; Uber and Careem coverage in Luxor is not confirmed, so we don't recommend them. Historical facts are checked against at least two sources. ## Sources - Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, official Egymonuments ticketing: Valley Of Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, Valley of the Queens — prices, hours, concessions and rules; FAQ — payment, refunds, photography and drones - Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, monuments website: Valley of the Kings — description and hours - English Wikipedia: Valley of the Kings, KV62, WV22; Wikidata Q133423 - Russian Wikipedia: Valley of the Kings - UNESCO: Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis - Wikivoyage: Valley of the Kings (unofficial) - Earth Trekkers: How to visit the Valley of the Kings (unofficial) - AFP: reopening of the tomb of Amenhotep III after restoration --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.