Valley of the Queens, Luxor

Valley of the Queens tickets and entrance fee

Egypt's official ticketing system lists the Valley of the Queens at EGP 220 for foreign adults and EGP 110 for students up to 24 with a valid student ID; children under 6 go free. The ticket covers whichever tombs are open that day — usually three. Phone photography is free. Tickets are dated and non-refundable.

Buy online at Egymonuments, in the Experience Egypt app or at the desk by the valley entrance. The ministry's FAQ says Visa and Mastercard work across all its channels, including site counters. Unofficially, this desk takes cards only and there's no ATM nearby, so bring a backup card. You'll still want Egyptian pounds in cash for the ferry, taxis and tips.

There's currently no separate Nefertari ticket. Before the closure it was sold on top of the valley ticket, and guidebooks quote anything from EGP 1,200 to EGP 2,500 for it (unofficial), so don't budget for it unless the ministry announces a reopening.

Valley of the Queens opening hours

The valley opens every day at 6:00. Last entry is 17:00 in summer and 16:00 in winter and during Ramadan, and the ministry asks visitors to arrive at least an hour before closing. The hours match the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple and Medinet Habu.

Come early. The wadi is bare rock with almost no shade and gets very hot by midday; mornings also mean shorter waits at the tomb doors. In winter, mid-afternoon works too, after the tour groups have gone.

Is the Valley of the Queens worth visiting?

Yes, as a second stop. With Nefertari closed, the open tombs are smaller and simpler than those in the Valley of the Kings, but the paint — especially in Amenherkhepshef's tomb — is often brighter, the crowds are thin and the ticket costs less than a third as much. You'll see three tombs in an hour.

It isn't worth a special trip across the river on its own. Pair it with the Valley of the Kings, Medinet Habu just over a kilometre away, or Hatshepsut's temple. If you have only one West Bank morning, the Valley of the Kings comes first.

Which tombs are open and what to see

• Amenherkhepshef (QV55) — a son of Ramesses III. The king leads the boy, wearing the sidelock of youth, before the gods; vivid colour and a pink granite sarcophagus in the burial chamber.
• Khaemwaset (QV44) — another son of Ramesses III. A long corridor of painted reliefs: the king before Ptah, Thoth, Anubis and Ra-Horakhty, with the Sons of Horus and guardian goddesses in the side rooms.
• Queen Tyti (QV52) — wife of Ramesses III and probably the mother of Ramesses IV. The queen before Ptah, Thoth and Ma'at, the Sons of Horus, and Hathor as a cow in a side chamber.
• Nefertari (QV66) — closed for now. If it reopens, expect a separate, expensive ticket and a short, supervised visit.
• The open list rotates to protect the paintings — check the board at the ticket desk (unofficial).

The Tomb of Nefertari (QV66)

Nefertari was the great royal wife of Ramesses II, who also dedicated the small temple at Abu Simbel to her. Schiaparelli's mission found her tomb in 1904, already robbed in antiquity: only fragments of a granite sarcophagus, shabtis and a few objects remained, some now in the Museo Egizio in Turin.

Its fame rests on the paintings. A rock-cut stair leads to an antechamber under a starry ceiling, and on down to a burial hall with painted pillars. Nefertari makes offerings, prays and plays senet, surrounded by Isis, Osiris, Hathor, Anubis, winged Ma'at and chapters of the Book of the Dead.

Salt in the plaster makes the colour fragile, which is why visits have always been rationed. The Getty Conservation Institute and Egypt's antiquities service carried out the restoration from 1988 and finished it in 1992. Before the current closure, unofficial sources put the ticket at EGP 1,200–2,500, with 10–15 minutes allowed inside.

Valley of the Queens vs Valley of the Kings

Fares and hours from Egypt's official ticketing system (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities). Visit times are YesGo estimates.

History of the Valley of the Queens

The ancient Egyptians called the wadi Ta-Set-Neferu, "the Place of Beauty". It was used from the 18th to the 20th Dynasty, but the decorated royal tombs belong mostly to the reigns of Ramesses II and Ramesses III. More than 90 tombs are known in the main valley and about twenty more in side wadis, most of them small and undecorated.

Ernesto Schiaparelli's Italian mission cleared the valley in the early 1900s, opening the tombs of Ramesses III's sons and, in 1904, Nefertari's. Nearly all had been robbed in antiquity, and many were later reused for burials of a much later date. Nefertari's paintings were saved by a joint Getty and Egyptian team, which finished the restoration in 1992 and still monitors the tomb.

Luxor history: compare and choose

All historic sites in Luxor rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

Nearby — add to your day

36

Medinet Habu

Luxor, Egypt

1 h 30 min · EGP 220, students EGP 110 · 20 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Medinet Habu

49

Valley of the Kings

Luxor, Egypt

2 h 30 min · EGP 750, Tutankhamun extra · 29 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Valley of the Kings

39

Ramesseum

Luxor, Egypt

45 min · EGP 220, students EGP 110 · 30 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Ramesseum

44

Temple of Hatshepsut

Luxor, Egypt

1 h · EGP 440, students EGP 220 · 32 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Temple of Hatshepsut

How to do it right

• Arrive at opening: the wadi is exposed, the rock heats up fast, and the queues at the tomb doors are shortest early.
• Start with Amenherkhepshef — the brightest paint of the open tombs — then Khaemwaset and Tyti.
• Read the board at the ticket desk: it shows which tombs are open today, and whether anything beyond the standard ticket is on offer.
• Read up on the scenes beforehand or bring a guide: the signs at each tomb are brief.
• The craftsmen's village of Deir el-Medina — home of the men who cut and painted the royal tombs — is close by and easy to add with the same driver.
• Don't touch the walls or the glass screens, and keep the flash off: the colour sits on a thin, salt-damaged plaster layer.

Questions