Luxor Temple at a glance
Luxor Temple stands in the middle of the modern city, on the east bank of the Nile, about 3 km south of Karnak. It is a separate site with its own ticket. The Karnak ticket does not cover it, and the Luxor Temple ticket does not cover Karnak.
The oldest surviving shrine belongs to Hatshepsut. The core of the temple was built under Amenhotep III, and Ramesses II added the pylon, the colossal statues and the obelisk in front of it. Luxor Temple and Karnak were linked in antiquity, which is why you often visit them on the same day.
Our picks: Luxor Temple tours
Luxor Temple is a separate site from Karnak. The afternoon tour is the one built around Luxor Temple and the old souk; the half-day tours add Karnak, and only the private one has the temple entries in the price.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Karnak and Luxor Temple tour with lunch
- English-speaking guide
- Lunch included
- Hotel pickup and return
Half a day on the East Bank with both temples and a guide. Entry tickets come only with the matching option, so check it when you book.
Check availability →
Private half-day tour of Karnak and Luxor Temple
- Entry tickets
- Private guide
- Hotel pickup and return
Four hours with a private guide and the temple entries already in the price. The Avenue of Sphinxes is part of the route.
Check availability →Private afternoon tour of Luxor Temple and the old souk
- Luxor Temple entry
- Private guide
- Air-conditioned hotel transfers
Three hours with a private guide through Luxor Temple and the old souk. This tour does not go to Karnak.
Check availability →Luxor Temple tours and tickets
Guided visits, evening options and combinations with Karnak and the east bank, with live prices and availability.
Luxor Temple tickets 2026
Prices for entry to the site. Guided tours are priced separately by the operators.
| Visitor | Price 2026 |
|---|---|
| Foreign adult | EGP 500 |
| Foreign student | EGP 250 |
| Egyptian adult | EGP 40 |
| Egyptian student | EGP 20 |
The temple is open every day from 06:00 to 20:00. Arrive well before closing so that you have time to walk through all of it. Special events can restrict access on a given day, so check the current situation before you go. For Karnak prices and hours, see the Karnak tickets page.
Luxor Temple at night and in the evening
Because the temple closes at 20:00, an evening visit is possible and often a good choice. The heat is lower than at midday. This matters most from April to October, when the average daily high is 35 °C or more.
Do not plan on a later closing time, because the schedule ends at 20:00. A visit in the last part of the day also fits well after a morning at Karnak and a break in between.
If you want an evening in Karnak instead, the sound and light show runs at 19:00 in English and at 20:00 for all languages and Arabic.
What to see at Luxor Temple
The main parts, from the entrance inwards.
The pylon and the obelisk
Ramesses II built the entrance pylon, and colossal statues of the king stand in front. One of two obelisks remains in place. The other went to the Place de la Concorde in Paris in 1836.
Not the obelisk of Karnak
The standing obelisk of Hatshepsut is at Karnak and nearly 30 m high. Do not mix it up with the Ramesses II obelisk here. You find the Karnak one on the obelisk and Sacred Lake page.
The core built by Amenhotep III
The main body of the temple dates to Amenhotep III. Ramesses II added further parts, so the site shows two periods of building in one walk.
The shrine of Hatshepsut
The oldest surviving shrine at the temple was built for Hatshepsut.
The link to Karnak
In the Opet festival the images of Amun, Mut and Khonsu were carried in procession from Karnak to Luxor Temple, where they visited Amenemopet. This was a religious ritual of ancient Thebes, not a festival you can attend today.
Karnak history →Combine Luxor Temple with Karnak
Both sites fit into one day on the east bank.
Karnak is a complex of several precincts, with the precinct of Amun at the centre. Luxor Temple is a single temple in the middle of the city. A common order is Karnak in the morning, when it opens at 06:00 and the heat is still low, a break around midday and Luxor Temple in the late afternoon or evening.
Each site has its own ticket. For a foreign adult in 2026, the two together cost EGP 1,100 (EGP 600 plus EGP 500), and EGP 550 for students (EGP 300 plus EGP 250). A guided tour that covers both should say clearly whether the tickets are part of the price. The two sites are about 3 km apart on the same bank, so you do not need to cross the river. More on the tours that link them is on the Luxor tours page.
The Avenue of Sphinxes
The route between the two temples.
An avenue of about 2.7 km connected Karnak and Luxor Temple. A reopening ceremony took place on 25 November 2021. Whether you can walk the full length today depends on the current access, so ask at the site or in your hotel before you plan a walk. The ram-headed sphinxes in front of the first pylon at Karnak are one part of the Karnak approach and are not the same as the long avenue. More is on the Avenue of Sphinxes page.
For the wider city around the temple, the Luxor Temple guide adds more context.
Luxor Temple: frequently asked questions
How much is Luxor Temple in 2026?
EGP 500 for foreign adults and EGP 250 for foreign students. Egyptians pay EGP 40 and EGP 20.
What are the opening hours of Luxor Temple?
The temple is open daily from 06:00 to 20:00. Do not assume a later closing time.
Is Luxor Temple included in the Karnak ticket?
No. Each site has its own ticket and its own price.
Is it worth visiting Luxor Temple in the evening?
Yes, if you want cooler temperatures and fewer groups. Plan to arrive well before 20:00.
How far is Luxor Temple from Karnak?
About 3 km. Both are on the east bank, so no river crossing is needed.
Is this the official website of Luxor Temple?
No. This is an independent guide to the temples of Luxor. Tickets are sold at the site and through the national ticket channels.