Luxor and Aswan

Once, while studying the seven wonders of the ancient world, I decided to name the top seven
most “wonderous” places I have seen in my lifetime. Places that I simply cannot tear my eyes
away from out of sheer wonder. Places that spellbind me. To be honest, it wasn’t that difficult.
There are a few places that have always stood out in my mind as exceptional and life-changing.
It will not surprise you to learn that two of the places on my own personal list are in Egypt:
Karnak Temple in Luxor and Abu Simbel Temple in Aswan. Today I would like to share a little
with you about Luxor. Stay tuned for a future post on Aswan.

The books written on Luxor (known locally as al-Aqsur, or “The Palaces) could fill libraries. My
intention here is not to give a comprehensive guide to this popular Upper Egypt destination.

Rather, my hope is to spark your wonder with a few stories and photos and to help you plan
your very best trip with some insider tips and recommendations.

The Happy Land Hotel: If you are feeling adventurous (or if you are on a budget),
consider staying at a hostel. While backpacking across the world as a young woman, it
never occurred to me that families could stay at hostels until I encountered a family of
five at a hostel in Istanbul. That gave me the courage to do the same. Located near the
Nile, the Happy Land is our favorite budget hotel/hostel in Luxor. Rooms contain
anywhere from one to four beds and may have a private or shared bath. The rooms are
small and spartan, but are reasonably clean. The building itself is charming and the
rooftop garden and cafe is where we spend our time. Prices in Egypt are always
changing but I generally pay 150LE per bed per night. Tell them Jamila sent you for the
best rate. The rate includes an Egyptian breakfast of ful, bread, cheese, omelet, orange
juice, coffee, and tea.

Ismu eh?: If you speak Arabic, you’ll realize that this bakery is literally named “What’s its
name?” or perhaps more colloquially “Whatchamacallit?” The name caught our
attention, but what keeps us coming back are the tasty European and Syrian sweets. It
doesn’t hurt that it is also located near the Happy Land Hotel.

The bookstore and gem shop: Located right next to each other, the Aboudi Bookstore
and the polished gem shop provide at least an hour of entertainment for my kids. You
may want to pair this activity with lunch or dinner at the neighboring pizza parlor and grill.
If you go after sunset, you’ll enjoy a spectacular view of the illuminated Luxor Temple.

The Luxor Temple (vs. Karnak Temple): If you have limited time and funds, choose the
Karnak Temple over the Luxor Temple. Karnak is far more grand and has undergone a
multimillion dollar restoration. That said, the Luxor temple is much quieter and has a few
hidden gems (like ancient Christian graffiti). If you want to visit both, I recommend you
visit Karnak Temple first. Then, with your guidebook in hand, examine the Luxor Temple
for its unique properties.

The Karnak Temple Light Show: I would save your money but if you want to go, do it
after you have seen it by day.

The Ramaseum: If your budget and time will allow, visit the Ramesseum while on the
West Bank of the Nile. We love this site because of the Percy Shelly poem Ozymandias,
which the poet wrote after gazing upon the remains of the temple’s once colossal statue
of Ramses. My recommendation: Bring a copy of the poem and then film yourself
reading it while at the site that inspired it.

Valley of the Kings and Queens: I visited something like a hundred tombs in the Valley of
the Kings while on my college study abroad trip to Egypt in 1999. It was tomb overload.
This burn-out prompted me to opt out from visiting the Valley on my next ten
independent visits to Luxor down through the years. In 2022, however, I decided to
accompany friends into the Valley of the Kings and boy, was I glad I did. At the entrance
to the Valley you will be prompted to pay for general admission and then to purchase
individual tickets to any number of the especially well-preserved tombs. The big-ticket
tombs (Seti I and Queen Nefertiti) are worth the price, but I recommend you choose one
or the other. If you are under time or budget restraints, the Ramses V tomb is excellent
and it won’t put you into debt.

Summer discounts: The Department of Antiquities always offers a fifty percent discount
on adult admission during the summer months. Believe it or not, I’ve traveled to Luxor
several times during the dog days of summer and have enjoyed the reduced ticket
prices. However, plan on spending those savings on countless bottles of cold water.

The Ferry: Whether you stay on the East or West Bank, you’ll need to get over to the
other side at least once. You can take a felucca or private motor launch, but you’ll pay a
tourist rate for your private ferry ride. Alternatively, hop on the public ferry for a fraction
of the price. The ferry leaves the dock approximately every quarter hour.

Well. How are you doing? Feeling the wonder? I’ll bet you are. Whether or not you decide to
book a tour or strike off on your own, please consider a few of the recommendations above
when visiting Luxor. You know you’ll see me there!