Which one to choose in Luxor
Luxor Temple vs Karnak Temple
Two temples in Luxor. Luxor Temple has 20 tickets and tours to book; Karnak Temple has 8 tickets and tours to book. The table and the two notes below put them side by side; the full pages have what to see, the ticket and the timing for each.
Luxor, Egypt
Luxor Temple stands in the middle of the modern city on the east bank of the Nile, so it is the easiest of the great Theban monuments to visit independently: buy an entry ticket at the gate on the Corniche, or in advance as an electronic ticket with a code that you show on your phone, and walk in. Similar electronic tickets exist for Karnak and for Medinet Habu on the west bank, which helps if you want to plan a full day without queuing.
Guided visits are offered as private tours of two to four hours with an Egyptologist, either in the cool of the morning, sometimes with breakfast, or in the late afternoon, running on past sunset as the floodlights come on, which is the most atmospheric time.
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Luxor, Egypt
Karnak has its own ticket office at the visitor centre by the entrance, and tickets for foreign visitors are paid by card, the norm at Egyptian sites these days; there is also an official online ticket that gives a QR code to scan at the gate, which saves a few minutes in the queue at busy times. The Open Air Museum inside the complex needs a separate ticket, as does the evening sound and light show.
Because entry is simple, the choice is mostly about guidance and timing. Many visitors book a private guided visit with an Egyptologist, which is worth it at a site this large and layered. Half-day tours of the east bank pair Karnak with Luxor Temple, linked by the long avenue of sphinxes;
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