Karnak and Luxor Temple

6 min read Updated November 2026 Compare all tours

On the East Bank, the town of Luxor has grown up around two of the great temples of ancient Thebes. The Avenue of Sphinxes runs for 2.7 km between Karnak and Luxor Temple. UNESCO counts both as part of Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis, and calls the temple of Amenhotep III at Luxor one of the most refined masterpieces of Egyptian architecture.

Karnak

Karnak is the largest temple complex of Thebes. Work began in the Middle Kingdom, around 2000 to 1700 BCE, and went on into Ptolemaic times; most of what stands today dates from the New Kingdom. Nectanebo I added the first pylon and the enclosure walls, late in the temple's long history.

The Great Hypostyle Hall is the part people remember. It covers 5,000 square metres and holds 134 columns in 16 rows: 122 of them about 10 metres tall and 12 about 21 metres. UNESCO notes that it was begun by Seti I and completed by Ramses II. Karnak is believed to be the second most visited historic site in Egypt after Giza, and the complex includes an open-air museum.

According to the official ticket portal, egymonuments.com, Karnak costs 600 EGP for foreign visitors and 300 EGP for students as of November 2026. It opens at 6:00, and last entry is at 16:00 all year, so an afternoon visit needs to start early. The ticket windows have been moving to card payment since 2023, and reports still differ on whether cash is taken, so carry a card and a little cash. A QR code ticket bought in advance lets you go in at your own pace.

Luxor Temple

Amenhotep III built the core of Luxor Temple, including the chapels at the back, and Tutankhamun and Ramses II added to it. The temple was dedicated to the renewal of kingship. Of the pair of obelisks at its entrance, the smaller western one now stands on the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Inside the temple walls, the Abu Haggag Mosque is still in use; a church stood here in Roman times, and the mosque goes back to around 640 CE.

Each year in ancient times, the statue of Amun was carried in procession from Karnak to Luxor Temple for the Opet festival. The Avenue of Sphinxes between the two temples was opened to the public on 25 November 2021 after more than seventy years of work. Today the Moulid of Abu el-Haggag, held about 15 days before Ramadan, still sees boats carried around the temple.

Luxor Temple charges 500 EGP for foreign visitors and 250 EGP for students and lets visitors in from 6:00 until a last entry at 19:00 (official ticket portal, November 2026). In December the sun sets around 17:00, so a winter visit at the end of the day lets you see the temple at dusk. Winter evenings in Luxor are mild, roughly 15 to 20 °C. For mosques, women cover their hair and everyone removes their shoes; around the temple, clothes that cover the shoulders and knees are the practical choice.

The sound and light show at Karnak

In the evening, Karnak hosts a sound and light show that runs all year. According to a booking site, the first performance starts at 19:00 in English, with further shows at 20:00 and 21:00 in Arabic and changing languages, each lasting about an hour. The site names English, Arabic, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Russian, and says the times shift about an hour later during Ramadan. October to April is the busy season, so book ahead. The official operator and timetable could not be confirmed, so check the language of your performance before you go. A private West Bank day in the comparison below ends at the show.

Visiting with a guide or on your own

Both temples work well without a guide: agree the taxi fare before you get in, since there are no meters, and use a QR ticket or a card at the window. With a guide you get the history of each hall as you walk. The shared half-day tours cover both temples in about four hours, with lunch; reviews mention that the lunch is simple and that time in Karnak can feel short. Private half days allow more time, and some enter Karnak along the avenue of sphinxes.

If you only have one day in Luxor, private full days on both banks combine the Valley of the Kings with Karnak and often finish at Luxor Temple. Karnak is about 12 km by road from the Valley of the Kings, roughly 17 minutes by car. For the rest of the East Bank, including the Luxor Museum and the Mummification Museum, see things to do in Luxor.