Tombs and extra tickets in the Valley of the Kings

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

The ticket system in the Valley of the Kings has two layers. The main ticket gets you into the valley and into three tombs of your choice from the list of those open that day. A small number of famous tombs sit outside that list and are sold separately, each at its own price. The booking system keeps the two apart, and you can only buy the add-ons at the visitor centre by the entrance. Once you have taken the tram up to the tombs, a change of plan means riding back down to the ticket windows.

All prices on this page are for foreign visitors and come from the official ticket portal of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, egymonuments.com, as of November 2026. The portal lists exactly four add-on tickets for the valley: Tutankhamun, Seti I, Ramses V and VI, and Ay.

What the main ticket covers

The main ticket costs 750 EGP, or 375 EGP for students aged up to 24 with a valid card. In July 2026 the choice was between ten tombs: KV1 (Ramses VII), KV2 (Ramses IV), KV6 (Ramses IX), KV8 (Merenptah), KV11 (Ramses III), KV14 (Tausert and Setnakht), KV15 (Seti II), KV16 (Ramses I), KV43 (Thutmose IV) and KV47 (Siptah). The list rotates because tombs close in turn for restoration, so check the board at the entrance and pick your three there. The tram has its own ticket; check the price on the day.

Visitors often see the main-ticket tombs first and keep an extra tomb for the end. The tombs tend to be hot inside, and some felt warm even in December, which is a reason to start early in the day.

Tutankhamun, KV62

Howard Carter's team, paid for by Lord Carnarvon, found the first step of the entrance staircase on 4 November 1922. The tomb lies in the eastern part of the valley, just west of the main path, and it is small: four chambers, with a burial chamber of about 4 by 6.4 metres. The stone sarcophagus is still there, its original lid replaced by a glass plate, with the outer coffin inside. In 2007 the king's mummy was moved into a climate-controlled glass case in the antechamber.

The ticket costs 700 EGP, students 350 EGP. It is the most requested tomb in the valley, with up to 1,000 visitors on the busiest days, so the hours before 10 am and after 2 pm are the better time to go in.

Since 2011 the burial goods from the tomb have been moved, piece by piece, to the Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza. Our sister site visitgreatpyramids.com covers Giza and its sights.

Seti I, KV17

With 2,000 EGP and no student rate, Seti I is by far the most expensive add-on. Older guides describe the tomb as almost always closed because of damage, and none of the 2026 sources confirms that it will be open through the winter of 2026 to 2027. Ask at the visitor centre whether it is open on the day before you pay. The private visit below names Seti I in its programme, but its listing does not say whether the ticket is included, so check that before you book.

Ramses V and VI, KV9

KV9 costs 220 EGP, students 110 EGP, which makes it the cheapest of the extra tombs in the main valley. Several day trips from Hurghada offer a choice between this tomb and Tutankhamun's as part of the package. An older list on a travel blog from December 2025 shows lower prices for KV9, KV62 and KV17; the official portal confirms the higher figures above.

Ay in the West Valley, KV23

The western branch of the valley has only one tomb open to visitors, that of Ay. Its ticket costs 200 EGP, students 100 EGP, and like the others it is sold at the visitor centre, so buy it together with your main ticket if you plan to go.

Tombs you cannot enter

KV5, the tomb of the sons of Ramses II, is the largest in the valley with more than 120 chambers, and it is closed to the public. One travel portal lists extra charges for the tombs of Hatshepsut (KV20) and Horemheb (KV57), but the official ticket portal sells no add-on for either, and a travel guide found KV57 closed during its visit. Treat both as unlikely unless the board at the entrance says otherwise.

Photos, guides and payment

Phone photography is free inside the tombs. One 2026 guide says the separate camera pass has gone, but the rules have changed before, so ask when you buy the extra ticket. Guides do not speak inside the tombs; they explain the decoration outside and you walk through in single file. For payment, bring a card that works abroad. Since 2023 the authorities have moved the ticket windows to card payment, although a local portal still recommends carrying cash.

Tours handle the add-ons in different ways. Some private days and Hurghada trips include the Tutankhamun ticket in the price, while others list entry fees as an option or leave them for you to pay at the window. The comparison below shows which is which, and the tickets and opening hours page covers the other sites on both banks.