Family-Friendly 8-Days in Egypt Itinerary in Luxor

The ancient city of Thebes makes for the greatest open-air museum in the world. Located on the beautiful banks of the Nile River in Upper Egypt, Luxor is packed full of amazing temples, underground tombs and huge statues. It is ideal to spend 8 days in Luxor with children as there is plenty of time to see everything at your leisure without any rush. You’ll have plenty of time to explore both the East and West Banks of Luxor. The East Bank is home to ancient Egyptian temples that celebrate life, sun and state. The West Bank is the land of the setting sun where Pharaohs are buried forever. Spending 8 days in Luxor means you’ll have lots of time to relax with a break at midday in the hotel pool to avoid the desert heat, relax on a cruise, go on a camel ride through the desert, visit some live villages and go on countryside excursions. See how you can spend the perfect week plus in Upper Egypt with our day-by-day itinerary below.

Day 1: Arrival, Check-in & Luxor Temple at Sunset

Arrive in Luxor by plane, sleeper train or river cruise. Check-in to a family friendly hotel or riverfront hotel on the East Bank.

A. Relax

After checking-in to your hotel, spend a relaxed afternoon relaxing by the pool. Children will enjoy watching the traditional wooden feluccas glide down the river whilst you get used to the warm climate of Upper Egypt.

B. Luxor Temple visit

In the late afternoon when it is cooler outside, take your family to visit Luxor Temple. A great way to start your excursion is visiting this grand temple in the middle of the city. Watching the sun set over Luxor Temple is magical for children. The huge pylon walls, enormous seated statues of Ramesses II and towering papyrus columns will be lit up by lovely warm lights. Children will enjoy walking along what is left of the Avenue of Sphinxes – a paved path made from stone with hundreds of human head and ram headed Sphinxes that once connected Luxor Temple to Karnak. End your day with a relaxed meal at a riverside restaurant to try some freshly baked Egyptian flatbreads, grilled skewers and mild dips.

Day 2: Valley of the Kings & Hatshepsut’s Temple (West Bank)

Head across to the West Bank of the Nile early in the morning.

A. Valley of the Kings

Start your day in the famous Valley of the Kings. This is a hidden canyon situated in the desert where Pharaohs of the New Kingdom were buried in rock cut tombs. Children will enjoy the fun of riding a mini open-air electric train from the visitor centre to the entrance of the tombs. Inside the deep tombs, your family will walk down the brightly coloured corridors to large stone sarcophagus’ belonging to Pharaohs like Ramesses III, Ramesses IV or Merenptah. Children will be amazed by the excellent condition of the ancient wall paintings. Bright blue, yellow and red colours will show the children images of stars, gods to protect them and ancient spells from the Book of the Dead.

B. Hatshepsut’s Temple & Colossi of Memnon

Visit the stunning Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. This temple has been carved out of the limestone cliffs and has three tiers. Children will learn about how she ruled as King, this is shown by the wall paintings that show her wearing King’s clothing. Whilst driving back to the river, stop to visit the impressive Colossi of Memnon. These are two 18m tall stone statues of Amenhotep III and make for a great photo opportunity.

C. Felucca Cruise

Head back to the hotel to relax during the hot afternoon. In the evening head down to the riverbanks to take a traditional wooden Felucca cruise. Glide along the Nile on this traditional boat. Parents and children can relax, listen to traditional music and enjoy watching the skyline light up.

Day 3: Ancient Daily Life, Medinet Habu & Banana Island

Today your family will learn about the fascinating lives of the ancient craftsmen and visit one of the best preserved temples in Egypt.

A. Deir el-Medina

Head to Deir el-Medina in the morning. This is the ancient village where the craftsmen, stonemasons and painters lived who built the Pharaoh’s tombs. This is a great place to see how people actually lived. The workers had their own tombs underground. Children will enjoy seeing the brightly coloured wall paintings in tombs like the Tomb of Sennedjem. This shows images of farming, family gardens and animals. This is often much warmer for children than the tombs of the Pharaohs.

B. Medinet Habu & Banana Island

Head to Medinet Habu, the huge mortuary temple of Ramesses III. This is famous for having incredible carvings on the walls. The temple has many strong towers and stone walls giving a sense of a medieval castle. In the late afternoon take a boat ride to Banana Island (Geziret el-Moz). Children will enjoy walking around the shaded banana trees. Try some delicious fresh bananas and enjoy a relaxed meal with a sunset view over the river.

Day 4: Hot Air Balloon Ride at Sunrise, Karnak Temple & Sound & Light Show

Enjoy an exciting early morning with a hot air balloon ride followed by visiting the largest religious temple ever built by humans.

A. Hot Air Balloon Ride at Sunrise

Take the brave members of your family and older children on a Hot Air Balloon ride before sunrise. Float high above the Nile, lush sugarcane fields and twinkling monuments of the West Bank as the sun rises over the Eastern Desert. This will give you a birds eye view of the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut’s Temple.

B. Great Forest of Columns – Karnak Temple

After breakfast and a short break, head to the huge Karnak Temple Complex on the East Bank. This huge temple was mainly dedicated to Amun-Ra. This was the main state temple of the New Kingdom. Children will be amazed by the Great Hypostyle Hall with 134 huge sandstone columns. Each column has incredible deep hieroglyphics. Families can also visit the sacred Scarab Beetle statue near the Sacred Lake. Local folklore says if you walk around the statue 3 times you will be lucky!

C. Sound & Light Show

Return to Karnak in the evening for the amazing Sound & Light Show. Walk through the temple with the lights on and listen to stories being told. Pharaohs and Gods come to life with sound effects as children enjoy a fantastic visual recap of Egyptian History.

Day 5: Day Excursion – Temple of Dendera (Sanctuary of Hathor)

Take a comfortable private day excursion to the North to visit one of the best preserved temples in Egypt.

A. Temple of Hathor

Drive along the Nile for 2 hours to reach Dendera. Children and parents will be amazed by this huge complex. The main temple was built in the late Ptolemaic and Roman eras. The main temple is famous for having a huge Hypostyle Hall with 24 huge columns. Each column has a bovine head at the top in honour of Hathor, the god of music, joy and love. Unlike most ancient sites, Dendera still has its stone roof intact meaning you can walk inside the temple.

B. Celestial Ceiling & Underground Crypts

Inside the temple you can look up to see some incredible ceiling carvings. These have been restored to their original ancient colours and show amazing images of constellations, maps of the stars and the Goddess of the Sky, Nut. Children will enjoy exploring the small underground crypts within the thick foundations. They can also climb up the stone steps to walk on the roof as the ancient Priests did during New Year celebrations. Return to Luxor in the late afternoon after a relaxing countryside meal.

Day 6: Day Excursion – Edfu & Kom Ombo Temples

Today you’ll travel South along the Nile corridor to visit two amazing temples from the Ptolemaic era.

A. Temple of Horus

Travel South in a private vehicle to visit Edfu. Children will love arriving at the huge temple pylon. They can pose with the huge black granite falcon statues that guard the temple entrance. The high outer walls and intact roof chambers will give children a great insight into ancient temple design.

B. Double Temple – Kom Ombo

Continue travelling South along the river to visit Kom Ombo. This is a unique double temple dedicated to two gods equally, Sobek the crocodile god and Haroeris the falcon god. Children will love seeing the carvings of ancient surgical tools. The Crocodile Museum next to the temple has mummified ancient Nile Crocodiles that were found in nearby catacombs. Return to Luxor in the late afternoon to relax by the pool.

Day 7: Tombs of the Nobles, Camel Ride & Local Craft

Spend a relaxed day exploring some hidden archaeological gems and some hands-on crafts.

A. Tombs of the Nobles & Ramesseum

In the morning visit the Tombs of the Nobles. These are small but beautifully preserved tombs. Children will enjoy seeing the happy scenes on the walls showing fishing, catching birds in the papyrus reeds and harvesting vines. After a short visit to the Ramesseum children can pose next to the giant collapsed statue of Ramesses II that inspired the famous Percy Bysshe Shelley poem, Ozymandias.

B. Camel Ride & Alabaster Workshops

In the late afternoon enjoy a gentle camel ride through the peaceful villages and sugarcane fields of the West Bank. Watch the sun set behind the desert hills. After your ride families can visit local artisan workshops in Gurna. Watch skilled craftsmen create glowing vases, scarabs and statues from alabaster stone.

Day 8: Museums & Souk

Spend your last day relaxing in Upper Egypt. Visit some world class museums and collect some souvenirs.

A. Luxor Museum & Mummification Museum

In the morning visit the Luxor Museum. This is widely known to be one of the best and thoughtfully designed museums in Egypt. The museum has beautifully lit statues from local cache’s, ancient weaponry and golden artefacts. After a short visit to the nearby Mummification Museum children can see some amazing tools, natural resins, animal mummies and sacred practices used by ancient embalmers to achieve physical immortality.

B. Souk & Farewell

Before leaving visit the covered market (Souk) of Luxor. Children can practice their polite haggling skills to buy some personalised souvenirs such as stone scarabs, hand carved alabaster vases, small papyrus paintings or silver Cartouche necklaces with their name written in hieroglyphics. After 8 days in Luxor celebrate with a meal with views over the Nile. Your family will then be transferred to the airport/train station in private transport.