What to See in Luxor East Bank: Karnak, Luxor Temple, Museums and a One-Day Plan

What to see in Luxor East Bank? Start with Karnak Temple early in the morning and Luxor Temple at sunset or after dark: those two are the essentials. With more time, add Luxor Museum or the Mummification Museum, a walk along the Avenue of Sphinxes, the Nile Corniche at golden hour and the souq in the evening. Half a day covers the two temples; a full day lets you see everything without rushing.

Below we explain each stop, how long it takes, the best time to go, what the tickets cost and the order our guides use, so you do not cross the city twice in the midday heat.

The East Bank is the modern city of Luxor on the east side of the Nile, where you find Karnak, Luxor Temple, the museums, most hotels, the markets and the train station. In ancient Thebes the east, where the sun rises, was linked with life and the worship of the gods, while the west was the land of the royal tombs and funerary temples.

A common mistake is treating the East Bank as a quick stop before the West Bank. Karnak and Luxor Temple explain the religious life of Thebes, especially the Opet Festival procession between the two temples, and they make the tombs across the river easier to understand.

Karnak is the most important site on the East Bank and should come first. It is not one temple but a vast sacred complex of pylons, courts, chapels, obelisks and processional ways, built and rebuilt by kings over some 2,000 years. The ancient Egyptians called it Ipet-Sut, "the most select of places", and it was the main cult centre of Amun of Thebes. Read our facts about the Temple of Karnak before you go.

Great Hypostyle Hall

The highlight of Karnak: 134 columns, the 12 central ones rising about 21 metres. Walk through the centre slowly, then step to the side aisles to feel the scale away from the groups.

Sacred Lake

The rectangular lake where priests purified themselves before rituals. It is a short stop, but it shows that Karnak was a working temple with daily rites, not only a monument.

Local guide tip

Do not stay near the first court. Walk deeper, past the obelisks of Hatshepsut and Thutmose I, to see how each ruler added to the temple. Arrive at opening time: by late morning the tour buses arrive and the heat builds.

Luxor Temple stands in the heart of the city by the Nile. Its ancient name was Ipet-resyt, the "Southern Sanctuary". It lies about three kilometres south of Karnak and, unusually, faces Karnak rather than the river, because it was the end point of the Opet Festival procession. Where Karnak shows the power of Amun, Luxor Temple feels more intimate, linked to the renewal of royal power. Read more in when Luxor Temple was built.

Best time to visit Luxor Temple

Arrive about 30 minutes before sunset. You see the temple first in daylight, then watch the columns and statues of Ramesses II change as the lights come on. The temple is open daily from 6:00 to 20:00 at the time of writing.

Abu El-Haggag Mosque inside Luxor Temple

Above the court of Ramesses II stands the Abu El-Haggag Mosque, still in use. It is a reminder that people have worshipped on this spot for well over 3,000 years. Treat it as an active religious site: dress modestly and keep your voice down nearby.

The Avenue of Sphinxes is the 2.7 km processional road that joined Karnak and Luxor Temple, lined with sphinxes and used during the Opet Festival. It reopened along its full length in 2021. You do not need to walk all of it in the heat: see the stretch beside Luxor Temple at sunset and the end at Karnak. Our guide on how to visit the Avenue of Sphinxes has walking tips.

Luxor Museum, on the Corniche between the two temples, is the best indoor stop on the East Bank: a small, well-lit collection of statues and objects found in Thebes, with clear labels. It is a calm break between outdoor visits and gives the context that Karnak alone does not. At the time of writing a foreign adult ticket is EGP 400 and a foreign student ticket EGP 200, as listed by Luxor ticket guides (the ministry page was offline when we checked), so confirm at the gate; the museum keeps morning and evening sessions that change by season.

The Mummification Museum is a small museum on the Corniche, north of Luxor Temple, that explains how the ancient Egyptians preserved the body for the afterlife. It opened in 1997 and is one of the shortest and clearest museum visits in Egypt: about 45 minutes is enough. We recommend it before a visit to the tombs of the West Bank, and it works well for families with curious children.

What you will see

• The mummy of Masaharta, a High Priest of Amun of the 21st dynasty, which was moved here from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
• Animal mummies: a cat, a fish, a crocodile and others, which show that animals were mummified as pets or as offerings to the gods.
• The tools of the embalmers: knives, hooks, spoons and the natron salt used to dry the body.
• Canopic jars for the organs, decorated coffins, amulets and statues of the gods of the dead, such as Anubis.
• Scenes from the Book of the Dead: ten panels drawn from the papyri of Ani and Hunefer, along the exit corridor.

More than 60 objects are shown in 19 cases, arranged by theme so that you follow the process step by step.

How mummification worked

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the whole process took about 70 days. The embalmers removed the brain and the internal organs, dried the body with natron, then wrapped it in many layers of linen, placing protective amulets inside the wrappings. The organs were kept in canopic jars under the protection of the four sons of Horus. For the full story, read our history of ancient Egyptian mummies.

Opening hours and tickets

At the time of writing the museum opens daily from 9:00 to 14:00 (ticket office closes at 13:00) and again from 17:00 to 21:00 (tickets until 20:00); in Ramadan it opens from 9:00 to 15:00. A foreign adult ticket costs EGP 220 and a student ticket EGP 110. The evening session is the most pleasant time to go, before Luxor Temple at night.

The Corniche is the best free stop on the East Bank: a riverside promenade with feluccas, sunset views over the West Bank hills and easy access to Luxor Temple and the museums. Thirty to sixty minutes is enough.

In the evening the souq, behind Luxor Temple, comes alive with stalls of spices, scarves, galabeyas, oils and souvenirs. Agree on a price before you accept tea or a demonstration, and keep it friendly. Never buy anything sold as an "original antiquity": selling antiquities is illegal, so treat everything as a modern souvenir.

Half a day

If you arrive by cruise or train with only a few hours, do Karnak and Luxor Temple only and skip the museums. The all-suite Farida, a deluxe-class ship, follows that pattern on Day 1 of its 4-night program from Luxor. Visitors coming from Aswan can do the same on a guided day trip. On the deluxe-class Jaz Crown Jewel, the 3-night program from Aswan reaches Luxor on Day 3, with the West Bank, Karnak and Luxor Temple.

An evening only

After a West Bank morning, keep it light: the Corniche before sunset, Luxor Temple after the lights come on, the nearby stretch of the Avenue of Sphinxes, and dinner. For more ideas, see how to spend a night in Luxor.

With one day in Luxor, do the West Bank early and keep Luxor Temple for the evening. With two days, give each bank its own day. Our guide to how many days you need in Luxor helps you choose.

The four tickets together come to EGP 1,720 for a foreign adult at the time of writing. Prices, payment rules and hours change by season and by decision of the ministry, so check the official e-ticket platform before you go. Major sites now prefer card payment; carry small cash for taxis, tips, toilets and the souq, and a valid student card if you claim the student rate.

• Season: October to April is the most comfortable. From May to September start at sunrise, rest at midday and go out again after 17:00.
• Ramadan: hours are shorter; check them the same day.
• Photos: the Hypostyle Hall early, Luxor Temple after sunset, the Corniche at golden hour.
• Families: Karnak, Luxor Temple at night and the Mummification Museum work better for children than a museum-heavy day.
• Common mistakes: treating Karnak as a one-hour photo stop, visiting Luxor Temple at noon, and booking every outdoor stop back to back.

If you want one more sunrise experience, read whether a hot air balloon ride in Luxor is worth it.

Our private tour of the East Bank in Luxor covers Karnak and Luxor Temple with an Egyptologist guide and hotel pickup. Pair it with the Luxor West Bank tour for the Valley of the Kings, or see all our Luxor day tours.