Facts & Useful Informations
  To See The Luxor Map
  WHERE DOES THE NAME OF ' LUXOR' COME FROM ?
  Luxor is part of ancient Thebes: ' The one hundred-gated city' as it was called by the renowned Greek historian, Homer, because of its buildings and large gates. The city grew over the years, and the Arabs, impressed by its beautiful palaces and huge edifices, re-named it ' Luxor ': City of Palaces.
Luxor remained the seat of power from 2100 to 750 B.C. That is why the visitor is awed by the city, made immortal by its huge pillared-monuments along both banks of the Nile, in the City of the Living, in the east, where the life giving sun rises; and in the City of the Dead, in the west, where the sun, in its never ending orbit, bids farewell to life!
  THE PLACE
  Located 670 km south of Cairo, on the banks of the Nile, Luxor is the oldest and probably the most important tourist destination in Egypt. For over two centuries now, the town has been flooded with tourists. Built on the 4000 year old site of ancient Thebes, Luxor is the archeological capital of the world. The name Luxor, comes from the arabic word Al-Uqsur, meaning the palaces or the temples, and refering to the massive and well preserved temples of Luxor and Karnak. Luxor is a great mixture of past and present, among the ancient temples live the modern day people of Luxor, with their suvenier shops, their horse drawn carraiges, white peugeot taxis, and most of all the dozens of five star Nile Cruisers parked on the East bank of the Nile. In the town of Luxor are the temples of Luxor and Karnak as well as the Luxor Museum, on the West bank you’ll find the Valley of the Kings, the Ramseseum and the Valley of the Queens. Th All of the above are not to be missed, these tombs constitute the final resting places of ancient Egyptian royalty. Apart from the archeology and the five star hotels, their is not much more to Luxor. You may try to go shopping, but we must warn you that the people of Luxor are known to be pushy, and will do just about anything to get money off you. You probably need to spend at least four days in Luxor to fully absorb the place.
  WHEN TO GO?
  The ideal time to visit Luxor is during the winter months of October thru March. This is considered the high season in Luxor, and accordingly, the prices are higher than during the summer. The weather is absolutely perfect during the winter, not too warm, not too cold, just perfect. It averages around 18’C and is sunny almost the year round in Luxor (like the rest of Egypt). During the summer, prices are cheaper as it is the low season, but of course the weather is really hot. It can reach 42’C during the day, which isn’t very suitable for visiting the tombs in the desert! If you’re staying in an airconditioned hotel (which you probably will) we think you can still manage, but do drink a lot of water if you don’t want to dehidrate.
  HOW TO GO?
  EgyptAir has a dialy flight to Luxor Airport and back from Cairo. Other international airlines organize charter flights to Luxor and back. Cheaper still you can take the train from Cairo (10 hours). From Aswan you can come by boat, felluca (5 days), or plane. It is not advisable to come to Luxor by car from Cairo, the road isn’t very safe and it’s a long ride. The best way to visit Luxor and Aswan is by taking a plane from Cairo, and then taking a Five day Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan, or vica versa, it is truly a once in a lifetime experience. See travel agents. As for getting around in Luxor, you have to options: the expensive horse drawn carraige, or the even more expensive white peugeot taxi.
  PEOPLE
  Luxor has a population of around 134,000 people, all of which are originally farmers of UpperEgypt, or fallahin in Arabic. They are dark-skinned from the sun, and have the Pharaonic noses you’ll notice on the ancient statues. Luxor, however has been booming with tourism for the past two centuries or so, and naturally the locals have tried to earn a living from it. Some have tourist bazars (or souvenir shops) others own taxis or horse-drawn carraiges, most of the younger generations work in the Hotels and Resorts, as bell boys, receptionists, cooks etc. In general they are nice people, they will however try to sell you anything, so be careful.
  ACTIVITIES AND NIGHTLIFE
 

Feluca Rides:
The most popular activity while in Luxor is to take a feluca. You can get them virtually anywhere along the east bank. They run for about 20LE per hour, or more. It depends on the "feluca guy". Some felucas go as far as Aswan in a 6-day trips. If you plan to take this trip, we do suggest you do it the other way around from Aswan to Luxor, that way you'll have the current on your side. A nice day trip would be to take a feluca to the Banana Island. This small island is only 5 km from Luxor and is worth a visit if you love palm trees.

Rent a Bicycle:

Renting a bicycle for an hour or two is also popular in Luxor. They run for about 15LE per hour, and you'll find them at the Isis Hotel. If you're inexperienced don't start here in Luxor, the streets are really chaotic. Otherwise, enjoy cycling by the Nile.

Camel Rides:
As always, in Egypt where there’s tourism there’s camels. Most of the hotels in Luxor offer camel rides around the city, and to nearby villages. You can also get a camel from any of the local ‘camel guys’ scattered on both the east and west bank.. If you’re not in a mood for a camel, there’s always the donkey. Hotels and the ‘camel guys’ can organize and entire tour of the west bank on donkey back.

Hot-Air Balloons:
For the expensive price of 600LE you can rent a hot-air balloon to take you on a tour over Luxor. We’ve never been up there, but we imagine the view to be ecstatic. You’ll get a birds-eye-view to the Luxor Temple, the Karnak Temples, and the ancient city of Thebes. If you can afford it be sure to ask at any of the five star hotels.

The Sunset Orchestra:
One truly poetic experience while in Luxor, is to catch the Sunset Orchestra at the Movenpick Hotel Jolie Ville. Every day, for an hour during sunset, classical music is played at a beutiful setting by the Nile, free of charge. Felucas comming and going, the sun setting, the orange sky, the palm trees, and a piano concerto from Bach to top it all off. Don't miss this one.

Horse-Drawn Carraiges:
Horse drawn carraiges fill the streets in Luxor, and if you can get a good price for an hour, its worth the ride. Ask the man to quickly take you through the city of Luxor, preferably on your first day, so that you can get oriented with the place. These run at the expensive rate of 30LE per hour. The driver will also show off a little Egyptology, bare with him.

Bazzars:
A final option is to take a walk in the streets of Luxor, shopping for suveneirs. The narrow streets of Luxor are filled with bazars, gift shops, taameya shops etc. You must be warned that Luxor is the bargaining capital of the world. What you’ll pay for something depends on how good you bargain. You will be bombarded by little children asking for baksheesh (or tips). Still, shopping in Luxor is educational.

Excursions:
Luxor is Ideally situated for excursions north to Abydos and Dandara; and south to Esna, Edfu and Komombo. Located 69 km north of the western bank of the Nile is the Temple of Dandara. 165 km north of Luxor is the town of Al-Balyana, there you'll find the famous site of Abydos and the great temple of Seti I.

Nightlife
As with most of the exotic places in Egypt, Luxor isn’t really hip when it comes to night life. Most of the hotels and cruisers have a bar and a “cheesy” discotheque, so if you’re not planning to wake up at 6 am to visit the tombs and temples you may want to take a few drinks there. In you hotel or cruise there will probably be an organized “Oriental Party” or “belly dancing show” these can be quite fun.
  OFFICIAL HOLIDAYS:
  January 7 - Coptic Christmas (Christians only)
March 26 - Sinai Day
May 1 - Labor Day
June 5 - Suez Canal Day
July 23 - Independence Day
October 6 - Armed Forces Day
  ENTR REQUIREMENT
  All foreigners traveling to Egypt, except those from other Arab countries and Malta, need a visa. Visas are obtainable at Egyptian consulates internationally, and also can be bought at Cairo Airport upon arrival.

Immunizations is only required required to visitors arriving from sub-Saharan Africa or South America, and then a yellow fever shot is necessary.
  ELECTRONICS:
  The electric current voltage is 220 Volts, with European-style plugs.
For TV broadcasting, Egypt uses MESECAM which is a derivative of the SECAM standard.


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