Luxor Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Land

Bus

Minibuses to the bus station (Sharia al-Karnak) cost E£5 and leave from the Horus Hotel near Luxor Temple; taxis cost E£25. Bus services include Cairo (E£85, 11 hours, two daily), Hurghada (E£30, five hours, eight daily), Port Said (E£70), Dahab (E£110, 16 hours), Sharm el-Sheikh (E£100, 15 hours) and Al-Kharga (E£40, four hours, four weekly). For Aswan, it’s better to take the train.

Train

Luxor’s train station (Midan al-Mahatta) is conveniently located in the centre of town. Abela Egypt Sleeping Train (237 2015; www.sleepingtrains.com) services leave at 8.30pm and 9.30pm daily, arriving in Cairo at 5.45am and 6.45am the next morning. The trip costs US$53/74 per person one way in a double/single cabin. Tickets must be paid for in US dollars or euros. The price includes breakfast.

Foreigners can take train 981, 1903 and 997 (E£67/45 in 1st/2nd class), departing at 9.15am, 9.15pm and 11.10pm. The trip takes approximately 10 hours. Train 981 to Cairo stops near Abydos, Asyut and Minya but tourist police insist on an armed escort for foreigners who alight here.

Foreigners can take three daily services to Aswan (E£30/21 in 1st/2nd class), leaving at 7.15am, 9.30am and 5pm. The trip takes three hours. All three trains stop at Edfu (E£19/15, 1½ hours) and Kom Ombo (E£25/18, 2½ hours).

There’s a train from Luxor to Al-Kharga every Thursday (E£11/10.25 in 2nd/3rd class, seven hours) at 6am or 7am, depending on the time of year.

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Boat

During the high season (October to May), an armada of cruise boats travels the Nile between Esna (for Luxor) and Aswan, stopping at Edfu and Kom Ombo en route. They cost from US$50 per night for full board and can be arranged through any travel agent.

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Air

The EgyptAir office (238 0580; Corniche el-Nil; 8am-8pm) is next to Amex. There are regular connections with Cairo (E£714, one hour and five minutes) and Aswan (E£360, 40 minutes), and thrice-weekly flights to Sharm el-Sheikh (E£537, one hour and five minutes).

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