Luxor

Currency

The same volatility as Cairo — exchange small amounts often. Bank branches on the corniche give the official rate. Carry a stack of small notes, because baksheesh is expected at every tomb, every toilet and every photograph.

ATMs & cards

CIB and Banque Misr on the east bank corniche. There are very few machines on the west bank, so withdraw before crossing. Machines empty over public holidays.

Withdraw on the east bank corniche before crossing. Carry a stack of small notes: baksheesh is expected at every tomb and every toilet.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

Heavily policed and safe for visitors; the hassle is the issue, not danger. Expect constant approaches from caleche drivers, felucca captains and would-be guides — a firm la, shukran and continuing to walk is the technique. Summer heat is genuinely dangerous, which is why the tombs and the balloons start at dawn.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

• Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present

Worth having

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid
• Tetanus up to date
• Rabies for longer stays
• Hepatitis B for extended stays

Getting treated

Private hospitals in Cairo are decent and cheap by European standards, and the international ones have English-speaking staff. Public hospitals are basic and overcrowded. Insurance is worth having; private facilities want payment up front.

Do not drink the tap water and avoid ice outside good hotels — stomach illness affects a large share of visitors. Summer heat at the pyramids is a genuine medical risk. Rabies is present in street dogs.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Koshari and taameya as everywhere in Egypt, plus grilled pigeon, which is a local speciality and better than it sounds. Eat away from the corniche for a third of the price.

Getting around

• Ferry across the Nile — a few pounds, runs constantly, and how locals cross to the west bank
• Taxi by the half-day — the practical way to see the west bank tombs, agreed in advance
• Bicycle — flat and pleasant on the west bank in winter, punishing any other season
• Caleche — horse carriage along the corniche, charming and relentlessly overpriced; agree the fare
• Airport: Luxor (LXR) is 15 min out, or arrive on the overnight train from Cairo

Must-see

Things to do

• Go into three tombs in the Valley of the Kings, and pay extra for Seti I if it is open
• Walk Karnak early before the tour buses
• See Luxor temple lit after dark
• Take a dawn balloon flight over the west bank
• Sail a felucca at sunset

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Arabic

• Helloمرحبا — MarhabaMAR-ha-ba
• Pleaseمن فضلك — Min fadlakmin FAD-lak
• Thank youشكرا — ShukranSHOOK-ran
• Yes / Noنعم / لا — Na’am / LaNA-am / la
• Excuse meعفوا — AfwanAF-wan
• How much is it?بكم — Bikam?bi-KAM
• The bill, pleaseالحساب — Al-hisabal-hi-SAB
• Welcomeأهلا وسهلا — Ahlan wa sahlanAH-lan wa SAH-lan

Inshallah, meaning God willing, follows nearly any statement about the future and is conversational rather than religious.

Religion

Sunni Muslim, with a Coptic Christian minority

Around 90% Muslim and 10% Coptic Christian, one of the oldest Christian communities on earth. Cover shoulders and knees at mosques and churches alike; women cover their heads at mosques.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Use your right hand for eating, greeting and handing anything over
• Dress modestly away from resorts — shoulders and knees covered, and a scarf for women entering mosques
• Agree a price before accepting any service, including a photograph with a camel
• Carry small notes for baksheesh; it is expected constantly and is part of how the economy works

Don't

• Do not photograph military or police installations, bridges or airports — this is taken seriously
• Do not show the sole of your foot to anyone, or point with your feet
• Do not show public affection beyond hand-holding; it is illegal in some readings and always poorly received
• Do not accept an unsolicited guide at the pyramids who then demands a fee — say la, shukran, firmly and keep walking