My girlfriend and I are travelling to Egypt on December 20th, 2 nights in Cairo then we take the overnight train down to Luxor. We have two nights at a hotel there, then, on Christmas Day, we commence a 7 night Nile Cruise.

As tours of the VotK, etc, are part of the Nile Cruise package, we were wondering what there is to see/do in Luxor which we would otherwise not see as part of the Cruise? Are there any little gems tucked away in back streets which might be of interest?

Any help much appreciated.

Brook Hospital for Animals, ACE, Gurna Experince, Sunshine Orphange, afternoon tea in the Old Winter palace, barbecuaes by the Nile, donkey rides over the Theban Hills and finally a list of sights the cruises never go to.

Tomb of Ay
The Western branch of the Valley of the Kings is a haven of tranquillity after the over commercialism of the main valley. The tomb of Ay is very similar in style to that of Tutankamun and still bears influences from the reign of Akhenaton.

Khokha Tombs
This small group of Nobles tombs Nefronpet, Dhutmosi and Nefersekheru contains some excellent relief’s, with wonderful colours. There are judgement scenes, ka statues and scenes from the Amun temple treasury.

Ramesseum - Thus is Ramses II mortuary temple and the inspiration for Shelley’s poem Ozymandias. The walls have scenes from Ramses famous battle against the Hittites and are a spin doctor’s delight as they show Ramses victorious and Hittite records tell a very different story.

Medinet Habu
This is the mortuary temple of Ramses III and shows scenes of the king’s triumph in battle and there are chapels dedicated to Ptah, Osirus and Soktar. How did they count the dead, see the piles of hands and genitals!!

Tombs of the Nobles
Rahmoses, Userhat and Khaemhat are just one of the many groups of Nobles tombs. Each group of tombs requires a separate ticket and depending on your stamina and level of interest you can visit more if you wish. We can direct you to the least visited tombs where you can enjoy the pictures in isolation. Recently opened are the tombs of Roy and Shu Roy which although small are very interesting.

Deir El Medina
This is a chance to see how the men who built the tombs lived, worshipped and died. The site consists of their temple dedicated to Hathor and Ma’at, the remains of the village and houses clearly showing rooms, cooking sites and sleeping platforms and their unique tombs with both royal and noble decoration styles.

Temple of Seti I
Seti I was the father of Ramses II and the remains of his mortuary temple near the village of Gurna Ta’rif are still being excavated. It is dedicated to Amun, Seti and his father Ramses I. It is one of the quieter locations and can often be found deserted.

Temple of Merenptah
Although little remains of Merenptah’s mortuary temple enough is visible to do a comparison between those of his father (Ramses II) and grandfather (Seti I). There are also some fantastic, very clolourful, remains of Amehotep III temple including his monumental gateway and the contents of a small museum.

Also day trips to Abydos and Dendera.

Hope this helps

Best regards,

quote:

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Originally posted by LazzaH:
Thanks very much for that info, Jane. I now wonder if we`ll have time to chill out, knowing there is so much in Luxor that we can see.

Best regards,

Lazza

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LOL

I know some people who do a day trip to Luxor and reckon they have seen it all but as you have just discovered there is loads to see and revisiting a site and being able to spend more time there or noticing something different can keep you coming back and back. Tonight I have some guests arriving on their 26th visit to Luxor.

Be careful you can get hooked