The Valley of the Kings is clearly the most famous Necropolis in the whole world!
Covering a vast area on the west bank of Luxor, this place was selected by the ancient Egyptians as the royal burial site for their mighty Pharaohs.
Nowadays, 65 magnificent royal tombs have been excavated in the Valley of the Kings, while it is believed that many more still remain buried in the surrounding area.
Each tomb is an exquisite and unique piece of art, as no two tombs in the Valley of the Kings are alike. The inner walls have been decorated with colorful drawings and hieroglyphs featuring scenes and texts from the “Book of the Dead”. The best craftsmen of their time were selected in order to ensure that the murals and carvings on the walls would safely guide the deceased through their journey to the afterlife.
Unluckily, over the years the tombs have suffered greatly from treasure hunters, floods, as well as… mass tourism! More specifically, the exposure of the tombs to humidity produced by the sweat of thousands of visitors entering the tombs every day, has caused a severe degradation to the wall paintings. For that matter, a rotation system has been introduced so that the tombs are opened and closed to the public in turns.
My personal recommendation, if you are lucky enough to find them open, are the tombs of Ramses III, Ramses IV, and Ramses IX.
A visit in the Valley of the Kings is the absolute highlight of any trip in Egypt. Maybe even more impressive than the Pyramids of Giza… So if there is one thing and only that you should not miss while in Egypt, let this be the Valley of the Kings!
How to Get to The Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings is out of the few places that I am not going to tell you to DIY (do it yourselves)J due to its enormous size!
I highly recommend booking a West Bank tour through your hotel / hostel, offered at a very reasonable price (around 70-100 EGP), which includes transportation and an Egyptologist guide.
As part of this tour, you should expect a short photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon, a visit at the Queen Hatshepshut Temple, a stop at an alabaster shop (you can’t avoid such selling techniques when on a group tour), the so much expected visit in the Valley of the Kings, and a final stop at the Medinet Habu Temple.
Before getting back to Luxor, your guide will most probably propose making a lunch stop at a local restaurant at your own cost. You can skip that, if you are not hungry or interested; just ask in a polite way to be driven back to your hotel/hostel.
Entrance Ticket for Temple of Hatshepsut – 100 EGP
Entrance Ticket for Medinet Habu Temple – 80 EGP
Entrance Ticket for The Valley of the Kings (3 tombs)* – 200 EGP
The Valley of the Kings Photo Pass – 300 EGP
Entrance Ticket for Sety l Tomb (extra ticket) – 1,000 EGP
Entrance Ticket for Tut Ankh Amun (extra ticket) – 250 EGP
Entrance Ticket for Ramses V – Vl (extra ticket) – 100 EGP
* Each entrance ticket grands you access to 3 tombs of your preference. If you wish to enter more than 3, you will need to buy extra entrance tickets.
All Given Prices as of March 2019
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