Cairo to Luxor: flight, sleeper train, day train or road, compared
The short answer: Fly if time is short: about an hour in the air. Take the sleeper train to save a hotel night: the daily departures at 19:45 and 21:10 reach Luxor at 06:10 and 07:50, from USD 110 per person sharing. The day train shows you the Nile Valley in about nine and a half to eleven hours. The road is about 650 km.
The four ways, side by side
| Way | Time | Fare per person | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flight | About 1 hour in the air | Changes by date | A short trip; pairs with a day trip |
| Sleeper train | About 10½ hours overnight: 19:45 → 06:10, or 21:10 → 07:50 | USD 110 (standard) or 125 (Elite) sharing a two-berth cabin; USD 150 or 170 alone | Saving a hotel night |
| Day train | About 9½–11 hours: 08:00 → 18:55, or 10:00 → 19:30 | USD 55–85, second or first class | Seeing the Nile Valley |
| Road | About 650 km; routing estimates about 7½ hours of driving without stops | By private car, on request | Stops on the way, such as Abydos and Dendera |
Train times and fares: Seat 61, updated 14 September 2026, for foreign travellers; the day-train times are the two it recommends. Flight time and distance: the site's transit data (Rome2rio). Driving time: OpenStreetMap routing, computed 30 September 2026, without stops.
The sleeper train
- Where it leaves: the sleepers to Luxor and Aswan leave from Cairo's Upper Egypt station, with Giza as an alternative boarding point, according to Seat 61.
- Which trains: Seat 61's timetable lists daily sleepers leaving at 19:45 (arriving 06:10) and 21:10 (arriving 07:50), and another on Thursdays and Sundays at 22:36 (arriving 09:00).
- Booking: Seat 61 says sleeper booking opens four to five months ahead, and that foreigners cannot buy on the Egyptian National Railways website.
- The trade-off, in our judgement: you arrive rested enough for a day in Luxor only if you sleep well on trains.
Which to choose
One day for Luxor
Fly both ways on our [Luxor day trip from Cairo](/tours/luxor-day-trip-from-cairo-by-flight). It is a long day, but the only way to fit both banks between two flights.
A week with Abu Simbel
Our [7-day tour](/tours/egypt-7-day-tour-cairo-luxor-aswan-abu-simbel) spends two nights on the sleeper train, so the days go to the sites.
Time to see the valley
In our judgement take the day train one way and fly the other: the train shows you the Nile, and the flight gives the day back.
Where to go from here
Sources and review
Reviewed on by Deluxe Trips Egypt. Official statements are attributed to their source; where we give a judgement, we say so. This guide names no school, boat or hotel.
Photo: Hamerani, CC BY-SA 4.0
