Luxor in a Day from Sharm el-Sheikh, by Flight

Luxor is about 300 km from Sharm el-Sheikh in a straight line, across the Gulf of Suez and the Eastern Desert, and far more by road, so the way to see it in a day from Sinai is to fly. This day trip leaves your hotel before dawn and brings you back in the evening, with an Egyptologist waiting at Luxor airport.

The day begins at Karnak, less a temple than a temple city, where the temple of Amun was built, rebuilt and enlarged over more than fifteen hundred years. Across the river on the West Bank is the Valley of the Kings, the royal cemetery of the New Kingdom, cut into a dry valley beneath a pyramid-shaped peak, and beside it the terraced temple Hatshepsut built against the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari, facing Karnak across the Nile. The Colossi of Memnon, two seated statues of Amenhotep III, stand beside the road back.

The return flights, transfers, guide, entrance fees and lunch are included. Before you book, check your visa: if you flew into Sharm on the free Sinai entry stamp, you need an Egyptian visa to leave the resorts, and you can get one at Sharm airport or online.