Valley of the Kings: which tombs are worth the extra ticket

The Valley of the Kings general ticket (about 750 EGP) opens three tombs from a rotating list of about ten. Three tombs always need extra tickets: Tutankhamun (about 700 EGP), Seti I (about 2,000 EGP) and Ramses V/VI (about 220 EGP). If you pay for one, pay for Seti I; if you pay for a cheap one, Ramses VI; Tutankhamun is for the history, not the paintings.

The general ticket

The open list changes to rest the paint. On most days it includes Ramses IV (short, bright, with an astronomical ceiling), Ramses IX (long and well preserved), Merenptah (deep, with a huge sarcophagus lid) and Ramses III (long, with the harpists). Your guide picks the best three of the day and tells you why.

Seti I (KV17)

137 m long, every wall carved and painted, the astronomical ceiling in the burial chamber, reopened in 2016 after decades of closure. It costs about 2,000 EGP and it is the finest tomb in Egypt. Included on our Seti I and Tutankhamun tour.

Ramses V/VI (KV9)

A tomb started by Ramses V and finished by Ramses VI, with the complete Book of the Day and Night on the ceiling of the burial chamber. About 220 EGP: the best value in the valley.

Tutankhamun (KV62)

Four small rooms. The wall paintings of the burial chamber, the quartzite sarcophagus, and the king himself in a glass case. The treasures are at the Grand Egyptian Museum. Worth the ticket for the story; included on two of our tours.

Photography

A photo pass costs about 300 EGP and covers phones too; no flash. Without it, cameras stay in the bag.