The two best-preserved temples in Egypt, painted ceilings and all, on a day most visitors skip.
A nine-hour private tour north of Luxor with an Egyptologist: the Temple of Seti I at Abydos (160 km, the finest raised reliefs in Egypt and the Abydos King List) and the Temple of Hathor at Dendera (60 km, the restored painted ceilings and the Cleopatra relief), with lunch and all tickets. 85 EUR per adult from Luxor; 115 EUR by private car from Hurghada.
Adult and child (4–11) per person, entry tickets included. Choose your row in the booking box.
Via the Safaga–Qena road; private car both ways.
| Departure | Transport | Pickup | Back | Duration | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Luxor hotels and cruise boats | private car | 07:00 | 16:00 | 9 hours | €85 | €50 |
| From Hurghada and the Red Sea resortsVia the Safaga–Qena road; private car both ways. | private car | 05:00 | 20:00 | 15 hours | €115 | €70 |
Karnak is grand; Dendera and Abydos are intact. Roofs, colour, staircases to the terrace, crypts: this is what every temple looked like before the roofs fell in, and the drive along the Nile is part of the day.
Pickup at 07:00. Two and a half hours north along the west bank of the Nile to Abydos, the burial place of Osiris and the pilgrimage centre of ancient Egypt. The Temple of Seti I (c. 1290 BC) has seven sanctuaries and the most refined raised reliefs in the country, the Abydos King List with 76 cartouches from Menes to Seti, and behind it the Osireion, the underground cenotaph. Ramses II's temple next door keeps some of its colour.
On the way back, Dendera: the Temple of Hathor, built by the Ptolemies and the Romans between 54 BC and AD 60 and roofed to this day. The cleaned ceiling of the hypostyle hall shows the sky goddess Nut and the zodiac in colour, the staircase leads to the roof chapel, and the rear wall carries the only large relief of Cleopatra VII with her son Caesarion. The crypts are open.
Lunch is at a restaurant in Qena or on the Nile. Back in Luxor about 16:00; Hurghada guests via the Safaga road, home about 20:00.
From Hurghada: 05:00.
About 2 hours.
About 2 hours including the roof.
Luxor by 16:00; Hurghada by 20:00.
About the tickets: Abydos and Dendera tickets are included.
Rating based on 263+ reviews on our listings and this site.
Abydos și Dendera au acoperișul intact și culorile originale. Ghidul ne-a dus pe acoperișul templului din Dendera și în cripte. Drumul de-a lungul Nilului a fost în sine o experiență. Prânz bun în Qena.
Book without a card. Pay on the day in EUR. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup.
No card needed. Pay on the day.
Luxor
The temple with its roof still on: painted ceilings, the zodiac and Cleopatra, an hour from Luxor.
