Day trip to Abydos from Luxor
Abydos is 165km northwest of Luxor and holds the Temple of Seti I with the Abydos King List — three hours each way but the most complete relief cycle in Egypt.
%20-%20Louvre%20E%2013050.jpg?width=1280)
Wall reliefs in the Temple of Seti I at Abydos
The drive and cost
Private car and driver from Luxor: $70-100 return for a solo Abydos day, $90-120 combined with Dendera. The road runs north through Qena and west across the desert; total driving time is 5-6 hours. Leave the hotel by 6am to be at Abydos by 9 and back before dark.
Inside the Temple of Seti I
Entry is $8. The two hypostyle halls and seven chapels behind them are the reason you came — carved reliefs so fine and so complete they still shock. Find the Abydos King List in the corridor to the south: 76 cartouches of pharaohs in chronological order, deliberately excluding Hatshepsut and the Amarna kings. Behind Seti's temple, the Osireion (a subterranean cenotaph half-flooded with groundwater) is often missed — don’t.
Combining with Dendera
Most travellers do both in one 12-hour push: leave Luxor 6am, Abydos 9-11:30, lunch on the road, Dendera 1:30-3:30, back in Luxor by 6pm. Book a driver with air-con and pack snacks. Both sites are included in the Luxor Pass.
Frequently asked questions
What people ask before they set off on this one.
For anyone interested in Egyptian art, yes. The carving quality is unmatched. For casual sightseers, one temple day at that distance might feel long.
Technically yes via microbus through Balyana, but with three changes it eats the whole day. Not recommended.
Usually yes but access is via a walkway and the interior is partially flooded. Bring a torch.
$10-15 on top of the agreed fare is standard for a 12-hour day.
Hotels in Luxor
Hotels we cover across Luxor
- Steigenberger Resort Achti 5★ · 4.6/5
- Hofni Palace Nile Niew 4★ · 4.6/5
- Nile Compound Hotel 3★ · 4.6/5
- Pyramids Luxor Hotel 3★ · 4.6/5
- Spring Hotel Luxor 3★ · 4.6/5
- El Nakhil Hotel 2★ · 4.6/5
- Memnon Hotel Luxor 2★ · 4.6/5
- Nour El Balad 2★ · 4.6/5
- Nour El Gourna 2★ · 4.6/5
- Pavillon Winter Luxor 5★ · 4.5/5
- Sonesta St George Hotel Luxor 5★ · 4.5/5
- Al Baeirat hotel 3★ · 4.5/5
- Alaska Hotel 3★ · 4.5/5
- El Fayrouz Hotel 3★ · 4.5/5
- Gite Hotel Ramla Louxor 3★ · 4.5/5
- Embrace Hotel 2★ · 4.5/5
- Luxor Old Nile Hotel 2★ · 4.5/5
- Mercure Luxor Karnak 5★ · 4.4/5
- Cleopatra Hotel Luxor 3★ · 4.4/5
- Thebes Hotel Luxor 3★ · 4.4/5
- Elphardous Hotel 2★ · 4.4/5
- Amenophis Hotel 1★ · 4.4/5
- Desert paradise Hotel 4★ · 4.3/5
- Iberotel Luxor by JAZ 4★ · 4.3/5
More guides to Luxor
All guides
Itineraries · 7 min read
48 hours in Luxor
Two days is enough to see the essentials on both banks of the Nile if you start early and split your time 50/50 between East and West.
Itineraries · 9 min read
One week in Luxor
Seven days lets you cover both banks properly, add two day trips, and still have a slow morning or two on a rooftop with a pot of hibiscus.
Itineraries · 7 min read
Luxor in 3 days on a budget
You can do Luxor's headline sites on under $50 a day if you use the public ferry, share taxis, and eat where the guides eat.
Compare hotels across the East Bank, West Bank and Karnak Village — every booking funds one verified tonne of carbon removal.