The ancient Egyptians divided the world at the Nile. The east bank, where the sun rises, was for the living: cities, temples, markets. The west bank, where the sun sets, was for the dead: tombs cut into the hills, mortuary temples, the Valley of the Kings.
That division still describes Luxor. Karnak and Luxor temples are on the east bank with the town, the corniche and almost every hotel. The Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, Hatshepsut's terraced temple and the Colossi of Memnon are on the west, across a bridge or a ferry, in a landscape of sugar cane and limestone cliffs with very little development.
Which bank, and why almost everyone picks the east
The east bank has the infrastructure: the airport, the corniche, the restaurants and the Nile-facing hotels. Karnak is one of the largest religious complexes ever built and it is a ten-minute drive north; Luxor Temple is in the middle of town and floodlit at night.
The west bank has the tombs and almost no hotels. Staying there means being on the quiet side, among the villages and the fields, and crossing the river for dinner.
Aswan, 220 kilometres south, is the other half of a Nile trip: a wider, calmer river with granite islands, Nubian villages, and Philae temple on its island. It is the more relaxed of the two towns by a wide margin.
Between them, the Nile cruise boats run three to four nights, stopping at Edfu and Kom Ombo. Many trips do Luxor by land, cruise south and fly out of Aswan.
The nine below are grouped by town and bank.
Luxor, east bank
The town, the corniche and the temples.
Sofitel Winter Palace Luxor occupies an 1886 Victorian building on the corniche facing the river, with a large garden, a pool and a guest list that runs through the history of Egyptology. Howard Carter announced the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in its lobby. It is the most historic hotel in Egypt.
Sofitel Winter Palace Luxor
Luxor corniche, east bank · 5★ · $$$
An 1886 landmark where the Tutankhamun find was announced
Check availabilityHilton Luxor Resort & Spa sits north of the town on the river with a large pool, a spa, a garden running to the Nile and an antiquities collection displayed on site. It is the most comfortable hotel in Luxor.
Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa
North Luxor, east bank · 5★ · $$$
Nile garden, spa and an antiquities collection on site
Check availabilitySonesta St. George Hotel - Convention Center occupies a corniche position with a Nile-facing pool, several restaurants and rooms looking across at the west bank cliffs.
Sonesta St. George Hotel - Convention Center
Luxor corniche · 5★ · $$
Nile-facing pool with the west bank cliffs opposite
Check availabilitySteigenberger Nile Palace sits on the river with a large pool deck, reliable rooms and a good position for both temples.
Steigenberger Nile Palace
Luxor corniche · 5★ · $$
Large pool deck between both temples
Check availabilityPavillon Winter Luxor occupies the annexe building beside the Victorian landmark, sharing its gardens and pool at a considerably lower rate. It is the best value on the corniche.
Pavillon Winter Luxor
Luxor corniche · 4★ · $$
Shares the Victorian gardens and pool for far less
Check availabilityLuxor, west bank
Among the fields and the tombs. Almost no hotels.
Al Moudira Hotel occupies a compound built in Egyptian and Ottoman style from salvaged materials, with domed rooms, gardens and a pool, surrounded by sugar cane with the Theban hills behind. It is the only property of this quality on the west bank and it is unlike anything in Egypt.
Al Moudira Hotel
West bank, Luxor · 5★ · $$$
Domed rooms in a salvaged Ottoman-style compound
Check availabilityAswan
Two hundred and twenty kilometres south. Granite, Nubian villages and a calmer river.
Old Cataract, Aswan occupies a Victorian building on a granite bluff above the first cataract, with a terrace that is the best place to watch the sun go down anywhere on the Nile. Agatha Christie stayed and set a novel here.
Old Cataract, Aswan
Aswan, above the cataract · 5★ · $$$$
A terrace over the Nile that Agatha Christie wrote from
Check availabilityMövenpick Resort Aswan sits on Elephantine Island in the middle of the river, reached by the hotel's own ferry, with a pool and a tower with a view over the cataract. Being on an island in the Nile is the point.
Mövenpick Resort Aswan
Elephantine Island · 5★ · $$$
On an island in the Nile with its own ferry
Check availabilityPyramisa Hotel Luxor occupies another island position with gardens, a pool and rates well below the landmarks.
Pyramisa Hotel Luxor
Isis Island, Aswan · 4★ · $$
Island gardens and a pool well below landmark rates
Check availabilityWhat we have left off
The Nile cruise boats are excluded. Between Luxor and Aswan they are the standard way to travel and several are genuinely comfortable. They are vessels rather than hotels.
What to do
Go to the Valley of the Kings early, at opening. It is a treeless limestone valley and by mid-morning the heat inside the tombs is considerable. The general ticket covers three tombs; Tutankhamun, Seti I and Nefertari are separately ticketed and Seti I is the finest.
Do Karnak at opening too, and Luxor Temple after dark when it is lit and cooler.
Take a balloon over the west bank at dawn. It launches before sunrise and it is the single best thing to do in Luxor.
At Aswan, sail a felucca around the islands at sunset, visit Philae temple by boat, and see the Nubian village on the west bank.
Abu Simbel is 280 kilometres south of Aswan, reached by road convoy or a short flight, and the temples were cut apart and moved 65 metres uphill in the 1960s to escape the rising lake.
Practical notes
Luxor and Aswan both have airports with domestic connections through Cairo. The overnight sleeper train from Cairo runs to both.
October to April is the season: warm days and cool nights. May to September regularly exceeds 40 degrees and the tombs are punishing.
Persistent commercial attention at the sites is normal; a firm and friendly refusal works. Agree taxi and calèche fares before setting off.
Explore 4 & 5 Star Luxor and Aswan Hotels
Questions people actually ask
East bank or west bank?
East for the town, the restaurants and the hotels. West for quiet among the fields, with one property worth the crossing.
Luxor or Aswan?
Luxor for the monuments, Aswan for the river and a calmer pace. Most trips do both.
Is a cruise necessary?
No, but the stretch between them is pleasant and the two temples it stops at are hard to reach otherwise.
How many nights?
Five. Three in Luxor and two in Aswan, or a cruise between them.