One night in Luxor · both banks without rushing · balloon at sunrise · private or small group
If you can give Luxor two days, do. You still drive about four hours each way, but the sightseeing is split over two days: Karnak and Luxor Temple on day one, the West Bank early the next morning before the heat. You can also do the sunrise balloon without a 23:00 pickup. There is no tour that flies you from Hurghada to Luxor and back. The plane packages sold from Hurghada fly via Cairo.
Hotel to hotel
2 days, 1 night
Pickup
Day 1 early morning (bus-and-balloon packages: afternoon)
Back
Day 2 evening
On the way
≈ 295 km, about 4 h each way by car
Best for
Balloon riders, families with older kids, anyone who hates rushing
Photography. Photos with a mobile phone are free of charge; drones need a Ministry of Defense permit.14
Buying tickets. Official e-tickets are sold on egymonuments.com for a chosen date; they are non-refundable and cannot be cancelled. Visa and Mastercard are accepted online and at site counters.15
On a day trip, the West Bank comes straight after four hours in a minibus, and Karnak comes after lunch, when everyone is flagging. With a night in Luxor you see Karnak and Luxor Temple on the afternoon you arrive, sleep, and get to the Valley of the Kings soon after it opens. That is when the tombs are least crowded and the valley floor hasn't turned into an oven yet. Luxor Temple is lit after dark, and a day trip never stays for that.
The balloon is the other reason. Balloons go up from the West Bank at sunrise. On a day trip from Hurghada that means a pickup around 23:00 and a night on the road. On a two-day trip you get a normal night's sleep in Luxor and a pickup before dawn.
Three ways to spend two days
Two-day group tour
Bus + hotel + balloon package
Private car and guide
Getting there
Minivan or car from your hotel
Public coach from the Hurghada bus station, met in Luxor
Private car
Group
Small group, often up to 9
Just you, a driver meets you
Your party only
Hotel
Named 4-star hotel, breakfast
Hotel included, dinner on arrival
Your choice or the operator's
Sightseeing
Both banks with an Egyptologist
Mostly the balloon; sights are extra
Whatever you ask for
Price level
Mid
The cheapest way to sleep in Luxor
Highest
Watch out for
Balloon, felucca and dinner usually extra
Bus timing; the guide is by WhatsApp, not with you
Entry tickets often an 'option'
The bus-and-balloon package is the budget choice. You are collected from your hotel in the afternoon and put on a scheduled coach. A driver meets you in Luxor and takes you to dinner and then to the hotel. Next morning you do the balloon and then get the bus back. It suits people who have already seen the temples or plan to hire a guide in Luxor. It doesn't suit people who want everything arranged.
The plane question
People search for "Luxor by plane from Hurghada" because Cairo is sold that way. For Luxor it doesn't really work. Schedule sites list a small Air Cairo propeller-plane service between the two airports on some days. We could not confirm it on the airline's own site, and no Hurghada tour operator builds a trip around it. What you can buy are two-day Cairo and Luxor packages with flights: Hurghada to Cairo in the morning, the pyramids and the museum, an evening flight to Luxor, a hotel night, the West Bank the next day, and a private car back to the coast. That is a lot of Egypt in 48 hours, at a price to match. Tutankhamun's tomb is often excluded even on these.
If you are thinking about a flight to avoid the road, compare it honestly. The drive is about four hours. Flying via Cairo takes longer once you count airport time.
Private Luxor tours, one day or two
A private tour is the same route in your own air-conditioned car with your own Egyptologist. Read what is included. Several private listings show entrance fees and lunch as "if the option is chosen", so the headline price can be the car and guide only. Pickups outside central Hurghada (Makadi, Sahl Hasheesh, El Gouna, Soma Bay, Safaga) usually cost extra. One operator also asks for a passport valid for at least six more months.
Worth adding on day two
Medinet Habu (Ramses III's temple). Colourful reliefs, and usually much quieter than Karnak. Some two-day tours include it.
The tomb of Seti I or Tutankhamun. Separate tickets on top of the general Valley of the Kings ticket; see the fee card.
A felucca to Banana Island in the late afternoon. Cheap, slow and shaded. A good break before the drive back.
Questions people ask
Is there a flight from Hurghada to Luxor?
Flight-schedule sites list a small Air Cairo propeller-plane service on some days, but we could not confirm it on the airline's own site. No tour from Hurghada uses it. The packages 'by plane' fly Hurghada–Cairo–Luxor and drive you back.
Is two days in Luxor enough?
Two days are enough for the main sights: Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut and the Colossi. Medinet Habu and the Valley of the Queens fit only if you drop something else or stay a second night.
Can I do the hot air balloon on a two-day trip?
Yes, this is the easiest way to do it from Hurghada. You sleep in Luxor and get picked up before dawn on day two. Flights are weather-dependent, and the usual minimum age is 6.
Is a private Luxor tour worth the extra money?
For two people it costs roughly two to three times a group seat each. You get your own pace, your own choice of tombs and no shopping stop unless you ask for one.
Can I stay in Luxor and not come back to Hurghada?
Yes. Book a one-way private transfer or a bus, or ask a day-tour operator whether they will leave you in Luxor. Some do, for a small luggage charge.
Is it safe to drive from Hurghada to Luxor?
Tour vehicles use the main road via Safaga and Qena, which has police checkpoints. For current road advice, read your own government's travel advice for Egypt.
egymonuments.gov.eg — “- Inclusive tickets allowing entry into Karnak Temple and Open Museum in Karnak.” (checked 29 October 2026)
egymonuments.com — “Summer Working Hours: from 06:00 am Last Entry 05:00 pm Winter Working Hours: from 06:00 am Last Entry 04:00 pm” (checked 29 October 2026)
egymonuments.com — “from 06:00 am Last Entry 07:00 pm” (checked 29 October 2026)
egymonuments.com — “Students must present a valid ID and their age must not exceed 24” (checked 29 October 2026)
egymonuments.com — “Free entry for children below 6 years.” (checked 29 October 2026)
egymonuments.com — “You don’t need permission to use your phone’s camera; however, the use of drones is heavily restricted in Egypt unless you have a permit from the Egyptian Ministry of Defense.” (checked 29 October 2026)
egymonuments.com — “Unfortunately, our tickets are non-refundable and cannot be canceled nor replaced if lost or stolen.” (checked 29 October 2026)
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