Valley of the Kings: which tombs to visit and how to plan it

In brief

The Valley of the Kings is the burial ground of the New Kingdom pharaohs, cut into the hills of Luxor's west bank. There is no monument above ground: everything happens underground, in tombs whose walls are covered in texts and paintings of astonishing freshness. Here is how to organise the visit.

• Entry ticket: it gives access to three tombs of your choice among those open that day
• Tutankhamun, Seti I, Ramesses V and VI: separate tickets, at extra cost
• Tombs open on a rotating basis, to protect the paintings
• Arrive at opening time: fewer people and less heat
• Length: two to three hours on site, a full day for the whole west bank
• Prices revised several times a year: check on egymonuments.gov.eg

What is the Valley of the Kings?

It is the place the New Kingdom pharaohs chose for their eternity, for nearly five centuries. Rather than pyramids that were too visible and too often looted, they had deep tombs dug into a desert valley overlooked by a natural pyramid shaped peak. More than sixty tombs have been found there, from simple pits to long decorated corridors running down more than a hundred metres.

What strikes you is the colour. The walls tell the night journey of the sun and the dead king through the underworld, with texts such as the Book of Gates or the Amduat, painted more than three thousand years ago. It is the place where you best understand how the Egyptians thought about death, and why it mattered so much.

Which tombs should you visit in the Valley of the Kings?

The general ticket opens three tombs, chosen from around ten open on a rotating basis. The list changes to let the paintings rest, so there is no point fixing your choice before arriving. Our advice: one large Ramesside tomb for the corridors and astronomical ceilings, one 18th dynasty tomb for the older style, and whichever has the shortest queue that day.

Three tombs are paid for separately, and two of them are really worth the extra. Seti I's is the longest and most richly decorated in the valley. Ramesses V and VI's is striking for its ceiling covered by the goddess Nut, who swallows the sun at night and gives birth to it again at dawn. Tutankhamun's, small and sparsely decorated, is visited mainly for its story and for the king's mummy, still in place.

• Seti I: the longest and most decorated, worth the extra
• Ramesses V and VI: the astronomical ceiling of the goddess Nut
• Tutankhamun: a small tomb, a great story, the mummy still in place
• General ticket: three tombs of your choice among those open that day

Is Tutankhamun's tomb worth the extra ticket?

Yes if the story moves you, no if you are looking for the finest decoration. The tomb is small, only the burial chamber is painted, and most of the treasure is no longer there: it is on display at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. What you come to see is the place of Howard Carter's discovery in 1922 and the king's mummy, shown in a glass case. If you can only choose one extra ticket, take Seti I instead.

What time should you go and how long should you allow?

Arrive at opening time, early in the morning. The valley is a rocky basin that traps the heat, with no shade at all between the tombs, and the groups from the cruise boats arrive mid-morning. Allow two to three hours on site for three tombs and one extra ticket. A small electric train links the visitor centre to the tomb entrance, which saves the walk up in full sun.

Inside, the air is hot and humid and the corridors are sometimes steep: bring water, closed shoes and a hat for outside. Photography without flash is generally allowed, but the rules change, so ask at the ticket office on the day. Guides are not allowed to explain inside the tombs, so they tell you everything before you go in.

• Arrival: at opening time, before the cruise boat groups
• Length: two to three hours for three tombs and one extra
• Bring: water, a hat, closed shoes
• Guide's explanations: before going in, not inside the tomb

What else is there to see on Luxor's west bank?

The Valley of the Kings is almost always combined with Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahari, set against the cliff on the other side of the same mountain, and with the Colossi of Memnon on the way. With a full day, add the Valley of the Queens, where Nefertari's tomb is visited with a specific ticket, and the temple of Medinet Habu, one of the best preserved in Luxor and often almost empty in the afternoon.

Sunrise over the west bank can also be enjoyed from the sky: hot air balloons take off before dawn and fly over the valley, the temples and the fields along the Nile. If you plan it, sleep in Luxor the night before and keep the Valley of the Kings for the following morning, so you are already there at the right time.

• Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahari
• The Colossi of Memnon, on the way
• Valley of the Queens and Nefertari's tomb, specific ticket
• Medinet Habu, quiet in the afternoon
• A dawn hot air balloon over the west bank

What do our Egyptologists recommend for the Valley of the Kings?

Prepare the visit before going down, not during it. Since guides cannot speak inside the tombs, everything happens in the ten minutes of explanation at the entrance: that is where an Egyptologist makes the difference, giving you the keys to read the scenes yourself. And do not try to see everything: three beautiful tombs you understand are worth more than six corridors walked through at a run.