What to pack

Light cottons for the day. A woolly or fleece for the evening if you are in Luxor between November and March or if you are going to Cairo on the overnight train. Beachwear is only appropriate within the hotel grounds or on a cruise ship. There is more about this on the What to Wear page.

Airport formalities

Read the item called arriving to take you step by step through what happens when you get to the airport.

Gippy Tummy

A lot of the problems are not caused by food, but when you pick up bugs on your hands (e.g. from dirty notes) and don't have chance to wash before touching your food or your face.

It is best to take some anti-bacteria gel wherever you go and use it regularly. You can get it from most pharmacies or buy online at just over £2 for 50ml - click the picture. The same people sell bigger ones and another that you can click to a belt. For more about tummy problems see the health page.

Where to stay

Most kinds of accommodation are available, from tent pitches to 5 star hotels. Read the Hotels section for a review of some.

Where to eat

Descriptions and reviews of some restaurants and cafes are in the Eating section.

What to see

Luxor is probably best known for its decorated tombs, for its temples and as a start or finish point for Nile cruises. Luxor has all this to offer and a great deal more. For a hint of things to see, visit the sights page.

Getting around

Read the page on getting around to find out about taxis, buses and the different boats that sail the Nile.

Luggage

The airlines are getting very fussy about weights. Worse still, there are reports of a scam at the Luxor end when you are charged at the check-in even when you are convinced that your luggage is not over weight. You can get a useful gadget for about £8 that includes a 22kg scale and a 1M tape so that you can check, and demonstrate if necessary, that your luggage is not overweight. Could save you a lot more than its cost in saved luggage supplements.

Time

Luxor is 2 hours ahead of GMT most of the time, but not all of the time. See more about time.

Electricity

You will need a 2 pin continental type converter. This one from Just Sport and Leisure provides two 13 amp outlets plus a nightlight and is around £7. It is also available from the travel section of Presents For Men but they charge more postage. It is compatible with European sockets. You need the European one, not the US one.

If you are unwell

Most hotels have access to English speaking doctors. Most medicines are easily available and very cheap. Read about pharmacies on the health page. If the worst happens, Luxor has a large and quite modern hospital.

Latest from Luxor

Read the news about improvements to the city and the facilities.

Children's luggage

Not many people take children to Luxor, but if you do, look out in luggage shops for Trunki, a ride-on child's suitcase. It costs around £25. If you can't find it locally, you can click on the picture for more details on the manufacturer's web site.