Karnak and Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings. Balloon over the valley of the Kings, should be around £60 from your hotel...don't buy from holiday reps they rip you off!!!!

Do not take the overnight train to Cairo...It is supposed to be first class but it is an absoulte nightmare. If you want to go to Cairo fly or get an organised tour bus.

Hi Phil
If you're doing a Nile cruise, you'll probably do excursions to both Temples of Karnak and Luxor, plus the Valley of the Kings and Queens and the Temple of Hatshepsut as part of the cruise.

We went on our own to Luxor Temple at night, it's quite different to see things floodlit. We also revisited Karnak on our own as we are very interested in temples and it's so vast that you only hit the highlights on the cruise.

The Museum is very good and definitely worth a visit.
There is also a mummification museum on the promenade, but it's quite small.

If you are really interested in temples, Abydos and Dendera (a full day tour) are impressive. You can also visit Dendera on its own as a day cruise.

There are lots of places in Luxor where you can book your tours, these include things like camel rides and an evening in a fellah tent.

You will proably be offered a sunrise balloon ride as one of your optional excursions during the cruise. My husband did this in October and paid £70 to Thomas Cook. When they arrived at the balloon site, some people had paid £99 (with a different UK holiday company), some had paid £80 and one person who had booked direct at the shop (Magic Horizon Balloons) had paid £60.

You can book sailings on a felucca anywhere along the promenade, in fact you might be hard put to say 'no' as every few yards you will be approached and asked if you're interested.

We did the overnight trip to Cairo from Luxor on the 'sitting train' - it was very comfortable - but a very tiring day.

Enjoy your trip.

Polly

BigPhil,
we leave for a Nile cruise and one week stay in Luxor afterwards on Feb 20th - back late 6th March.

I will post on this forum my experiences when I return as I've never been to Egypt before and, like you, have found this forum very helpful. We are staying at the Sonesta St. George and sailing on the Etoile Du Nil (either 2 or 3). T.O. is Airtours, flights with Mytravel.

Mike

I will be VERY interested to read your impressions of the Etoile du Nil.

Please keep us posted.

semsema,
I'm a little worried by your stress on the VERY interested. Do you know something of the Etoile Du Nil I should know ?

Mike

Pre-empted here! I was going to ask the same thing. We are off on 5 April - 1 week cruise on Ra II, followed by a week in the Luxor Sheraton. Can't wait. Husband still does not know - it's a surprise trip I booked.

Thanks for the useful information. I booked the balloon flight for him through travel agent and paid £90.

On your second week I suggest that on at least one day, you go over to the West Bank & see places that the Tour Operators DONT take you to (because its too much bother for them when the tombs are small etc).
Go down to the Mummification museum on the Corniche & to the left of it you will find the local ferry. You can't miss it as there lots of people coming up the steps when it docks (every 15-20 mins). This will cost you around 20p return fare. Do not let anyone con you into taking a motor boat or felucca instead. ( they will try to tell you you are in the wrong place etc!). Once on the ferry, someone will try to sell you a taxi - you may wish to take them up on it, or wait until you reach the West Bank. The taxi drivers congregate at the top of the steps. Expect to pay around 80le for the day. If you do not wish to haggle, pm me & I will give the phone no & name of our regular guy.The taxi will take you to the ticket office, where you buy your tickets for whichever sights you wish to see. I would recommend Habu Temple, the tombs of Roy & Shuroy (small but very colourful) & the tomb of Ramose. The driver will then take you to each site, wait for you, or leave & return at an agreed, time, then on to the next, then back to the ferry. You will have an enjoyable day, seeing what you want to see, in your time, at a fraction of the cost of any Travel Co. Have a great time!

hi
as well as karnak,luxor temple,valley of the kings/queens & hatshepsuts temple - all unmissable!!!!you MUST try & get to cairo. do it as said by plane even just for the day. we did last time we went to egypt & so glad we did. we used a local travel agent 'carlson wagonlit' you'll find them in front of the old winter palace hotel. they were 1/2 the price of thomsons etc & fantastic. we were picked up at our hotel taken to the airport, met in cairo where we had our own minibus & guide all day to the egyptian museum,pyramids,mosque,sphinx etc . it was a long day but fantastic & i cant remember exactly but it was under £130 each ( this was in 2003 though). we talked to quite a few people who got the night train & as said - bit of a nightmare!!!! cairo is also possibly one of the noisiest maddest places we have ever been to & trying to find your way around would be hard if your only there for a day or two - not to say a bit daunting!!!! ( & this comes from a couple who have travelled independently a lot)
our last trip to luxor last jan 2006 we used carlson wagonlit again & organised a trip flying down to aswan & abu simbel for a couple of days & once again - excellent & so glad we went down & some more of egypt!
enjoy your trip im sure you will

I would agree with you there Millym. We did the Cairo trip with Carlson Wagonlit several years ago too, & thought it brilliant & excellent value for money.

For anyone who may be interested, their office is situated on the Corniche opposite the riverside on the stretch just past the Winter Palace.