When to arrive
Tap an hour. The hour you choose decides whether you climb the terraces in cool shade or in full sun, and how much of the relief you can actually see.
What to see inside
The temple is a sequence of spaces, and these are the elements that make up the visit.
Prioritise the Punt colonnade on the middle terrace, because its reliefs tell the story of the expedition and are the most detailed narrative at the site. If you have time, the Anubis chapel is a quiet counterpoint. The tomb of Senenmut may be closed or require a separate ticket, so check locally.
What the visit is like
You arrive at the foot of a cliff, where a long ramp leads up to a series of terraces cut into the rock. The temple was built for Hatshepsut, a female pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, and its design is unlike the temples on the east bank: instead of a massive pylon and a dark interior, it opens outward in broad, sunlit platforms. The lower court is the first space you enter, and from there you can see the scale of the whole complex.
As you climb, each level adds context. The middle terrace holds the Hathor chapel, with columns carved as the goddess, and the Punt colonnade, whose reliefs show an expedition to a distant land. The upper terrace is the main sanctuary, where the god Amun was worshipped. The side chapels, including the Anubis chapel, are easy to miss but contain some of the best-preserved colour. The whole site is a series of reveals, so it rewards slow walking rather than a quick pass.
The temple is on the West Bank, and you reach it by road from the ferry landing or the bridge. It is ticketed separately from the Valley of the Kings, and most people spend about 90 minutes including the walk in. There is little shade, so bring water, a hat and something over the shoulders. The site is usually quieter early in the morning, but the light on the terraces is best before the sun is high, and the heat is more manageable then.
Getting there and in
What people get wrong here
- Treating it as a quick photo stop: The building rewards an hour and a half, and a ten minute stop at the lower ramp misses the upper terrace entirely. Walk the full route to the sanctuary before turning back.
- Arriving at midday: The heat and glare on the terraces at midday make the visit shorter and less comfortable than it needs to be. Come at opening or in the later afternoon instead.
- Assuming the Valley of the Kings ticket covers it: It does not, and the same is true in reverse. Buy the ticket you actually need before joining the entry queue.
- Skipping the side chapels: The Hathor and Anubis chapels hold some of the best surviving colour on the site, and most groups walk past them. Turn off the main axis for ten minutes.
- Leaving it until the end of a West Bank day: Guards start moving visitors toward the exit before the official closing time, and the upper terrace is the first thing lost. Put it early in the loop if you want the full route.
Combine it with
Several other West Bank sites are close enough to combine with this one.
Questions
Is the temple included in the Valley of the Kings ticket?+
No. It is a separate ticketed site on the West Bank, and the Valley of the Kings ticket does not cover it. Check what each ticket you buy actually includes before you travel between the two, since they are not adjacent.
How long should the visit take?+
Plan for around ninety minutes from the ticket area back to the vehicle, including the walk in and the climb through the terraces. Readers who stop at the side chapels and read the reliefs should allow longer. It is not a site to rush in the heat.
What is the best time of day to go?+
First thing after opening, when the light is low and the coaches have not arrived, or in the later afternoon when the light crosses the terraces. Midday is the least comfortable because the route has very little shade. Opening hours change seasonally, so check the operator's own page for your date.
Can it be combined with other West Bank sites?+
Yes, and it usually is. The Colossi of Memnon are on the road in, and Medinet Habu, the Ramesseum and the Valley of the Kings are all within a short drive. A driver for the day is the simplest way to link them.
Is photography allowed?+
Rules inside the chapels differ from the open terraces and are enforced unevenly, so ask a guard before using a camera indoors. Video and tripods are more restricted than stills. Do not assume a rule from another Luxor site applies here.
Where are the original statues now?+
Several of the temple's statues and relief fragments are in the Luxor Museum on the East Bank, and others are in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Seeing the Luxor Museum pieces alongside a visit to the temple makes both clearer.
