When to arrive
Tap an hour. The hour matters because the valley's few open tombs are small and fill quickly, and midday summer heat makes the walk between them unpleasant.
What is inside the valley
The tombs here are fewer and smaller than those across the ridge, and which ones you can enter depends on the day.
Prioritise the Tomb of Nefertari if it is open on your date, because its painted chambers are the reason many people come. It is often closed for conservation, so check at the gate rather than planning around it. The other tombs are worth the stop even when it is shut. Medinat Habu is close enough to combine with this visit.
What the visit is like
The Valley of the Queens sits in a dry wadi south of the west bank ferry landing, reached by road past Medinat Habu. The drive is short, and the last stretch runs between bare cliffs. Taxis and cars are the usual way in. The site is a separate ticket from the Valley of the Kings, and the two are far enough apart that doing both in one morning leaves little time for either. Hours are seasonal, so check the operator's page or the ticket office for your date before setting out.
Inside, the valley is quiet compared with its royal neighbour. The tombs are cut into the rock on both sides of the wadi, with low entrances and narrow descending passages. Most are small, and several are stepped. Walls carry painted scenes from the Book of the Dead and figures of the queen or prince the tomb was made for. Colours survive best where the chamber has stayed dry and sealed. The cliffs above the tombs are ochre, and the wadi floor is pale gravel.
Expect heat and cramped interiors. Bring water and go early if the day is warm. Tomb lighting is dim, and some chambers are closed for conservation without much notice. Photography rules vary by tomb and change; ask at the gate rather than assuming. A torch is useful for dark corners, though not all tombs allow them. The whole valley can be seen in an hour or two, longer if several tombs are open.
Getting there and in
What people get wrong here
- Expecting Nefertari's tomb to be open: It is closed more often than not and is never part of the standard ticket. Ask at the gate before you buy anything, and treat it as a bonus rather than the reason for the trip.
- Treating the valley as a second Valley of the Kings: The tombs are smaller, fewer are open and there is no equivalent of the great royal corridors. Go for the painting and for the quieter site, not for scale.
- Buying a ticket from someone outside the gate: Extra tickets sold on the road are not valid at the entrance. Buy at the official window only.
- Skipping it because Medinat Habu is next door: The two sit close together and reward different things: the temple for architecture and scale, the valley for tomb painting. Doing both on one west bank morning works well.
- Arriving in the middle of the day in summer: The tombs hold heat and the walk between entrances is exposed. An early or late slot makes the visit far more comfortable and the chambers less crowded.
Combine it with
The Valley of the Queens sits among several west bank sites within a short drive.
Questions
Is the Valley of the Queens worth visiting?+
Yes if you care about New Kingdom tomb painting, because the decoration in the open tombs is dense, colourful and close to the eye. It is not a substitute for the Valley of the Kings, but it complements it and sits on the same west bank loop.
Can you see the tomb of Nefertari?+
Sometimes, and not on the standard ticket. It is usually closed for conservation and opens only for limited periods with its own ticket, so the honest answer is that it depends on the day. Ask at the gate and do not build a trip around it.
How long should you spend there?+
One to two hours covers the tombs normally open, plus the walk between entrances. If Nefertari is open, add a little more time, and if you are combining it with Deir el-Bahari or Medinat Habu, allow a half day on the west bank.
Is it easy to combine with other west bank sites?+
Yes, and that is the usual way to do it. The valley is close to the Valley of the Kings, Deir el-Bahari and Medinat Habu, so most visitors see it as one stop on a west bank circuit rather than a separate trip.
What should you not miss?+
The painted chambers of Khaemwaset and Amunherkhepeshef, and the tomb of Tyti if it is open. If Nefertari is available, that is the one to take, but the others carry the visit on their own.
How do you get there from Luxor?+
Cross the river to the west bank and continue by car or taxi; the valley sits on the road that serves the other west bank sites. There is no useful public transport to the gate, so most visitors come as part of a car or taxi day.
