Luxor in the evening: the Karnak sound and light show and Luxor Temple's late hours

In the evening, Luxor narrows to the East Bank. Luxor Temple stays open until 8 PM, last entry 7 PM. Karnak, whose daytime last entry is 4 PM, hosts the evening sound and light show: a walk past the lit columns of the hypostyle hall, then a seated show of about 75 minutes by the sacred lake. The West Bank sites stop admitting visitors by 5 PM.

What is open late in Luxor

Hours from the antiquities ministry's monuments website and ticketing portal, checked in August 2026; prices in Egyptian pounds (EGP), as of August 2026.

The Karnak sound and light show

Our Karnak sound and light show tour picks you up at your Luxor hotel; Karnak is 3 km away, about 4 minutes without traffic. It starts with an evening walk through the temple past the lit columns of the hypostyle hall (a hall of columns that once carried a roof), the last remaining column of Taharqa and the sacred lake. You then sit beside the sacred lake for the show, which tells the story of ancient Thebes and Karnak and lasts about 75 minutes. The drive back is 3.3 km, about 5 minutes without traffic.

Included: transfers in a private air-conditioned vehicle, pickup and return, a private English-speaking tour leader, the entry ticket to the show, a bottle of water, and taxes and service charges. Not included: extras not in the itinerary, and tips.

The transfers and the tour leader are yours alone; the show itself is shared with other guests. The listing states neither the show's language nor its start time, so ask for both when you book; the pickup time is confirmed at booking.

Luxor Temple late in the day

Luxor Temple has the latest last entry of Luxor's sites with checked hours, three hours after Karnak's. It stands in the center of modern Luxor and was once linked to Karnak by the Avenue of Sphinxes. Our tours visit it by day: the East Bank tour is a morning, back after lunch, and the both-banks tour ends there after Karnak. A stop can be moved where a tour allows, so ask before booking if you want Luxor Temple later in the day. A guide-only booking in Luxor is for the sites and the hours you choose, with a car on request.

Fitting an evening into your Luxor days

• After the East Bank tour: it is back after lunch, which leaves the evening free for the Karnak show, so you see Karnak by day and again at night.
• After a Karnak morning: Karnak Temple with a guide is a morning visit from your hotel or Nile cruise, which also leaves the evening free for the show.
• After a full West Bank or both-banks day: the show is a separate evening booking on top of a full day.
• At the other end of the day: the balloon picks you up before sunrise; see what the balloon morning looks like.

Winter nights are cool: Luxor's average daily low is 5.9°C in January and 7.8°C in December and February. In July the average low is 24.7°C and the high 41.4°C. For the shows at Giza and Philae, see sound and light shows compared; other evening outings are on the evenings page, and every Luxor tour on the Luxor page.