Transfers from/to Luxor

Unlike what happens in Cairo, and that usually arouses complaints among visitors, in Luxor the international airport is located only about 6 kilometers from the city center, so it is easily accessible for tourists. However, the first challenge you will have to overcome on your arrival in this destination is to find the transfer to the hotel that best suits your travel plan, so here I will tell you about the options available.

Among the alternatives you can choose to travel from the airport to the accommodation are transfers in a private minivan, shared trips with other visitors, cab or Uber rides and rental cars. In any case, the choice will depend on the type and price of trip you want to make before discovering the best activities you can do in Luxor.

If you are planning to visit Luxor and want to opt for a comfortable and exclusive alternative, you can choose the private transfers from the city airport to your accommodation. These options will provide you with a minivan or a car, depending on the number of visitors, so that you can travel the short distance from the airport to the city center of this destination with peace of mind.

These tours, which are professionally chauffeured, will allow you to reach your hotel in approximately 20 minutes, although the total duration of the trip will depend on the location of your accommodation and the local traffic, which can be very intense, especially during the day. In addition, during the tour you will be able to obtain information about the city's services, such as the best tours of Luxor or the Nile River cruise tours.

This alternative, which has an initial cost of approximately 12 euros per passenger, is usually the most chosen option for those tourists who plan their transfer in advance. In this case, you must provide the tourist service provider with your flight information and the driver will be waiting for you at the arrival gate of the airport with a sign in the name of the person who booked the service.

However, these private transfers are also available in the cabins located in the airport lobby, so if you did not hire the service in advance you can buy it directly on this site. Please note that this on-site alternative may be effective for daytime flights, but some service providers may not be available at night.

Details of interest

• Price: approximately 12 euros per person.
• Duration of the tour: about 20 minutes to the town of Luxor.
• How to book this method: you can either book in advance online, which is the recommended option, or book this service once you arrive at the airport.
• Advantages of using this method: it is a comfortable alternative in an exclusive service.
• Recommended if... You want to travel with an organized transfer in advance or you plan to travel around the city with children or people with reduced mobility.

If you want to opt for a cheaper alternative to private transfers or you plan to hire at the last minute, once you arrive at the airport, a shared minivan ride can offer you a safe transfer at a good price. These transfers will get you to your hotel, as long as it is located in the city center of Luxor, in approximately 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the stops in between.

Generally, the busiest hotels in the city are located around the archaeological complex of the Temple of Karnak or near the Museum of Luxor, two places you are likely to visit during your stay, so intermediate stops should not cause too many delays.

On the other hand, these options will give you the opportunity to access an exclusive service at an affordable price, so it will be an ideal alternative if you want to save money or have a limited budget for your stay in the city. In addition, during these transfers you will be able to obtain information to visit the Temple of Karnak or other main sites of this destination.

Also keep in mind that it is a safe alternative, since you will depend on a tourist service provider and not on the driver of a cab or other means of transportation.

Details of interest

• Price: approximately 7 euros per person.
• Duration of the trip: between 20 and 30 minutes to the city center, depending on the number of intermediate stops.
• How to book this method: you can book these transfers in advance online or hire them once you are at the airport.
• Advantages of using this method: you can access a safe service at a good price, so it has an excellent cost-benefit ratio.
• Recommended if... You want to use an organized transportation and you have a limited budget or you want to save money.

Cab transfers are very popular at all airports around the world and Luxor airport is no exception, although it is usually a last minute alternative. Generally, it is an option you will use if you did not hire a private ride in advance or your flight arrival is at night, when many tourist service agencies are closed or with reduced operations.

However, keep in mind that the cab transfer could be a bit stressful if you arrive tired from a long trip, since in Egypt it is very common for services to be haggled over, so before getting in you will have to agree on a price with the driver. The ideal, if you opt for this transfer, is that you make sure the cost of the fare before getting into the cab, and consign as destination a tourist spot, such as the Temple of Luxor or Sphinx Avenue, which will allow you to have a clear reference to calculate the price.

On the other hand, consider that most cabs are located in the area outside the airport, so unlike private transfer services in minivans, you may have to leave with your luggage to get into one of these vehicles.

By cab, the transfer from the airport to some of the city's most famous central sites, such as the Colossi of Memnon or the Mummification Museum, will take between 15 and 20 minutes, depending on traffic and time of transfer, as the surrounding areas of Luxor tend to be heavily trafficked during the day.

Details of interest

• Price: the ride from the airport to the city center has an initial cost of approximately 1 to 2 euros, although you will have to agree in advance with the cab driver.
• Duration of the trip: between 15 and 20 minutes, although it will depend on the traffic of the city.
• How to book this method: you will not be able to book a cab in advance, but you will be able to get one outside the airport.
• Advantages of using this method: it is one of the cheapest alternatives to travel from the airport to the city center.
• Recommended if... You need to get a last minute transfer or you plan to arrive at the airport at night.

If you want to opt for a private transfer but do not want to use a cab, you can choose the Uber option, which will give you the security of having the driver and vehicle details before boarding the transport. This app alternative has become very popular in Egypt's major cities in recent times because it has some advantages over cabs.

First of all, you will be able to know the fare in advance and based on the rules set by demand and distance, which in Egypt, which has a deep-rooted tradition of haggling, will allow you to relax and enjoy the ride without stressing about combining a price before boarding the vehicle. In addition, you will also be able to choose from several transportation alternatives, as you can not only opt for a car, but also for cheaper alternatives such as a scooter transfer.

Likewise, Uber rides will serve you to get to know from your arrival in the city an alternative that later could be useful to travel to other nearby sites, such as the Temple of Edfu or the Temple of Kom Ombo, if you do not decide to visit these sites with some of the best tours in Luxor.

The Uber ride from the airport to the city center of Luxor takes approximately 15-20 minutes, always depending on local traffic, and the approximate initial cost is about 4 euros. Consider, in addition, that Uber is the only application that works in Egypt.

Interesting details

• Price: approximately 4 euros, although the final fare will depend on demand and the exact distance to your hotel.
• Travel time: between 15 and 20 minutes, depending on traffic.
• How to book this method: you can book it in advance upon arrival at the airport from the app or hire it once you are in Luxor.
• Advantages of using this method: it offers more security than the cab transfer because you will know the driver and vehicle data.
• Recommended if... You need to get a last minute transfer or you plan to arrive at the airport of Luxor at night and want to opt for an alternative that provides greater security than a cab.

Although due to the conflictive traffic of Egyptian cities and for security reasons renting a car at the airport is not the most popular alternative, you could also use this method to get to your accommodation as soon as you get off the plane. This option will be useful, mainly, if you plan to visit Cairo from Luxor and also other surrounding cities. In this case, it will be convenient for you to have a car from the very beginning.

Keep in mind, however, that renting a car in Egypt is not an easy alternative. Unlike other destinations, you will be asked for a lot of information and they might object to the validity of your driving license based on your country of origin, since the Egyptian government does not have agreements with all the countries of the world, but only with some of them. Likewise, you could also pay a high cost if you are under 25 years old at the moment of picking up the car.

On the other hand, you should know that the traffic in Egyptian cities, and especially in Cairo and Luxor, which are two very large cities, is very disorganized, so the option of renting a car is usually not recommended for tourists who do not know the local rules and customs.

If, in spite of this, you decide to go for this option, you can rent a car from 20 euros per day and the transfer from the airport to the city center will take between 15 and 20 minutes, depending on traffic conditions. In any case, a car could be useful to thoroughly tour the area around the Valley of the Kings, which is where Tutankhamun's popular tomb is located, and explore destinations that are not usually on the radar of popular tours, such as Esna and At Tirah.

Details of interest

• Price: you can get rental cars in Luxor at rates starting at 20 euros per day.
• Travel time: between 15 and 20 minutes, always depending on the traffic conditions, which is usually very heavy.
• How to book this method: you will be able to rent a car in advance through the internet or also in the rent a car offices at the airport.
• Advantages of using this method: if you are willing to drive in heavy and somewhat disorganized traffic, you will have a means of transportation that will allow you to move at your own pace and you will have the car at your disposal as soon as you arrive at the city's airport.
• Recommended if... You plan to visit Luxor but also other nearby cities, such as Cairo and Alexandria.

To answer what is the best alternative you can choose to transfer from the airport to the city center of Luxor you will have to take into account several aspects of your travel plan. If you do not have problems with the budget and you have the availability to make a reservation in advance, I advise you to opt for the private transfer by minivan, which will allow you to use the most comfortable and exclusive option.

However, if you do not choose the private or shared transfer option and want to make a last minute booking, I recommend the Uber service rather than the cab service. You will pay a little more for this transportation, but it will be safer, since you will be able to have in advance the information of the driver and the vehicle in which you are going to travel from the airport to your accommodation.

Finally, if you choose the alternative of renting a car, take into account, before booking, the documentation that you will have to present at the moment of returning the vehicle, since the conditions will be very different depending on your country of origin. Also consider that in this alternative you will have to face traffic problems, which are very common in Luxor and Cairo, especially near the Nile River, which is the historical epicenter of the city.