A First-Timer's Guide to the Valley of the Kings

Sixty-three tombs have been found in the Valley of the Kings. Around eight to ten are open on any given day, rotating to spread the wear, and your standard ticket covers three of them.

How the ticketing works

The standard ticket admits you to three tombs from the currently open rotation.

Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses V/VI are sold separately and are not included in any package we know of.

Nefertari is in the Valley of the Queens, a separate site, capped at 150 visitors a day for ten minutes each.

Which extra tickets are worth it

Seti I — yes, without hesitation. It is the longest and most beautifully decorated tomb in the valley and the restoration work is extraordinary.

Nefertari — yes, if the budget allows. The wall paintings are the finest in Egypt and ten minutes is enough to see why.

Tutankhamun — only for the significance. The tomb itself is small and plain, though the pharaoh is still in it, which no other tomb can say.

Practical advice

Go at opening. By ten the gorge is an oven with no shade and no breeze.

Photography inside tombs requires a separate photo ticket. Buy it at the gate.

The little train from the ticket office to the tombs is worth the small fee in summer.