Luxor Pass and Cairo Pass: Are They Worth It?

In this article, get all of the details on how these passes work, how much they cost, how to get one, and if they are worth it.

The Cairo Pass

The Cairo Pass gives you free entry to the sites in Cairo, Giza, Dahshur, Saqqara, and Mit Rahina. These sites include the Egyptian Museum, the Museum of Islamic Art, the Coptic Museum, Saladin Citadel, all sites on the Giza Plateau, all sites at Saqqara, the Red and Bent Pyramids in Dahshur, and the sites in Historic Cairo.

The Cairo Pass costs $130 USD. It is valid for 5 days.

Where Can You Purchase the Cairo Pass?

Points of sale for the Cairo Pass include the Egyptian Museum, the Giza Plateau, and Saladin Citadel. At one time it was available at the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities office but this is no longer true. If you read in the comments below, it sounds like easiest and fastest place to purchase the Cairo Pass is at the Giza Plateau.

You will need your passport, two black and white photocopies of your main passport page, and two passport photos. Students will need a valid student identification card. To purchase the Cairo Pass, you will pay with US dollars or euros and these need to be crisp, new bills, in perfect condition.

Is the Cairo Pass Worth It?

For most people, the answer is no. To make it worth the $130 USD, you need to visit A LOT of sites in Cairo and Giza, OR plan on more than one visit to the Giza Plateau and/or the Egyptian Museum.

However, with the Cairo Pass, you can visit the Giza Plateau and the Egyptian Museum multiple times. These are the biggest ticket items in Cairo.

The Luxor Pass

The Luxor Pass is a single ticket that includes all of the archaeological sites on the West Bank and East Bank of Luxor. There are two versions of this pass.

The standard Luxor Pass includes all of the sites on the East and West Bank, with the exception of the tombs of Seti I and Nefertari. The Luxor Pass costs $130 USD for adults and $70 USD for people under 30 years with a valid student ID card.

The Premium Luxor Pass includes all of the archaeological sites on the East and West Banks, as well as the tombs of Seti I and Nefertari. The Luxor Premium Pass costs $250 USD for adults and $130 USD for people under 30 years with a valid student ID card.

The passes are valid for 5 days.

These passes also give you entry in each site without waiting in line. However, during our visit in 2019, we never had to wait in a queue to enter any site in Egypt.

Karnak Temple

Where Can You Buy the Luxor Pass?

The Luxor Pass can be purchased at the ticket booths at Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings. In both Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings, there is a room in the visitor center where you can purchase the pass.

You will need your passport, two black and white photocopies of your main passport page, and two passport photos (some people have been writing in that they needed one passport photo and three copies of their passport page). Students will need a valid student identification card. To purchase the Luxor Pass, you will pay with US dollars or euros and these need to be crisp, new bills, in perfect condition.

Is the Luxor Pass Worth It?

If you plan to visit Luxor for two days, with visits to everything we list on our West Bank of Luxor post, as well the main sites on the East Bank, then the Luxor Pass is worth it.

These sites include:

• The Valley of the Kings (including the tombs of Tutankhamun and Ramesses V and VI)
• Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
• Valley of the Queens
• Medinet Habu
• Ramesseum
• Deir el-Medina (Valley of the Artisans)
• Tombs of the Nobles
• Temple of Seti I
• Howard Carter House
• Karnak Temple
• Luxor Temple
• Luxor Museum
• Mummification Museum

All of these add up to a grand total of 3,710 EGP, excluding the tombs of Nefertari and Seti I. The price of 3,710 EGP includes the additional tombs of Tutankhamun and Ramesses V and VI. 3,710 EGP = $120 USD as of January 2024. So, the Luxor Pass is not worth it, not unless you plan to visit more than what is on this list. 

However, if you also plan to visit both of the tombs of Seti I and Nefertari, then the Premium Pass is worth it (3,710 EGP for the sites listed above, plus 1,800 EGP for Seti I and 2000 EGP for Nefertari = 7,510 EGP ($243 USD).

Even if you don’t plan to visit everything on this list, I recommend adding up the cost that you expect to spend. If your total comes close to $130 (for example, if you think you will spend $120 USD) then it still could be worth it to purchase the Luxor Pass. It saves you the multiple visits to ticket offices, which is a slight time saver.

Important Note: The Cairo Pass and the Luxor Pass does not include the sound and light shows at the Giza Plateau and in Luxor.

Inside the tomb of Queen Nefertari

Cairo Pass + Luxor Pass

If you purchase both passes, you get a discount. If you purchase the Cairo Pass at full price you get 50% off of the Luxor Pass.

Cairo Pass + Standard Luxor Pass: $130 USD + $65 USD = $195 USD
Cairo Pass + Premium Luxor Pass: $130 USD + $125 USD = $255 USD

A recent traveler, Diego, wrote in with his experience (from February 2022). He purchased the Luxor Pass first. When in Cairo, at the Giza Plateau, he showed his Luxor Pass and was able to get 50% off of the Cairo Pass. No passport or passport photos were needed once he purchased the second pass. You can read more in his comment at the end of this post. Thanks Diego!!

The Cairo Pass and the Luxor Pass are rather new, and from what I have read, not everyone, including the ticket attendants in Egypt, are familiar with the passes.

Medinet Habu on the West Bank of Luxor

More Tips about these Passes

Durability of the Pass: This is a paper pass. All information, including the dates of validity, are written in ink. The passport photo is affixed with just one staple. You will be constantly taking this pass in and out of your pocket, so you risk knocking off the passport photo or wearing away the ink. Ankur recommends keeping the pass in an envelope to protect it. A money envelope would be the correct size. 

More advice from Ankur about using the pass: Make sure when you are showing the pass to the attendants at the entrances you take good care of the pass. I felt that the guards did not care about the pass when handling it. (I think it’s due to the fact most of the time they are handling tickets, which are worthless the moment you pass the gate). So hold on to them, literally, when you show the passes. At my first location the guy was so careless the pass flew away from his hands! From then on, I held the pass to show to them, rarely letting go of the pass as they approved it.

More advice from Diego about purchasing the passes: You will need the exact amount of money when paying for the pass. He paid in euros and the pass cost 45 euros. He had 50 euros and they did not accept it. He had to change the bills in order to purchase the pass.

Final Thoughts

If you are on a short tour of Egypt and don’t plan on visiting a huge number of sites, it is not worth it to purchase these passes.

But if you are planning a longer stay, if you like the idea of visiting a long list of tombs and temples in Luxor, with the option for repeat visits to your favorite places, then the Luxor Pass, and maybe even the Cairo Pass are worth it.

It is a hassle to get both passes, but you can save a lot of money, depending on the places you plan to visit.

Help Keep This Article Updated

If you purchase the Cairo Pass and/or the Luxor Pass on your trip to Egypt and have any additional information that could be helpful to future readers, let us know in the comment section below. We really appreciate it!! And I recommend that you also read the comment section because people have been writing in with more information.

More Information about Egypt

CAIRO: Start with our article Best Things to do in Cairo. We also have a 2 day Cairo Itinerary, information on how to visit the Pyramids of Giza, and how to day trip to Dahshur, Memphis, and Saqqara.

VALLEY OF THE KINGS: Plan your visit with our Guide to the Valley of the Kings. Pick out which tombs you want to visit in our article Best Tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

TRAVEL ADVICE: Here is list of important things to know before visit Egypt. The Luxor Pass and Cairo Pass can save you a lot of money…learn more in our guide. And we also have information on how much it costs to visit Egypt.

EGYPT ITINERARY: With 10 days in Egypt, visit Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel.

ASWAN: For a list of the top experiences, read our article Best Things to Do in Aswan. We also have a guide on how to visit Kom Ombo, Edfu, and Esna while driving between Aswan and Luxor.