Luxor Airport Transfers

Unlike Cairo, where visitors often complain, the international airport in Luxor is only about 6 kilometres from the city centre, making it easily accessible for tourists. However, the first challenge you'll face on arrival is finding a transfer to the hotel that best suits your travel plans, so I'll tell you about the options available below.

Among the alternatives you can choose to travel from the airport to your accommodation are transfers in a private minivan, ridesharing with other visitors, taxi 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 things to do in Luxor.

If you are planning to visit Luxor and want to opt for a comfortable and exclusive alternative, you can choose private transfers from the city's 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 centre at your leisure.

These professionally chauffeured tours will get you to your hotel in approximately 20 minutes, although the total duration of the trip will depend on the location of your accommodation and local traffic, which can be very heavy, especially during the day. During the tour, you can also get information about the city's services, such as the best tours of Luxor and Nile River cruises.

This alternative, which has an initial cost of approximately 12 euros per passenger, is usually the most popular option for tourists who plan their transfer in advance. In this case, you will have to 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 have not booked the service in advance, you can buy it directly from this site. Please note that this on-site alternative may be effective on daytime flights, but some tour service providers may not be available at night.

Details of interest

• Price: approximately 12 euros per person.
• Travel time: about 20 minutes to the town centre 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 a pre-arranged transfer 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 are planning to book a last-minute transfer 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 centre of Luxor, in approximately 20-30 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 Luxor Museum, both of which 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, making it an ideal alternative if you want to save money or have a tight budget for your stay in the city. In addition, during these transfers you will be able to get information to visit the Temple of Karnak or other main sites of this destination.

Also, keep in mind that this is a safe alternative, as you will be relying on a tour service provider rather than a taxi driver or other means of transport.

Useful details

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

Taxi transfers are very popular at airports all over the world and Luxor Airport is no exception, although it is often a last-minute alternative. It's usually an option you'll use if you haven't booked a private tour in advance or your flight arrives in the evening, when many tourist service agencies are closed or have reduced operations.

However, bear in mind that taxi transfers can be a bit stressful if you arrive tired from a long journey, as it' s common in Egypt for services to be haggled over, so you'll need to agree a price with the driver before you get in. Ideally, if you opt for this transfer, make sure you know the cost of the fare before you get in the taxi, and that you indicate a tourist destination, such as the Temple of Luxor or Sphinx Avenue, which will allow you to have a clear reference to calculate the price.

Also, bear in mind that most taxis are located outside the airport, so unlike private minivan transfer services, you may have to leave with your luggage to get into one of these vehicles.

By taxi, 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 densely populated during the day.

Details of interest

• Price: Thefare from the airport to the city centre costs approximately 1 to 2 euros initially, although you will need to arrange this in advance with the taxi driver.
• Journeytime: between 15 and 20 minutes, although this will depend on city traffic.
• How to book this method: you will not be able to book a taxi 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 centre.
• Recommended if... You need to get a last minute transfer or plan to arrive at the airport at night.

If you want to opt for a private transfer but don't want to use a taxi, 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 taxis.

Firstly, you can know the fare in advance and based on the rules set by demand and distance, which in Egypt, which has a long-established tradition of haggling, allows you to relax and enjoy the journey without stressing about agreeing on a price before boarding the vehicle. In addition, you will also have a choice of transport alternatives, as you can opt not only for a car, but also for cheaper alternatives such as a scooter transfer.

Also, Uber rides will help you to get to know the city from the moment you arrive in the city, an alternative that could be useful to travel to other nearby sites, such as the Temple of Edfu or the Temple of Kom Ombo, if you don't decide to visit these sites with some of the best tours in Luxor.

The Uber ride from the airport to the city centre of Luxor takes approximately 15-20 minutes, depending on local traffic, and the initial cost is approximately 4 euros. Please note that Uber is the only ride-hailing app 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.
• Journeytime: 15-20 minutes, depending on traffic.
• How to book this method: you can either book it in advance of your arrival at the airport from the app or book it once you are in Luxor.
• Advantages of using this method: it offers greater security than a taxi transfer because you will know the details of the driver and the vehicle.
• Recommended if... You need to get a last-minute transfer or you plan to arrive at the airport in Luxor at night and want to opt for an alternative that provides greater security than a taxi.

Although airport car hire is not the most popular option due to traffic problems in Egyptian cities and security concerns , you could also use this method to get to your accommodation as soon as you get off the plane. This is especially useful if you plan to visit Cairo from Luxor and other nearby cities. In that case, you'll want to have your car with you from the start.

Keep in mind, however, that renting a car in Egypt is not an easy option. Unlike other destinations, you will be asked for a lot of information and they may question the validity of your driving licence based on your country of origin, as the Egyptian government does not have agreements with all countries in the world, but only with some. Also, you could also pay a high cost if you are under 25 years of age when you pick up the car.

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

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

Details of interest

• Price: You can get car hire in Luxor at rates starting at 20 euros per day.
• Journeytime: 15-20 minutes, depending on traffic conditions, which can be very heavy.
• How to book this method: You can rent a car in advance online or at the car rental offices at the airport.
• Advantages of using this method: if you are willing to drive in heavy and somewhat disorganised traffic, you will have a means of transport 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 centre of Luxor, you will have to take into account several aspects of your travel plan. If you are on a budget and have the availability to make a reservation in advance, I advise you to opt for the private minivan transfer, which will allow you to use the most comfortable and exclusive option.

However, if you don't choose the private or shared transfer option and want to make a last-minute booking, I recommend Uber rather than a taxi. You will pay a little more for this transport, but it will be safer, as you will be able to know in advance 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 time of returning the vehicle, since the conditions will be very different depending on your country of origin. Consider also that you will have to deal with traffic problems, which are very common in Luxor and Cairo, especially in the vicinity of the Nile River, which is the historical epicentre of the city.