Private or group tour in Luxor: is the extra cost worth it?
Updated October 7, 2026 · 6 min read
For most people the group tour is enough: the full-day shared tour to the West and East Banks costs from €25.79, lasts 8 hours and has 4.6 stars from 2,099 reviews – it is the most-reviewed tour starting in Luxor. If you want to go private, the private East and West Banks tour with felucca cruise from €58.45, at 4.7 stars from 234 reviews, is the cheaper of the two private tours compared here. The extra cost is worth it if you want to decide the pace and who comes along. If you mainly want to see the sights, it usually is not.
Three tours compared
| Tour | Duration | From | Rating | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-day shared tour to the West and East Banks | 8 hours | €25.79 | 4.6 from 2,099 reviews | Anyone who wants the highlights of both banks at the lowest price |
| Private East and West Banks tour and felucca cruise | 8 hours | €58.45 | 4.7 from 234 reviews | Anyone who wants to go private and have the felucca ride included |
| West & East Banks & Tut’s Tomb, private full-day tour | 8 hours | €68.77 | 4.8 from 239 reviews | Anyone who wants to go private and is looking for Tutankhamun’s tomb on the programme |
All three start in Luxor, cover both banks and last 8 hours. The difference is not the destination but the organisation: a group or your own party, with a felucca or with a tomb.
What the higher price proves, and what it does not
Between the group tour and the cheapest private tour there are €32.66 in starting prices, and €42.98 up to the third tour. Three details are missing for comparing these amounts, because the descriptions do not give them: whether the price applies per person or per group, which entry tickets are included, and how many people can join. Get these answers on the booking pages before you do the sums. Only with the final price for your party size is the comparison honest.
The same goes for the word “private”. It tells you there are no strangers on the programme. How flexibly the guide handles the order of stops and how long you stay is not stated in any of the descriptions. Ask, if that is exactly what the extra cost would be for.
The group tour: the standard
The description mentions a full-day guided tour with an experienced Egyptologist to Karnak Temple, the Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Hatshepsut. With 2,099 reviews and 4.6 stars it has the widest review base of the three. The group size, hotel pick-up and whether entry tickets are included in the price are left open. The day also follows a programme; how much room you have within it, the description does not say.
It is not for you if you want to stay longer in one place or are travelling with someone who will not last eight hours of programme. A shorter or split plan would suit better then; how to spread the visit over two days is covered in Luxor in one day or two.
Check prices and dates for the full-day shared tour
The private tour with a felucca
Only you and your companions go. According to the description, the programme includes the tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and a felucca ride on the Nile. That makes it the cheaper way to go private without booking the felucca separately. How many of the 8 hours are spent on the water is not stated, and no hotel pick-up is mentioned there.
It is not for you if Tutankhamun’s tomb is your main goal: the title does not name it, and neither does the description.
Check prices and dates for the private tour with felucca cruise
The private tour with Tutankhamun’s tomb
With 4.8 stars from 239 reviews it has the highest star rating of the three, from far fewer reviews than the group tour. The description mentions return transfers to the hotel, the city’s temples and a visit to Tutankhamun’s tomb. Whether admission to that tomb is included in the price, it does not say. Clear that up before paying; how is covered in Tutankhamun’s tomb: which Luxor tour includes admission?.
It is not for you if you want a felucca ride on the programme: none is mentioned.
Check prices and dates for the private tour with Tutankhamun’s tomb
When the extra cost is not worth it
It is not worth it if “private” in the title is your only reason and you have not clarified pick-up, admissions and flexibility: then you are paying for a word. Nor is it worth it if you first have to decide which bank you want to see at all. Luxor West Bank or East Bank helps more with that than a full-day tour covering both. You will find further offers under private Luxor tours and West Bank tours.
Our recommendation
Book the group tour if you want to see temples and tombs and price matters. It has the widest review base and costs from €25.79. Choose a private tour if you do not want to share the day with a group: the one with the felucca from €58.45 for the cheaper entry point, the one with Tutankhamun’s tomb from €68.77 if that tomb is the reason and you get the admission confirmed in writing.
