Luxor

Is Luxor safe?

Yes. Luxor is one of the calmer places to see ancient Egypt. Crime against visitors is low, police guard every temple entrance, and Luxor governorate recorded the fewest road deaths of any governorate in 2025. The UK Foreign Office excludes Luxor, the Valley of the Kings and the Baris–Luxor road from its Western Desert warning.

The catches are of a different kind. Touts work every approach to every site, harassment of women is common, summer heat is extreme, and the hot-air balloons that rise over the West Bank every morning have a fatal record. We score Luxor 67, above Cairo (60) and level with the Red Sea resort of Hurghada.

Hot-air balloons

Sunrise balloon flights over the Valley of the Kings are Luxor's signature excursion, and the record is mixed. In February 2013 a balloon caught fire and crashed near Luxor, killing 19 foreign tourists. In January 2018 strong wind blew a balloon carrying about 20 tourists off course and it crashed; a South African woman died. In July 2022 a balloon carrying 28 tourists was blown off course and hit another; two people had minor injuries and the civil aviation ministry halted rides while it investigated.

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says some UK tour operators have stopped selling balloon flights because they could not verify safety standards. If you go, book through an established company, ask about the pilot's experience and insurance, listen to the landing briefing, and accept a cancellation when the wind is up. That last point matters: wind was a factor in both of the recent crashes.

Touts, scams and harassment

Hassle is the main complaint. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says scammers and touts target foreign visitors at tourist sites, and the US warns of overcharging. Expect carriage drivers and felucca captains along the Corniche, unofficial guides at the West Bank sites, and "free" tours that end in alabaster or papyrus shops. Prices quoted to foreigners start high.

• Agree the price, the route and the currency before any carriage, felucca or taxi ride.
• Buy temple tickets at the official windows or online, not from helpers outside.
• A firm "no, thank you" and walking on works better than explaining.

Harassment of women, from comments to unwanted touching, is a problem across Egypt, the US State Department says. The Corniche and the area around Luxor Temple are busy and pleasant in the evening, and Gallup's 2025 survey found 82% of Egyptians feel safe walking alone at night. Women alone should still use hotel-booked drivers after dark and share taxi details with someone, as the FCDO advises.

Heat

This is the hazard most likely to hurt you. Weather data from the ERA5 reanalysis show Luxor reached 40 °C or more on 103 to 125 days a year between 2021 and 2025, July highs averaged 42 °C, and the hottest day reached 49 °C in August 2025. The tombs of the Valley of the Kings are stuffy, and the West Bank temples offer little shade.

From May to September, start at dawn, be back in the shade by late morning, carry more water than seems sensible, and wear a hat. Children and older visitors feel it first. October to April is far easier.

Roads, river and health care

By Egyptian standards Luxor's roads are quiet. Egypt's statistics agency CAPMAS counted 21 road deaths in Luxor governorate in 2025, the fewest of any governorate, against 779 in Cairo. Official counts tend to run below WHO's estimates, and in town you share narrow roads with carriages, tuk-tuks and microbuses, often without a pavement. The bigger road risk is the long drive to Hurghada or Aswan; the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary advises against driving outside cities and resorts at night.

On the river, the FCDO notes accidents on overcrowded Nile cruise boats, so choose an established company. Do not swim in the Nile, because CDC lists schistosomiasis, a freshwater parasite, as a risk in Egypt. The US says emergency care in Egypt is limited and ambulances are unreliable, so have insurance that covers evacuation.

Terrorism

The worst attack on tourists in modern Egypt happened here. In November 1997 gunmen killed 62 people, most of them tourists, at the Temple of Hatshepsut. In June 2015 a suicide bomber blew himself up near Karnak; police shot a second attacker and arrested a third, and no visitors were hurt. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Egypt and that security at tourist sites is heavy. You will pass metal detectors at every temple.

How we scored it

Violent crime (79) and traffic safety (74) are Luxor's strongest factors, the second because of the very low official road death count. Theft and scams (55) reflects the touts, scored like Giza. Health and environment (58) and natural hazards (64) are held down by limited emergency care and extreme summer heat. For another temple town with similar hassle and heat, compare Siem Reap.