Luxor, an exotic place unlike any other on the planet. A city that stands out for the blue river Nile, white sails of Feluccas and the towering 3000-year-old structures of Pharaohs that looms over modern-day buildings. Nothing spells special and different than this place.

With undeniable vibes of ancient Egypt and a culture that has been preserved, there are plenty of unique things to do in Luxor that will make your trip to the pharaoh’s land even more memorable. Other than the famous temples and tombs that the old city is known for, here are a couple of underrated Luxor attractions that’s missed out by most travelers though it shouldn’t be!

Add these places and activities to your itinerary and you’ll definitely enjoy your trip even better.

Mummification Museum

While the Mummification Museum is popular in Luxor’s city, it’s still overshadowed by the glorious temples like the Luxor Temple, Karnak and Valley of the Kings that the ancient and marvelous city is known for. What makes this small museum a must visit is that it is the only museum of its kind in all of Egypt where you can see for yourself all the items used for mummification and how the process was done.

Travelers and visitors can see the tools, ingredients, linens, canopic jars, holy objects used during burial and even a bed that was used for the mummification process. It’s almost surreal to see them up close where the only thing that divides you and a 3000-year-old process is a glass case.

The museum is underrated yet one of the must visit Luxor attractions for lovers of Egyptology. If there comes another Mummy movie reboot, then this museum is a fitting area for a scene where mummification and explaining the burial process of pharaohs can be introduced without seeming out of place.

The Luxor Market (Tourist Market)

“As you wind through the streets of the fabled bazaars with the cardamom cluttered stalls,
You can smell every spice as you haggle the price of the silk and the satin shawls”

Those lyrics of a market from Aladdin’s Arabian Nights can’t fit any better for a place than Egypt’s Luxor Market.

There are two markets in Luxor – the local market where you can find spices and all day-to-day items and the Tourist Market where fairy lights and lantern shine above the entire area and gold-colored souvenirs of the Egyptian mythical gods gleam on every shelf of each shop. It’s a lively place that puts travelers in a haze of delight.

What’s more, thanks to its vibrancy, visiting this market is also one of the best things to do in Luxor at night so you don’t have to sacrifice your daytime temple visits.

Its also a great place to bargain and buy souvenirs from bracelets that has the Pharoah’s “gift of life” symbol and beautiful golden miniature pieces of Isis to Arabic style artistic lanterns and hieroglyphic stamped scarves. Another great thing about this market is that it’s so underrated that many tourists and travelers don’t flock here and instead opt to visit the more known places around the city.

It’s a great spot to stop by after you finish all your major sight-seeing and want to relax or walk around to experience the culture of Egypt. If you visit after sundown, you’ll be able to take your time going around and explore the shops in this Luxor night market in a leisurely pace without the hoards of crowds slamming into you.

Sip tea at an 80-year-old shop – Oum Kalthoum Cafe

Situated between the Luxor Market, this tea shop is famous between both locals and travelers alike. Dedicated to Egypt’s famous nightingale “Umm Kalthoum”, the cafe has an 80 year old history. The cafe was started by a fan of the singer who dedicated the tea shop in her name and music and is now looked after by the owner’s son who plans to pass it on to his children in hopes to continuing the family legacy of music lovers.

Umm Kalthoum was said to have visited the cafe when she made her way to Luxor once and still stands in her name and honor. Today, travelers can sip delicious hot tea during a winter night or down some cool juice in warmer weathers. The cafe has a look and feel of retro Egypt with decorative lights and Umm Kalthoum’s songs always playing in the background.

Walk alongside the Luxor Corniche with views of the Nile

Take a leisure stroll and experience the exotic city while walking along the city’s corniche. With views of the river Nile and the west bank of Luxor (Valley of the Kings), this activity is definitely one of unique things to do in Luxor. Locals and teenagers make the place lively while you can admire monuments like the Luxor Temple from the street. It’s a perfect image of how ancient and modern can blend together and how the people around it can keep traditions alive.

Horse carts roam around the place and the coachmen will offer you a ride. A gentle yet stern “no thank you” is enough to send them away while they wish you a “good evening” or a “Welcome to Luxor” as they ride away. Plenty of riverside restaurants and feluccas brings the place a movie-like charm that only Luxor can give.

Eat from Paris Restaurant

If you’re wondering where to eat in Luxor to taste authentic local delicacies of Egypt then head to Paris restaurant. The name might be a weird choice for a restaurant serving traditional Egyptian food, but eating here is totally worth it and would be a sin to miss out while you’re in the city.

The restaurant is generous with their food and each portion of one dish is enough to feed two adult people. No matter what you order, be it lamb or chicken, it comes with its set of rice, lentils and all sorts of healthy veggies and greens. The upper floor of the hotel is where you should head as it gives relaxing views of the green paddy fields and agriculture.

Out of all the restaurants we visited in our eight day Egypt tour, this was by far the best one with delicious meals and plenty to chow down. It’s the best restaurant in Luxor that every traveler should visit.

Luxor Tour Guide

While you might think that Luxor attractions are easily accessible, with so much to see and so much crowd, it’s better to have a private tour guide to help you plan places according to your time limit and help beat the crowd and get to spots before the groups so you can see and really enjoy the attractions in peace.

Having a tour guide also means that you don’t have to wait ridiculous long minutes in lines or have all your pictures photobombed because of the hundred thousand tourists that creeps in every corner of your images. The local guide we booked helped us get to places quicker and get in front of crowds to see the incredible monuments even better.

Contact us on our page and get the info of quality, English speaking tour guides that knows Luxor in and out to make your trip worthwhile.

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