Decided to ditch Aswan and use the two days to visit Luxor. I thought the hard decision was out of the way-but the problems were to just begin. How to travel to Luxor?-By air, take the train or the luxury bus?
FLY TO LUXOR
On any given day, there are 10 flights that operate between Cairo and Luxor. Check out the timetable on http://www.egyptair.com/. Click on timetable and you can see all the flights for a particular day. The first flight out on any day is early morning-between 5.00 a.m. to 6.00 a.m. and the last flight out between 10.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. Early bookings are highly recommended; especially during the peak tourist season (which runs from October to April), -not only does it get you a better price but also confirmed bookings on the desired flights. We tried to get flight bookings on a Sunday for the coming Thursday and there we no confirmed bookings available for the return flight from Luxor. Our tickets were working out to LE 900 for a round trip per person-I have had friends who have paid LE 500 and one who has even paid as low as LE 350 for a round trip. And apparently there is no logical explanation to this difference in the price-I guess the earlier you book, the better the chances of you getting a good price. Have also been told that the rates are different if you book at the Egypt Air office –the rates differ from what is advertised on their site and there is no convincing explanation for this too!
TAKE THE TRAIN
If you are unable to get confirmed bookings for the flight you want, or the flight is working out too expensive for you or you can’t be bothered to spoil your sleep for taking a flight at odd hours, your best bet is the sleeper train.
These trains are meant exclusively for expats and are quite comfortable. You have to pay for it in US dollars or euros. As for credit card, they accept only the visa card. Up to eight tickets can be bought at the Giza station. For tickets above 8, the tickets have to be bought at the Ramses station. Buy the tickets at least a day in advance-earlier during the peak season and if traveling on a week-end.
There are three trains that leave daily-one at 20.00 hrs and the other at 20.30 hrs from the Giza station. A third train leaves at 21.00 hrs from the Ramses station. The journey to Luxor takes 9 hours. The sleeper train has 13 sleeping cars each, which contains 10 double cabins and 02 bathrooms. Every Cabin has a connecting door with the next cabin, to be used when needed. Cabins are equipped with basins, razor plugs, tap water, soap & towels. The day seats are converted into sleeping beds which are quite comfortable. A luggage compartment is available on the top of the door. However, the train can be a little noisy on the tracks. The ticket price is USD 120 for a round ticket and includes dinner and breakfast. The food can be disappointing though. Liquor is also served and is charged separately. For a single berth compartment, you have to pay USD 120. Check out their website for more information. http://www.sleepingtrains.com/
Another cheaper option to travel to Luxor is the air-conditioned express trains-both daytime and overnight trains. They take longer but cost less-around USD 30 for a round trip. The first class compartments are comfortable enough with reclining seats. But, there maybe certain restrictions on the foreigners traveling on these trains. For information on schedules and facilities, check out http://www.seat61.com/Egypt
BUS TO LUXOR
The one bus that I know that takes you to Luxor is operated by “Nile Transportation”. I have no idea about the facilities on board. You can get more information by visiting Monyeeb ,El baher El Azam street or call 35725362. The bus leaves at 5.30 p.m. and the reservations have to be made at 4.00 p.m.
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