Valley of the Kings: which tombs to see and can you get private access?

How tickets work, as of 2026

The valley opens at 6am and closes at 5pm. The general ticket admits you to three tombs chosen from a rotating list of around ten that are open that season; it was in the region of EGP 750 for foreign adults in mid-2026. Three tombs take separate tickets regardless of the general one:

Tomb	Why	Extra ticket, foreign adult, mid-2026
Seti I (KV17)	The longest and most finely carved royal tomb in the valley, reopened after decades of closure	Around EGP 2,000
Ramesses V and VI (KV9)	Complete Books of the Heavens on the ceiling; the best-preserved astronomical ceiling in the valley	Around EGP 220
Tutankhamun (KV62)	Small, lightly decorated, but holds the king's mummy and the sarcophagus	Around EGP 700

A small electric tram runs from the visitor centre to the tomb entrances for a few pounds. The Luxor Premium Pass, around USD 250 for five days, covers the extra-ticket tombs and Nefertari and can make sense for a traveller spending two or more days on the West Bank. All of these prices move; check current rules.

Which three tombs on the general ticket

The list rotates, so your guide confirms on the day. Our usual choices when they are open:

Ramesses IV (KV2). Short, wide, brightly painted, with the Book of the Dead and a ceiling of the sky goddess Nut. An easy first tomb and the best-preserved colour on the general ticket.

Ramesses III (KV11). Long corridors with the unusual side chambers showing kitchens, boats, harpists and weapons, scenes that belong in a noble's tomb rather than a king's.

Merenptah (KV8) or Tausert and Setnakht (KV14). Either gives you a deep 19th-dynasty tomb with a long descent and a large burial chamber. KV14 has the interest of a queen's tomb taken over by a king.

If a party has only the energy for three tombs in total, we would spend the extra on Ramesses VI and Seti I and take Ramesses IV on the general ticket.

Seti I and Ramesses VI, in more detail

Seti I's tomb runs more than 130 metres into the rock, and every wall is carved in raised relief rather than painted plaster. It is the standard against which the other tombs are measured, and it is the reason to pay the high ticket. Expect to spend forty minutes inside with a guide who can read it. It is cooler and emptier than the valley floor, and very few groups pay to enter, which is part of the appeal.

Ramesses VI's tomb is the one most Egyptologists name as their favourite. The ceiling of the burial chamber shows the Books of the Day and the Night, with Nut stretched twice across the vault. The tomb was open in antiquity and carries Greek and Coptic graffiti near the entrance; your guide will show you where.

Tutankhamun's tomb

It is the smallest royal tomb regularly open, with painting in one chamber only. The reason to enter is the mummy, which lies in a climate-controlled case in the antechamber, and the quartzite sarcophagus. Give it fifteen minutes. The treasures are at the Grand Egyptian Museum, not here.

Nefertari, in the Valley of the Queens

The tomb of Nefertari (QV66), Ramesses II's great wife, has the finest painting of any tomb in Egypt. It is in the Valley of the Queens, a short drive away, on a separate and expensive ticket when open, with a time limit inside of around ten minutes to protect the plaster. It has been closed for long periods since March 2024 with no fixed reopening date. If it is open during your dates we will know, and we will say so in the plan rather than promise it.

Photography rules

The rules have changed several times. As of 2026, phone photography without flash is generally permitted in most tombs, cameras have at various points required a separate pass or been barred from the special tombs, and flash is prohibited everywhere. Signage at each tomb entrance is the authority on the day, and guards enforce it. Check current rules before you rely on taking a particular photograph.

Private access, honestly

Two things are true at once. Officially sanctioned after-hours openings of a tomb for a private party exist; they are arranged by permit from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities through a licensed operator, for a fee set by the ministry, and availability depends on the season, conservation work and the tomb. We arrange this where available, and we state in your plan whether it has been granted.

Unofficial access, a guard who opens a closed tomb for a tip, is illegal, and in August 2026 the ministry took legal action against site security staff in Luxor for exactly that. We do not do it, and we would ask you to decline it if offered. The legitimate version, the valley at dusk with one tomb open for your party and your Egyptologist, is worth waiting for.

How to spend the morning

Be at the gate for 6am opening, especially from April to October. Two tombs before the first coaches, Seti I when the groups are elsewhere, Tutankhamun last. Leave by 10am for Hatshepsut's temple or the Tombs of the Nobles, and keep Medinet Habu for the late afternoon, when it is empty and the light is right.

FAQ

How many tombs can you see in the Valley of the Kings? The general ticket covers three tombs from the open list. Seti I, Ramesses VI and Tutankhamun take separate tickets on top. Three to five tombs is a sensible morning; more than six is fatigue.

Is Seti I's tomb worth the extra ticket? Yes, if any tomb is. It is the longest and most finely carved in the valley, with raised relief on every wall, and far fewer visitors because of the price.

Is the tomb of Nefertari open? It has been closed for long periods since March 2024 and reopens without much notice. Check current status close to your dates; when open it carries a separate ticket and a time limit of around ten minutes.