It is the way to cruise the Nile - small, intimate 19th century style sailing boats with six cabins and private moorings, away from the hustle and bustle of the crowd. The company has four boats - Nesma, Amber, Zahra and Musk! Don't do the Nile any other way.

www.balesworldwide.com

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Great food at resonable prices. Staff are friendly and have a sense of humour, and the whole place is spotless. Ask for Captain Nemo - he can fix anything from boat rides to balloon trips and airport transfers. If he can't do it he knows someone who can, he knows everyone.

Opposite the Nile Palace is Passport Street, next door to Murphys Bar.

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Although millions of tourists visit the west bank at Luxor every year the area is so rich in archaeology that it is not difficult to find quiet and equally spectacular monuments away from the hordes.

Just across the road from the bazaars and the coach-park at the Hatshepsut temple a jumble of mud-brick remains marks the cemetery of el-Asasif, site of some of the largest and most spectacular tombs anywhere in the country.

Three of its tombs are open to the public: that of Kheruef of the 18th Dynasty, and those of Pabasa and Ankh-hor of the 26th. Their subterranean ‘sun-courts’ are unique to this area, and each of the tombs preserves beautiful relief decoration of varying styles.

I would highly recommend taking a walk from here back to the road through the crumbling remains of tombs yet to be investigated; at the road I recommend hailing one of the local service taxis and riding back to the river with the locals for a few piasters, rather than taking a private car for 100 times the price.

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Egypt decided some years ago that it was relatively unsafe to allow tourists to travel outside the established tourist centres; as a result several isolated, but nonetheless spectacular sites in between Cairo, Luxor and Aswan are infrequently visited.

For those looking for archaeological adventures away from the hordes, I highly recommend making arrangements (in hotels or with taxi drivers) to join the daily convoy down-river (north) from Luxor to see Dendera and Abydos. The former is the site of one of Egypt’s best preserved monuments, the Ptolemaic and Roman temple of Dendera, with scenes of Cleopatra VII (the Cleopatra) and her son Ceasarion; at the latter the atmospheric temple of Sety I and his son Ramesses the Great features some of the most beautiful relief decoration anywhere in Egypt.

The drive is fairly lengthy but provides an excellent opportunity to see the Egyptian countryside.

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For many tourists, the way to see the West Bank temples and tombs appears to be the highly priced offerings from their tour company.

Typical costs are £39 per person for a visit to the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepshut's temple and the Valley of the Queens. Included in this price are the ticket prices (approximately £9.50 per person).

To hire an air-conditioned minibus and a guide, and to visit temples and tombs that you wish to see, will cost at most 200LE (£20) for up to six people (total price), so adding the cost of the tickets, the trip will probably cost an individual in this situation about £12.

The other plus of this is that you can actually spend as long as you wish at a site, and not have to rush back to take in the obligatory visit to an alabaster or papyrus shop, for which the tour leader on the coach can make up to 50% of your purchase price in commission.

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Over on the west bank, the Valley of the Kings, Queens and Deir El-Bahri (Hatshepsut) are all set in stunning locations. These are the ancient burial grounds of the Pharoahs and their wives, nestled in underground chambers in the hillsides. The cheapest way to reach the west bank is to take the local ferry (across the Corniche from Luxor Temple) which will cost £E1. Bicycles can be taken aboard.

Alternatively, there are plentiful taxis on the other side waiting to take you the remaining 3-4km to the sites. All tickets for the sites must be pre-purchased at ticket booths 1km inland. A general ticket for the Valley of Kings or Queens costs 55LE (approx. £5.50) and gives admission to three separate tombs, although Tutankhamen’s tomb will set you back a further 70LE.

As with many other attractions in Egypt, ISIC holders receive a 50% discount. A word of warning: don’t feel obliged to take an unofficial tour of a tomb by one of the wardens: they will expect and occasionally demand, a tip for the service.

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For its size, Luxor has more ancient historical sites than any other location in the world. The great temples of Karnak and Luxor are the main attractions on the east bank and should not be missed. These were once joined together by an avenue of sphinxes and are both dedicated to the ancient gods Amun, Mut and Knonsu.

Karnak is one of the world’s most celebrated monuments: a vast complex of different temples built over 1300 years including the spectacular Hypostyle Hall with its 134 giant columns. It’s worth seeing in daylight (afternoon is less crowded) and at night with the sound and light show. It’s about 2.5km north of the town centre and can be reached by walking either along the Corniche before turning right when you see the sign for Karnak, or directly up Sharia El-Karnak. Alternatively, take a caleche or taxi from the centre. Entry is 40LE.

The impressive Luxor Temple is right in the centre of town on the Corniche. Entry is 30LE. The small Luxor museum just up the Corniche houses a number of interesting artefacts and will take an hour or so to cover and is probably worth visiting. Entry is 30LE.

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