Luxor

Is located 635 km south of Cairo. It is currently the smallest governorate in Egypt, spanning approximately 5 km from north to south, and 1.5 km from east to west, and lies in Upper Egypt along the Nile. The city of Luxor is the capital of the Luxor governorate. President Mubarak called on the same date for a study to be made with a view to extending the boundaries of the governorate to include the neighbouring towns of Armant and Esna. The national day is the 7th of December, commemorating the establishment of the governorate.
The emblem of Luxor represents the bust of Tutankhamen on board of an Ancient Egyptian canoe boat, cruising in the Nile, with an obelisk and the sun light in the background.
Luxor has frequently been characterized as the “world’s greatest open air museum”, as the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor stand within the modern city. Immediately opposite, across the River Nile, lie the monuments, temples and tombs of the West Bank Necropolis, which includes the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. Thousands of tourists from all around the world arrive annually to visit these monuments, contributing greatly to the economy of the modern city.

Transport :
Luxor is served by Luxor International Airport.
A bridge was opened in 1998, a few kilometres upstream of the main town of Luxor, allowing ready land access from the east bank to the west bank. Traditionally, however, river crossings have been the domain of several ferry services. The so-called ‘local ferry’ (also known as the ‘National Ferry’) continues to operate from a landing opposite the Temple of Luxor. The single fare (June 2008) is 1 L.E. – one Egyptian Pound – per passenger for foreigners. Egyptian nationals pay ¼ of that, 25 piasters. This ferry is mainly used by the locals although a number of foreigners do use it. Transport to sites on the west bank are serviced by taxi drivers who often approach ferry passengers. There are also local cars that reach some of the monuments for 25 piasters, although tourists rarely use them. Alternatively, motorboats line both banks of the Nile all day providing a quicker, but more expensive (5 L.E.), crossing to the other side.
The city of Luxor on the east bank has several bus routes used mainly by locals. Tourists often rely on horse carriages, called “calèches,” for transport or tours around the city. Taxis are plentiful, and reasonably priced, and since the government has decreed that taxis older than 20 years will not be relicensed, there are many modern air-conditioned cabs. Recently, new roads have been built in the city to cope with the growth in traffic.
For domestic travel along the route of the Nile, a rail service operates several times a day. A morning train and sleeping train can be taken from the railway station situated around 400 metres (440 yd) from Luxor Temple. The line runs between several major destinations, including Cairo to the north and Aswan to the south.