Seti I: the ticket with no student rate
The number that surprises people
EGP 2,000 is the largest single figure anyone meets on the West Bank, and it arrives without warning: the general ticket is EGP 750, Ramses V and VI is EGP 220, Tutankhamun is EGP 700, and then this. It is nearly three times the general ticket for one tomb. About nine times the price of KV9. It appears on the Ministry’s printed price list dated 5 November 2024 and in seven independent guides, so it is the official price.
The second surprise is the student column. Every other ticket in the valley halves for students — EGP 375 general entry, EGP 350 for Tutankhamun, EGP 110 for Ramses V and VI. Seti I does not. A student pays EGP 2,000. If you are travelling on a student budget and building the day around the half-price rates, this is the one ticket without a student rate. The whole grid is on the ticket price list.
It still does not spend one of your three
Buying one of those tickets does not use up one of your three. The three tombs on the general ticket stay yours. So the decision is clean: EGP 2,000 against nothing else you were going to get for it. Add it to the EGP 750 general ticket and you have four tombs for EGP 2,750. The rest of that arithmetic is on what the ticket includes.
What the EGP 2,000 is actually for
Here is the scholarly detail.
- 137.19 m long, with seven corridors and ten chambers. That is a long walk underground by the standards of the tombs on the general ticket, most of which you are through in a few minutes.
- One of the most completely decorated tombs in the valley, and decorated in painted raised relief rather than paint on flat plaster. The surface is carved and then painted, which is a different thing to look at and a far more expensive thing to have made.
- The burial chamber has a vaulted astronomical ceiling: golden stars on deep blue, with the circumpolar constellations. Both Wikipedia and the Theban Mapping Project describe it.
137.19 m is the length of the tomb rather than its depth.
EGP 2,000 against EGP 220: the comparison that matters
A useful comparison is the other paid tomb, KV9. Ramses V and VI, KV9, costs EGP 220 — EGP 110 for a student. Two independent sources call it the best value in the valley. Here is what it has:
| KV17 Seti I | KV9 Ramses V and VI | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | EGP 2,000 | EGP 220 |
| Student | EGP 2,000 | EGP 110 |
| Ceiling | Golden stars on deep blue, circumpolar constellations | Double elongated Nut framing the Book of the Day and the Book of the Night |
| Decoration | Painted raised relief, among the most complete in the valley | An almost complete Book of Caverns |
| Ancient graffiti | Not listed | About 995 visitor inscriptions, 1st century BC to 4th century AD |
| Uses one of your three | No | No |
Nine KV9 tickets cost less than one KV17 ticket. That is not an argument that Seti I is overpriced — a tomb with seven corridors and ten chambers of raised relief is a different object from anything else on the site, and somebody has to pay for keeping it open. It is an argument that you should know what the alternative is before you spend the EGP 2,000.
The third paid tomb sits between them. Tutankhamun’s tomb is EGP 700, and it is a different kind of decision again: its highlight is the mummy, on display in the tomb, while these two are known for their decoration.
If you are choosing exactly one paid tomb and you are not certain, KV9 at EGP 220 is the low-risk answer and leaves you EGP 1,780 to spend on the rest of Luxor. If you have come to Egypt specifically for the tomb painting, Seti I is the reason people say that sentence, and the price will not be the thing you remember.
Before you go and pay it
- Card only. Have a card ready for EGP 2,000 — entry tickets here have been card-only since June 2023. See paying by card.
- Allow the time. Two hours covers three tombs comfortably; three to four hours once the paid tombs are in, and none of those figures includes the queue, the tram or the drive. How much time you need has the detail.
- Go early. Guides and experienced visitors consistently say the crowds land between 10 am and 2 pm, and Luxor’s mean daily maximum is 41.4 °C in July. The gate opens at 6:00 AM — when to come.
- The Premium Luxor Pass is the tier that adds Seti I. Six sources agree on that. Whether the pass breaks even is a separate question, on the Luxor Pass page.
The newest official price document that exists is the Ministry’s printed list dated 5 November 2024. No 2025 or 2026 replacement has been published, so everything here is the current published rate; confirm it for the day you arrive.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to enter Seti I’s tomb?
EGP 2,000, bought separately on top of the EGP 750 general entry ticket. It is the only ticket in the Valley of the Kings with no student discount — students also pay EGP 2,000.
Why is Seti I’s tomb so expensive?
It is 137.19 m long with seven corridors and ten chambers, it is one of the most completely decorated tombs in the valley, it is decorated in painted raised relief rather than paint alone, and the burial chamber has a vaulted ceiling of golden stars on deep blue with the circumpolar constellations.
Is Seti I’s tomb included in the Valley of the Kings ticket?
No. KV17 is a separate EGP 2,000 ticket. Buying it does not use up one of the three tombs the general ticket admits you to, so you still get those three as well.
Is Seti I worth it compared with Ramses V and VI?
Ramses V and VI (KV9) costs EGP 220, about a ninth of Seti I, and two independent sources call it the best value in the valley: an almost complete Book of Caverns, a Nut ceiling framing the Book of the Day and the Book of the Night, and roughly 995 ancient visitor inscriptions. Seti I is the more complete tomb; KV9 is the better-value one.
Is there a student ticket for Seti I?
No. Every other ticket in the valley halves for students, and this one does not: the adult price and the student price are both EGP 2,000.