What to bring to the Valley of the Kings

Water — and the rule almost nobody prints: you may not take food or water into the tombs. So you drink outside, between descents, in a place whose mean daily maximum is 41.4 °C in July. Bring a card, because the ticket window has not taken cash since June 2023, and bring cash as well, because the tram is EGP 20 per person and the ferry wants small notes. Bring a student card if you are claiming EGP 375. Leave the tripod and the drone at home.

Into the tombsNo food, no water

At the ticket windowCard only

TramEGP 20, cash

FerrySmall notes

Student rateEGP 375, ID needed

Camera permitAbolished

Water, and the rule that governs it

Two independent sources state that food and water may not be taken into the tombs. It is one of the most under-reported practical facts about this site, and it changes how a hot morning works: your bottle is for the walking and the waiting, not for the descent. Drink before you go down, and treat each tomb as a stretch without water.

Water is sold on site, at one small café, and three sources describe the prices as inflated. No figure appears on this page because none was checked to the standard the rest of this site uses. Fill a bottle in town before you cross. That is one purchase avoided on a day that already involves up to four ticket windows — see what the day costs.

Money: both kinds, in the right order

A card. Cash has not been accepted for entry tickets at the Valley of the Kings since June 2023. Visa and Mastercard work at the window. Turning up with EGP 750 in notes and no card is a problem you cannot talk your way out of.

Cash as well. The tram is EGP 20 per person round trip. The ferry is roughly EGP 10 to EGP 20 each way and wants small notes. Tips are cash. Several of the smaller West Bank sites remain cash-only. So the sweeping version of this — that cash is never accepted in Egypt — is wrong, and following it would strand you at the tram. The payment page has the announcement behind the card rule.

Documents

A student card, if you are claiming EGP 375 instead of EGP 750. One source adds a condition no other confirms: the holder’s age must not exceed 24. Carry the ID and treat that ceiling as something to check at the window. Note that Seti I at EGP 2,000 has no student rate at all.
Your passport, or a photocopy of the photo page, plus a passport-sized photo — but only if you intend to buy the Luxor Pass, which is sold in person, at Karnak and at this valley’s visitor centre, and never online. Sources split on whether one or two of each is wanted, so bring two of each; nobody penalises you for it. The pass page has the tiers and the break-even.

Sun

Luxor’s mean daily maximum is 41.4 °C in July and 41.2 °C in June and August, with recorded extremes of 49.2 °C (July 2000), 48.2 °C (June 2010) and 47.8 °C (August 2002). Those are ambient figures for the city; this site publishes no temperature for inside a tomb. The practical response is the 6:00 AM opening rather than any particular item of kit — see why the hour beats the month.

Camera

No permit and no photography ticket is needed for personal photography, including with a DSLR; the permit was abolished. Tripods are prohibited, flash is prohibited, and drones are prohibited nationwide — which makes a drone the one item on this page that is a problem before you even reach the valley. The photography page has the sourcing.

Worth carrying

A bottle of water, filled before you cross, for outside the tombs
A Visa or Mastercard for the ticket window
Cash in small notes for the ferry, the EGP 20 tram and tips
A student card if you are claiming EGP 375
Sun cover, for a place with a July mean daily maximum of 41.4 °C
Passport photocopy and two passport photos, only if buying the Luxor Pass

What this page will not invent

A tripod — prohibited
A drone — prohibited nationwide
Flash photography — prohibited
Food or a drink you intend to carry into a tomb — not allowed inside
A dress code or footwear rule from this page: no source we checked sets one
A torch, a guidebook or any other item this page cannot source a reason for

What you are carrying it all through

Three tombs at a comfortable pace is about two hours, three to four with the separately ticketed tombs, and none of that includes the crossing, the ticket queue or the tram. Pack for a half day out of a hotel rather than for a hike. The time page shows what those hours do and do not cover, and the crossing page covers the ferry.

Frequently asked questions

Can you take water into the tombs at the Valley of the Kings?

No. Two independent sources state that food and water may not be taken into the tombs. Bring a bottle for the time you spend outside them, and drink before each descent.

What should I bring to the Valley of the Kings?

A card for the ticket window, which has not taken cash since June 2023; cash in small notes for the ferry and the EGP 20 tram; water for outside the tombs; sun cover; and a student card if you are claiming EGP 375.

Do I need cash at the Valley of the Kings?

Yes, alongside a card. Entry tickets are card-only, but the tram, the ferry, tips and several smaller West Bank sites take cash. The claim that cash is never accepted in Egypt is wrong and following it would leave you stuck at the tram.

Can I bring a tripod or a drone?

No. Tripods are prohibited, flash is prohibited, and drones are prohibited nationwide. Personal photography, including with a DSLR, needs no permit and no ticket.