Nefertiti Hotel

The Nefertiti Hotel is a long-standing budget favourite on the East Bank, set on El Sahabi Street, a lane reached via Karnak Temple Street in the heart of town. Its main selling point is location: Luxor Temple, the souq and the Corniche are all a few minutes' walk away, so you can see much of the East Bank on foot and return to rest during the hottest part of the day.

Rooms come in single, double, twin, triple and family configurations, the largest sleeping up to four. Most are air-conditioned with a balcony, minibar, satellite television and ironing facilities, and the twin rooms have private bathrooms and a terrace with views towards the mountains. Rooms are straightforward rather than stylish, but they cover the basics well for the price.

The hotel shares its building with Al-Sahaby Lane Restaurant, whose rooftop terrace looks out over the town towards the Nile and the West Bank hills. Breakfast and all-day meals are served there, and it is a good spot to plan the next day's sightseeing. There is free Wi-Fi throughout, a 24-hour front desk, luggage storage and a laundry service for which charges apply.

The tour desk is one of the hotel's strengths. Staff can help arrange sightseeing trips, Nile cruises and airport transfers on request, with prices confirmed in advance, which takes much of the effort out of organising a visit. This makes it a good choice for first-time visitors and solo travellers, as well as backpackers and anyone on a tight budget who still wants reliable service.

The lane can be lively in the evenings with shops and cafés open late, so light sleepers may want to ask for a quieter room. The railway station is a short taxi ride away, and the ferry landing for the West Bank is on the Corniche close by. Book through the hotel's website or by email, phone or WhatsApp, and ask the team about combining your stay with day trips.

Staying in the centre also makes it easy to visit Luxor Temple in the evening when it is floodlit, to walk the restored Avenue of Sphinxes, and to take a horse-drawn carriage or taxi to Karnak and the museums along the Corniche without long journeys.