Luxor

Luxor is quite a large city with a population of around four hundred thousand people. It actually encompasses three large areas; on the west bank of the Nile Thebes the ancient city of the Pharaohs; on the east bank the city of Luxor itself and the temple complex of Karnak, to the north.

The Luxor is not only dominated by the its ancient history but also by the Nile which runs through this city. It is certainly worth exploring the city of Luxor itself and the beautiful walks you can take beside the Nile where you see the iconic feluccas sailing up and down the river. However, when out and about remember that the economy of Luxor is wholly dependent on tourism which means that you can expect on a regular basis to be approached by people who are trying to sell you things - don't get stressed by this, just expect it. They're just trying to earn a living!

Luxor, with all its temples, tombs and museums rightly gets the title of "the biggest open air museum in the world". This doe not mean that it will be boring for your family. Kids seem to be strangely attracted to dead Egyptian things and once they watch such films as The Mummy and The Mummy Returns they'll be looking forward to seeing the real mummies and temples!

Although Luxor is a rather large city it is not really blessed with massive indoor shopping malls, not that you would go to such a place looking for one. It is blessed with splendid souks, bazaars and stalls where you get find the perfect souvenir or little trinket which will remind you Luxor. Go to either Television Street, Salah el din Square or the Nile Shopping Centre on the banks of the Nile.

Another favourite place to go shopping is Sharia al-Lokanda area of Luxor. Here you'll find plenty of cafes, restaurants and bazaars. The Fair Trade Centre is located in this area where you can buy hand crafted souvenirs from this non-profit organisation. You don't have to buy anything (perhaps a coffee) but Sharia al-Lokanda area is worth the visit just to soak up the atmosphere and energy of place.

Top of everyone's list of things to buy are alabaster and papyrus. You don't need to be told this but if you haven't visited Luxor, you'll see alabaster and papyrus on sale virtually everywhere. El Gezira, just outside Luxor is considered the best place to buy alabaster so head for there to get a good deal. When buying alabaster examine it closely looking for cracks and flaws, if it has too many reject it as it won't survive the journey back home.

For hand painted papyrus, head for the Nefertari Papyrus Institute where you can buy genuine papyrus paintings. Be careful not to succumb to counterfeit papyrus as it is made from banana leaves which is brittle and will not last any length of time. A couple of quick test you can do to see if it genuine is firstly hold the papyrus up to the light if it has fibres running vertically and horizontally then it is genuine. Secondly, roll out the papyrus before buying it, real papyrus is not brittle which is why it lasts so long.

It is difficult to list all of the places you should see but here are our recommendations. Top on your list of things to see in Luxor must be the Luxor Temple which is guarded by an avenue of Sphinxes and the Mummification Museum where you and your children can learn about the mummification process. On the west bank of the Nile, Thebes is the Theban Necropolis. this is where the ancient Egyptians buried their royalty, the men in the Valley of the Kings and the women in the Valley of the Queens. Karnak is one of the most important Pharaonic sites in Egypt and certainly should be included on your itinerary.

You and your family will do a lot of walking, this can be tiring at the best of times but in the height of summer when temperatures can hit the 40C it can quite exhausting. If you have a young family then go in the late autumn early winter when the temperatures are a bit more comfortable.

Our top recommendation is take your family for a stroll down by the Nile. Here you can enjoy the sunset as a backdrop to the Nile and the traditional feluccas sailing on it.

There are various light and sound shows which take place in the evening at some of the temples which are worth a visit.