Ramesseum, Valley of the Queens & Deir el-Medina Tour

Start on the West Bank at the Ramesseum, the mortuary temple of Ramesses II. Its most famous feature is the fallen colossus of the king, once among the largest statues in Egypt, which inspired Shelley's poem "Ozymandias". Walk among the columns of the hypostyle hall, see reliefs of the Battle of Kadesh on the pylons, and look out over the mud-brick storerooms that once held the temple's grain and treasures.

Continue to the Valley of the Queens, where royal wives and princes of the 19th and 20th dynasties were buried. The tombs open to visitors are small but richly painted, with bright scenes of the dead being welcomed by the gods, and several belong to young sons of Ramesses III. The tomb of Queen Nefertari, often called the most beautiful in Egypt, can be visited with a separate, limited ticket at extra cost.

Finish with a site of your choice. Deir el-Medina is the village of the craftsmen who built the royal tombs, with their own brightly decorated tombs and a small Ptolemaic temple of Hathor. The Tombs of the Nobles show the lives of officials in vivid scenes of farming, feasting and family. Your guide will help you choose based on what you have already seen, before driving you back to your hotel.