Tombs, explained
The Valley of the Kings: which tombs are open, and which cost extra
General admission gets you into three tombs from a rotating list. Tutankhamun's and Seti I's are a separate ticket, bought on the day. Here is how the system actually works.
See Luxor day trip tickets on GetYourGuide ↗Valley of the Kings tickets at a glance
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| General admission | Access to three tombs chosen from the currently-open rotation |
| Typical rotation | Includes tombs such as Ramesses III, IV, VI and IX, Thutmose III, Merenptah |
| Tutankhamun (KV62) | Separate paid ticket, not part of general admission |
| Seti I (KV17) | Separate paid ticket, roughly three times general admission |
| West Valley | A different area; its one open tomb (Ay) needs its own ticket |
Why not every tomb is open
Around 18 tombs in the valley can technically be opened to visitors, but they are rarely open all at once — conservation concerns, the physical condition of the painted plaster, and simple visitor-flow management mean Egypt's antiquities authorities cycle which tombs are accessible from one season to the next. A general admission ticket buys entry to three tombs chosen from whatever happens to be open at the time of your visit, so the exact list of what you can see shifts over time rather than being a fixed, guaranteed set.
What general admission typically includes
The rotation of tombs available on general admission has included ones such as Ramesses III, Ramesses IV, Ramesses VI, Ramesses IX, Merenptah, Thutmose III and Seti II, among others — all impressively decorated tombs of New Kingdom pharaohs, just not the two most famous names most visitors have heard of before they arrive. This booking's included entrance fees cover this general admission tier, so your Egyptologist guide will steer you toward whichever three are currently open and worth the walk down into them.
Tutankhamun's tomb is the exception
KV62, discovered famously intact by Howard Carter in 1922, draws far more visitors than the valley's infrastructure was ever built for, so it carries its own separate paid ticket rather than being folded into general admission like the others. It is, somewhat counterintuitively, one of the smaller and less elaborately decorated tombs in the valley — many first-time visitors find the fame outweighs the visual impact compared with some of the free-rotation tombs, which is worth knowing before deciding whether the extra cost is worth it for your group.
Seti I's tomb is the other add-on, and the pricier one
Seti I's tomb (KV17) is widely considered the most elaborately decorated tomb in the entire valley — longer, deeper and more completely painted than almost any other — and its separate ticket price reflects that status, priced at roughly three times general admission on its own. Unlike Tutankhamun's tomb, reviewers, guidebooks and Egyptologists alike consistently rate Seti I's tomb as genuinely worth the extra cost for its scale, its depth into the rock, and how well the original colour has survived on the walls.
Deciding on the day
Both extra tickets are bought in cash at the valley's own ticket office, not through this booking or in advance online, so the decision and the payment happen on the spot rather than something you can lock in before you land. If either tomb matters to your group — Seti I especially, given how consistently it is recommended — it is worth discussing as a group before you're standing at the counter with a queue behind you and a guide watching the day's schedule.