The Valley of the Kings is a long dry wadi cut into the limestone of the western Theban hills, screened from the Nile floodplain by the natural pyramid of el-Qurn. The pharaohs of the New Kingdom (c. 1539–1075 BCE) abandoned the pyramid as a tomb form in favour of hidden rock-cut graves in this valley, in the hope that concealment would defeat what visible monumentality could not — the persistent attention of tomb robbers. Sixty-three numbered tombs (KV1 through KV63, with sporadic later discoveries given conditional numbers) have been catalogued; an unknown number more probably exist, given the regular discoveries of recent decades.
How to read a royal tomb
A New Kingdom royal tomb follows a recognisable architectural grammar. The visitor enters down a stepped descending corridor, passing through a succession of doorways and antechambers, and arrives at the burial chamber — which is itself often hidden behind a final descent. The walls of each segment carry one of the canonical funerary texts: the Book of the Dead (in chapters), the Book of Caverns, the Litany of Re, the Book of Gates, the Amduat (the Book of What Is in the Netherworld), the Book of the Heavenly Cow. The ceilings of the burial chambers typically carry an astronomical ceiling — the decans, the constellations, the night journey of the sun-disc through the body of Nut.
A practical reading consequence: once the visitor has understood the grammar of one tomb, the others read as variations on a theme rather than as random caves. The architectural skeleton repeats; the variations are in the texts chosen, the quality of the painting, and the surviving completeness.
Which tombs to enter
Of the sixty-three numbered tombs, around a dozen are typically open to general visitors at any one time. The rotation is set by the Supreme Council of Antiquities and adjusted seasonally to allow conservation work. The remainder are either closed permanently for stability, accessible only to scholars under permit, or destined to reopen after current works. The general entry ticket admits the holder to three tombs from a marked set of open options; certain tombs require separate single-tomb tickets at the central window.
The tombs reliably worth the time
KV17 — Seti I
The longest and most beautifully painted royal tomb in the valley. Discovered by Giovanni Battista Belzoni in 1817. The astronomical ceiling of the burial chamber and the corridor wall paintings of the Litany of Re are unmatched in their preservation of colour. KV17 requires a separate single-tomb ticket; the fee is significant but the tomb is the single best-justified extra in the valley.
KV9 — Ramesses VI
A wide, well-lit tomb with one of the best-preserved astronomical ceilings, painted around 1140 BCE. The double figure of the sky-goddess Nut along the burial chamber ceiling is the single image most reproduced in Egyptological textbooks; in person, the colour is more saturated than any reproduction conveys. KV9 is typically included in the general three-tomb ticket.
KV34 — Thutmose III
The earliest of the great royal tombs visible today, cut around 1450 BCE in an irregular cartouche-shaped burial chamber. The wall painting is in a deliberately rough, sketch-like style that mimics ostraca; the texts are the Amduat in its earliest form. The approach is via an exposed metal staircase up the cliff face — vertiginous but worth it for the visitor in reasonable physical condition.
KV2 — Ramesses IV
A short, level, easy walk; an excellent first tomb for visitors who are tired or accompanied by small children. The astronomical ceiling at the entrance corridor is exceptionally clear, the colours bright, and the sarcophagus chamber holds the original granite sarcophagus.
KV62 — Tutankhamun
The smallest royal tomb in the valley, four chambers totalling around one hundred and ten square metres. The principal Tutankhamun collection has been moved to the GEM; the mummy itself remains in situ, in its outermost coffin, displayed under glass in the burial chamber. The wall paintings are limited to a single scene per wall — the tomb was completed in haste — but the experience of standing where the boy-king was placed in 1323 BCE is its own argument. Separate ticket; queue-managed.
How to walk the valley
The visitor centre is at the eastern (lower) end of the wadi. A small open-air train, the tafa-tafa, runs between the visitor centre and the upper tomb cluster every few minutes; it is included in the general ticket. The walk is also possible on foot, eight hundred metres up a gentle slope; in the cooler season the walk is pleasant, in summer it is not advised.
The tombs are arranged along the bottom of the wadi in roughly chronological clusters. KV17 (Seti I) and KV9 (Ramesses VI) sit at the eastern end, near the visitor centre. KV34 (Thutmose III), the earliest tomb, sits at the far western end, requiring a longer walk. A practical itinerary visits the closer tombs first, then walks west to the harder ones.
Conservation and climate
The valley is in a state of long-term controlled conservation. Salt deposits brought in by visitor breath have damaged the pigments of many tombs; the open rotation of tombs is in part a measure to spread the impact. Humidity sensors in the open tombs and capped visitor numbers help. Reproduction copies of the most vulnerable tombs — KV62 and the burial chamber of Seti I — exist at the entrance to the valley, and are worth a separate look as scholarly objects in their own right.
The royal tomb does not exist to be entered. It exists to receive a body. The visitor is, in this sense, always trespassing on a private liturgy.
Practicalities
- Open 06:00 – 17:00 daily.
- General entry covers three tombs from a marked open set. KV17 (Seti I), KV62 (Tutankhamun), and occasional rotating premium tombs require separate single-tomb tickets.
- The valley is accessed from Luxor via the West Bank, reached by car ferry or road bridge. Local transport: shared minivan, taxi, or organised West Bank circuit.
- Carry water in larger quantities than you expect. The valley floor reflects heat from the limestone in summer and is genuinely hostile by 11 a.m.
- Closed shoes are essential — the floor of each tomb is uneven worn stone.
- The on-site café at the visitor centre is moderately priced and has shade. The famous photograph of the carved Ramesses VI sarcophagus is in the central hall of the visitor museum, not in the tomb itself.
Entry verified, February 2026. The rotation of open tombs changes by season; the daily list is posted at the central ticket window.