Luxor

Dendera — Luxor is a good base to this site of a fantastically well-preserved Ptolemaic temple of Hathor. A number of hotels organise such day-trips - you don't need to be staying with them to use these services.

For those with more time on their hands you can add a visit to the Temple of Seti I at Abydos, featuring some of the best relief work in Egypt. This is a lengthy road trip from Luxor, but can be combined with a day trip to Dendera.

The city is also a good staging post for onward travel through Upper Egypt and on to Aswan and Abu Simbel.