The East Bank is where Luxor's modern city sits, arrayed along the Corniche beside the Nile. Luxor Temple is literally on the waterfront, and the Karnak complex is 2.5 kilometres north. The Avenue of Sphinxes connects the two. Between and around them is the contemporary city: bazaars, restaurants, hotels, the train station, and the practical infrastructure of a functioning Egyptian town.
The Corniche itself is worth walking, particularly in the evening when Luxor's residents come out to promenade. The bazaar behind the temple is noisy, persistent, and full of alabaster, scarabs, and papyrus — take your time, agree on prices firmly, and expect to be followed by offers you don't need. The neighbourhood between the temple and the train station has the more everyday commercial life of Luxor: juice bars, kushari restaurants, mobile phone shops. This is the base for most visits, and the departure point for the public ferry to the West Bank.