The West Bank of Luxor is quieter than the East, more agricultural and more ancient. The Nile flood plain narrows here, and the desert cliffs — which hide the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens — come close to the cultivation. A few villages, the most important being Gezira (on the river) and Qurna (near the tombs), are home to families who have lived here for generations, many with complex informal relationships to the archaeology below their feet.
The public ferry from the East Bank costs a few Egyptian pounds and drops you on the West Bank near the cycle and donkey rental points. From here you can hire transport up to the temple and tomb sites, or negotiate a driver for the day. Cycling is possible and atmospheric, though the distances are greater than they look and the heat from March to October is serious. The best time to visit the West Bank temples is early morning; most tour groups arrive mid-morning and the sites empty again by early afternoon.