Grand Aton Hotel

Northern Nile Valley


Still referred to locally as the Etap (its former incarnation), the Grand Aton has emerged from a major renovation with the best rooms in town but the atmosphere of a mall more than a hotel. On the west bank of the Nile, many of the well-equipped bungalow rooms have great river views. Restaurants, a cafe/bar and pool.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Northern Nile Valley attractions

1. Akhenaten Museum

1.78 MILES

The new Akhenaten Museum on the east bank is now complete, but no date has been set for its opening. If the Egyptian authorities can swing it, it will be…

2. Frazer Tombs

2.52 MILES

Five kilometres south of Tihna Al Gebel, the Frazer Tombs date back to the 5th and 6th dynasties. These Old Kingdom tombs are cut into the east-bank…

3. Zawiyyet Al Mayyiteen

3.18 MILES

On the east bank about 7km southeast of town, this large Muslim and Christian cemetery, called Zawiyyet Al Mayyiteen (Place of the Dead), consists of…

4. Deir Al Adhra

8.09 MILES

The clifflike Gebel At Teir (Bird Mountain) rises east of the Nile, some 93km south of Beni Suef and 20km north of Minya. The mountain takes its name from…

5. Tomb of Amenemhat (No 2)

14.84 MILES

Amenemhat was a 12th-dynasty governor of Oryx. His tomb is the largest and possibly the best at Beni Hasan and, like that of Khnumhotep, its impressive…

6. Tomb of Kheti (No 17)

14.89 MILES

Kheti, Baqet’s son, inherited the governorship of the Oryx nome from his father. His tomb chapel, with two of its original six papyrus columns intact, has…

7. Tomb of Baqet (No 15)

14.93 MILES

Baqet was an 11th-dynasty governor of the Oryx nome (district). His rectangular tomb chapel has seven tomb shafts and some well-preserved wall paintings…

8. Tomb of Khnumhotep (No 3)

14.95 MILES

Khnumhotep was governor during the early 12th dynasty, and his detailed ‘autobiography’ is inscribed on the base of walls that contain the most detailed…