I'm no historian but history is one the things in life that interests me greatly and there are fewer places anywhere that can boast the riches of history that is available in modern day Luxor. There is just so much to see and do that I couldn't manage it all in a 2 week vacation and had to return the following year for another 2 weeks.
At times you can feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of things to see.
In the immediate vicinity you have the temples at Luxor and Karnak, with Karnak being particularly impressive due to the sheer scale of it. Across the Nile there is the Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Hatshepsut. These are the main tourist attractions for visitors to Luxor but there are countless other sites that are available to visit with the Tomb of Rekhmire being one I would say not to miss due to the impressive wall paintings.
The museum in Luxor is also unmissable, full of ancient Egyptian treasures and artifacts. 
Once the main sites around Luxor have been explored it makes a great base to visit other sites, such as Dendera, El Kab, Aswan, Kom Ombo and many others.
No trip to Luxor would be complete without taking in the sunset on a River Nile felucca.