# Egyptian Museum, Cairo > The Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, opened in 1902, is Cairo's original antiquities museum. Tutankhamun has moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum, but the Narmer Palette, Psusennes I's gold mask and a 7 m Amenhotep III colossus remain. Foreign adults pay EGP 550. Open daily 9:00–17:00, last ticket 16:00. Allow two to three hours. Web page: https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/egyptian-museum - City: [Cairo](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo), Egypt - YesGo score: 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 2 h 30 min - Entry: EGP 550, students EGP 275 - With kids: Fine with kids - Foreign adult: EGP 550 - Foreign student (under 24): EGP 275 with a valid student card - Under 6: Free - Hours: Daily 9:00–17:00, last ticket 16:00 - Ramadan: 9:00–16:00, last ticket 15:00 - Where to buy: Egymonuments website, Experience Egypt app or the ticket desk - Payment: Visa and Mastercard on every channel, ticket desk included - Refunds: Non-refundable; lost tickets are not replaced - Phone photos: Free - Video camera: About EGP 300 per camera — unofficial - Audio guide: EGP 75 for foreign visitors - Metro: Sadat (Lines 1 and 2), under Tahrir Square - Coordinates: 30.04778, 31.23333 - Facts checked: 03.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1902** — year the Tahrir building opened, designed by the French architect Marcel Dourgnon (source: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities; English and Russian Wikipedia) - **2025** — year the last Tutankhamun objects left for the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza (source: English Wikipedia; The National) - **22 mummies** — of kings and queens moved to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization on 3 April 2021 (source: English Wikipedia (“Egyptian Museum”, “Pharaohs' Golden Parade”)) - **64 × 42 cm** — the Narmer Palette, c. 3100 BC, often read as a record of Egypt's unification (source: English Wikipedia; CairoScene) - **7 m** — height of the Amenhotep III and Tiye colossus, the largest known pair statue (source: English Wikipedia; CairoScene) - **1940** — year Pierre Montet found Psusennes I's intact tomb at Tanis, with its gold mask and silver coffin (source: English Wikipedia; CairoScene) - **1895** — year of Egypt's first international design competition, held for this museum (source: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities; English Wikipedia) - **1905** — year the tomb of Yuya and Thuya, Queen Tiye's parents, was found in the Valley of the Kings (source: English Wikipedia; Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) - **1896** — year Flinders Petrie found the Merneptah Stele, with the earliest known mention of Israel (source: English Wikipedia) - **1835** — year Egypt set up its antiquities service, the start of the museum's story (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) > **Tutankhamun and the royal mummies are no longer here** Tutankhamun's gold mask and the rest of his tomb are now at the [Grand Egyptian Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/grand-egyptian-museum) in Giza, and the 22 royal mummies moved to the [National Museum of Egyptian Civilization](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/egyptian-civilization-museum) in 2021. Come to Tahrir for the older collection and the historic building — not for King Tut. ## Is the Egyptian Museum in Cairo worth visiting now? Yes, as a second museum. If you have time for only one, pick the Grand Egyptian Museum: Tutankhamun, the newer galleries and the pyramid views are all there. If you have a spare half-day in downtown Cairo, the Tahrir museum is well worth it — the ticket costs less than a third of the GEM's, and much of what you see here is not in Giza. What stays here is the classic Egyptology collection: the Narmer Palette, the Tanis treasures with Psusennes I's gold mask, the burial goods of Yuya and Thuya, the Amarna rooms and the huge Amenhotep III colossus. Expect old wooden cases, sparse labels and patchy air-conditioning. Expect fewer crowds too — the tour coaches now go to Giza. Skip it if you dislike dusty, dense museums or are already short of time in Cairo. Come if you love the history of archaeology: the building itself, with its 1902 galleries and memorial to Egyptologists in the garden, is part of the story. ## Egyptian Museum tickets and opening hours Foreign adults pay **EGP 550**, foreign students under 24 with a valid card pay EGP 275, and children under six go free. The audio guide is EGP 75 and phone photography is free. These are the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' published prices, and there are no extra tickets for individual rooms. The museum opens **every day from 9:00 to 17:00**, with the last ticket sold at 16:00. During Ramadan it closes at 16:00, last ticket 15:00. Arrive by 15:00 at the latest if you want to see more than the ground floor. Buy online on the Ministry's Egymonuments site or the Experience Egypt app, or simply at the desk. Visa and Mastercard work on every channel, desk included; tickets are dated and non-refundable. Carry a few small Egyptian pound notes for toilets and tips — there is nowhere inside the galleries to buy water. ## What to see in the Egyptian Museum - **Narmer Palette** — a 64 cm siltstone slab from around 3100 BC, showing King Narmer in the crown of Upper Egypt striking an enemy. It is one of the earliest images of a unified Egypt, found at Hierakonpolis in 1897–98. - **Amenhotep III and Tiye colossus** — seven metres of limestone filling the central hall, with three of their daughters at their feet. It once stood in the king's mortuary temple at Thebes and is the largest known pair statue. - **Tanis treasures** — royal gold of the 21st and 22nd dynasties, found intact by Pierre Montet in 1940. Look for Psusennes I's gold-and-lapis mask and his silver coffin; silver was rarer than gold in ancient Egypt. - **Yuya and Thuya** — the parents of Queen Tiye and grandparents of Akhenaten. Gilded masks, nested coffins, a chariot and a Book of the Dead from their Valley of the Kings tomb, found in 1905. - **Amarna rooms** — reliefs of Akhenaten and Nefertiti worshipping the sun disc, the Aten, and fragments of painted palace floors from his short-lived capital. - **Merneptah Stele** — a granite slab of around 1208 BC, found by Flinders Petrie at Thebes in 1896. Its victory text contains the earliest known mention of Israel. - **Saqqara Bird** — an 18 cm wooden bird of around 200 BC, a favourite of “ancient aircraft” theorists; Egyptologists see a toy or a weather vane. - **Old Kingdom galleries** — statues of the pyramid age, scribes and painted coffins. Some large pieces have gone to Giza, so ask a guard for the room if you are after one specific object. ## How to get to the Egyptian Museum 1. **Metro**: ride to Sadat station under Tahrir Square, where Lines 1 and 2 meet. Follow the underground passages to the museum side — about 3 minutes on foot to the gate. 2. **From the Giza Pyramids**: taxi to Giza metro station, then Line 2 to Sadat, about 15 minutes on the train. Cheaper than sitting in traffic by car. 3. **Uber, Careem or inDrive**: set the pin to “Egyptian Museum, Tahrir Square”. From Cairo airport (CAI) allow 40–60 minutes depending on traffic; app rides usually beat unmetered street taxis on price. 4. **From the Grand Egyptian Museum**: 40–60 minutes by car, so most people do the two on different days, or Tahrir in the morning and Giza later. 5. Bags are screened at the entrance. Buy your ticket or show your QR code, then start in the central hall with the Amenhotep III colossus. ## Egyptian Museum vs Grand Egyptian Museum | | Egyptian Museum (Tahrir) | Grand Egyptian Museum | | --- | --- | --- | | Highlights | Narmer Palette, Tanis gold, Amenhotep III colossus, Amarna | Complete Tutankhamun collection, Ramesses II colossus, Khufu's boats | | Foreign adult | EGP 550 | About EGP 1,830 — unofficial | | Buying | Online or at the desk | Online only, for a timed slot | | Hours | Daily 9:00–17:00, last ticket 16:00 | Galleries 9:00–18:00, Wed and Sat until 21:00 | | Location | Downtown Cairo, Sadat metro | Giza, 2 km from the pyramids | | Time needed | 2–3 hours | 3–4 hours | For Tutankhamun, the GEM is the only option now. Tahrir is the museum for a second day — Egypt's oldest objects and the Tanis gold. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Visa or Mastercard for the ticket - [ ] Student card, if I want the reduced ticket - [ ] Arriving before 16:00 — no tickets after that - [ ] Water bottle — nothing on sale inside the galleries - [ ] Small pound notes for toilets and tips - [ ] A short list of rooms I want to see — the layout is not linear ## Ancient Egypt in Cairo: compare and choose Historic places in Cairo with a YesGo score. - [Memphis](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/ancient-memphis) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · EGP 200, students EGP 100 - [Egyptian Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/egyptian-museum) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · EGP 550, students EGP 275 - [Al-Azhar Mosque](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/al-azhar-mosque) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Cairo Citadel and Muhammad Ali Mosque](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/cairo-citadel) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 550 EGP, students 275 EGP - [Giza Pyramids](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/giza-pyramids) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · EGP 700, Great Pyramid inside extra - [Khan el-Khalili](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/khan-el-khalili) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free - [Hanging Church](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/hanging-church) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free entry - [Grand Egyptian Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/grand-egyptian-museum) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ EGP 1,830, online only - [Pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/saqqara) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · EGP 600, pyramid interior +280 - [National Museum of Egyptian Civilization](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/egyptian-civilization-museum) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · EGP 550, mummies included ## Antiquities day: Tahrir, the mummies and Coptic Cairo The classic collection at Tahrir in the morning, the royal mummies in Fustat after lunch, then the Hanging Church next door. 1. [Egyptian Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/egyptian-museum) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · EGP 550, students EGP 275 2. [National Museum of Egyptian Civilization](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/egyptian-civilization-museum) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · EGP 550, mummies included 3. [Hanging Church](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/hanging-church) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free entry ## Don't confuse The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat are three different museums. Tutankhamun's mask is in Giza, the royal mummies are at the Civilization museum, and the Narmer Palette and Tanis gold are here. ## Tips - Start in the central hall: the Amenhotep III colossus faces you as you enter, and the Narmer Palette sits near the start of the route. - Head upstairs for the Tanis gold and Yuya and Thuya while you still have energy. - Mornings are quieter; groups from cruises and day tours tend to arrive around midday. - The EGP 75 audio guide is worth it — many case labels are short and decades old. - If this would be your only museum in Cairo, choose the Grand Egyptian Museum instead: that is where Tutankhamun is. - The Nile and Qasr al-Nil Bridge are a couple of minutes' walk away — a good place to decompress after the galleries. ## Questions ### How much is the Egyptian Museum ticket in Cairo? EGP 550 for foreign adults, EGP 275 for foreign students under 24, free for children under six. The audio guide costs EGP 75. ### What are the Egyptian Museum opening hours? Daily 9:00–17:00, last ticket at 16:00. During Ramadan it closes at 16:00, with the last ticket at 15:00. ### Is Tutankhamun still in the Egyptian Museum? No. The whole Tutankhamun collection, including the gold mask, is now at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza; the Tahrir gallery closed in 2025. ### Where are the royal mummies now? At the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat. Twenty-two royal mummies were moved there on 3 April 2021. ### Is the Egyptian Museum worth visiting after the GEM opened? Yes, if you have a second museum day. It keeps the Narmer Palette, the Tanis gold, Yuya and Thuya and the Amarna rooms, for a much cheaper ticket. ### How long do you need at the Egyptian Museum? Two to three hours for the highlights on both floors; a full afternoon if you love Egyptology. ### How do I get to the Egyptian Museum? Take the metro to Sadat station under Tahrir Square, about 3 minutes from the gate, or an Uber, Careem or inDrive to Tahrir Square. ### Can you take photos inside? Yes, phone photos are free. Video cameras reportedly need a separate paid permit — an unofficial figure. ### Is the Egyptian Museum the same as the Grand Egyptian Museum? No. The Egyptian Museum is the 1902 museum in Tahrir Square; the GEM is the new museum near the pyramids, with its own tickets and hours. ## How we checked Fares, concessions, hours (including Ramadan), the audio guide and free phone photography come from two official pages of Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities; sales channels and card payment come from the FAQ of its official ticketing system. The video camera fee appears only on Wikivoyage, so it is marked as unofficial. What remains at Tahrir was checked against the Ministry's page and a CairoScene feature written after the GEM opened. One conflict: English Wikipedia says the Yuya and Thuya collection is to be shown at the GEM, while the Ministry and CairoScene place it at Tahrir; we follow the newer sources. Sources give the length of Yuya's Book of the Dead as 9.7 m or 19 m, so we leave it out. We don't give an object count, since transfers keep changing it. GEM figures match our Grand Egyptian Museum page. Travel times are unofficial estimates. ## Sources - Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, egymonuments.gov.eg: “Egyptian Museum” — fares, concessions, hours, Ramadan hours, audio guide, history and key collections, 03.11.2026 - Egymonuments, the Ministry's official ticketing: “Egyptian Museum” — fares and hours; FAQ — sales channels, Visa and Mastercard, refunds, phone photography, 03.11.2026 - CairoScene: “Eight Reasons to Re-Visit the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir”, 10.11.2025 - The National: “Can Cairo's Egyptian Museum … preserve its place on the tourist trail?” — what remains after the move, 28.11.2025 - Wikivoyage: “Cairo/Downtown” — Sadat metro, video camera fee (May 2026 edit) - English Wikipedia: “Egyptian Museum”, “Grand Egyptian Museum”, “Narmer Palette”, “Psusennes I”, “Colossal statue of Amenhotep III and Tiye”, “Merneptah Stele”, “Saqqara Bird”, “Tomb of Yuya and Thuya” - Russian Wikipedia: “Каирский египетский музей”; Wikidata Q201219 --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.