Giza Pyramids, Cairo

Giza Pyramids tickets and prices

Plateau entry for foreign visitors is EGP 700; students up to 24 with ID pay EGP 350 and under-6s go free. That ticket gets you onto the plateau, up to all three pyramids, the Sphinx viewing area and the panorama point. It does not cover going inside the Khufu, Khafre or Menkaure pyramids, the Tomb of Meresankh III or the Workers' Cemetery — each has its own ticket.

The official channels are the Egymonuments website, the Experience Egypt app and the ticket desks and self-service kiosks at the gate. Visa and Mastercard work everywhere, so a card is all you need for tickets. Carry some small Egyptian pound notes anyway for toilets, tips, water and any camel ride; dollars are not reliably accepted on site. Tickets are non-refundable and dated, and you keep yours until you leave.

There is no official combined ticket with the Grand Egyptian Museum. The museum sells its own timed tickets online. “Combo” deals on reseller sites are simply the two standard tickets with a markup.

Giza Pyramids opening hours and best time to visit

The plateau opens every day at 7:00, with last entry at 16:00; during Ramadan it opens at 8:00 with last entry at 15:30. Be at the gate for opening: tour coaches roll in from around 10:00, and there is almost no shade by midday. Fridays and Saturdays are busier, when Egyptian families visit.

November to March is the most comfortable season. In December and January a morning haze is common and usually lifts towards midday, so that is the time for clear photos. From June to August it is hot even early on — bring water, a hat and sunscreen.

The plateau empties towards closing time, and for most of the year the sun sets after that. For pyramids at sunset, try a rooftop café or hotel along Pyramids Road (Al Haram), or the Sound and Light show by the Sphinx, which has its own ticket.

Is it worth going inside the Great Pyramid?

Only if tight spaces don't bother you. The tourist entrance is a robbers' tunnel on the north face; from there you climb, often bent double, up the Ascending Passage and the Grand Gallery to the King's Chamber, where Khufu's empty granite sarcophagus still sits. It is hot, humid and steep, and there is nothing painted on the walls. No mummies are kept in any of the pyramids.

The ticket is unofficially quoted at EGP 1,500, and only a limited number are sold each day, so decide before you arrive. Our take: once is memorable, but the outside is the real spectacle. If you want a taste for less, Khafre's or Menkaure's pyramid (whichever is open that year) is cheaper and quieter, and the Tomb of Meresankh III has the colour the pyramids lack.

What are the Giza Pyramids?

A royal cemetery of Egypt's 4th Dynasty, on a limestone plateau at the edge of the Western Desert, in the city of Giza on the Nile's west bank — today part of Greater Cairo. The three big pyramids belong to Khufu (Cheops), his son Khafre (Chephren) and his grandson Menkaure (Mycerinus). Around them stand six small queens' pyramids, nobles' mastaba tombs, temples, causeways and the Great Sphinx.

The Great Pyramid originally rose 146.6 m; it is about 138.5 m today because its smooth white casing was stripped for building stone. For more than 3,700 years nothing built by people was taller. The whole plateau joined the UNESCO list in 1979 together with Memphis, Saqqara and Dahshur.

What to see on the Giza Plateau

• The Great Pyramid of Khufu — walk along its base; the bottom blocks come up past your waist.
• Khafre's pyramid — a cap of original casing survives near the top, showing how all three once looked.
• Menkaure's pyramid and the three queens' pyramids on its south side — the quietest corner, with some shade.
• The panorama point on the rise to the southwest, where all the pyramids fit in one frame. It is almost 3 km uphill from the Sphinx gate, so ride the shuttle.
• The Great Sphinx (73 m long) and Khafre's granite Valley Temple, near the eastern exit. Morning light is best on its face.
• The Tomb of Meresankh III — painted reliefs of a queen, on a separate low-cost ticket.
• The nobles' mastabas west of the Great Pyramid — several are open and usually empty.

Giza vs Saqqara vs the Grand Egyptian Museum

One day in Cairo? Pyramids in the morning, the museum after lunch — they are next door. Save Saqqara and ancient Memphis for a second day, or for pyramids without the crowds.

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How to do it right

• Be at the gate at 7:00 — the first hour is the coolest and quietest.
• Decide on the Great Pyramid interior before you go: daily tickets are limited and can be gone by mid-morning.
• For all the pyramids in one shot, take the shuttle to the panorama point rather than walking 3 km uphill.
• Photograph the Sphinx in the morning — its face is in shade after noon.
• Pair the plateau with the Grand Egyptian Museum, about 2 km away; book that ticket online in advance.
• Want pyramids without the crowds? Add Saqqara and Djoser's Step Pyramid on another day.
• A day trip from Hurghada is 12–14 hours door to door; if you can, stay a night in Cairo instead.

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