Grand Egyptian Museum, Cairo

How much are Grand Egyptian Museum tickets?

A standard adult ticket for foreign visitors is about EGP 1,830, and about EGP 920 for foreign students and children aged six and over. Under-sixes go free. These are unofficial figures: the museum shows prices only once you start a booking, and the press reported new rates from 1 November 2026. Check the total at checkout.

There are two ticket types. The admission ticket covers everything most visitors want. The guided-tour ticket adds a group tour in Arabic or English of about two hours, covering the Tutankhamun Galleries, Grand Hall, Grand Staircase and Main Galleries. It is a shared group, not a private guide.

You don't need a separate Tutankhamun ticket — his galleries, Khufu's Boats Museum and the gardens are all in the standard admission. The only extra is the occasional after-hours immersive show, sold as an add-on. Pay by international credit or debit card; your QR ticket arrives by email. The museum warns it is not responsible for tickets bought on other platforms.

Is the Grand Egyptian Museum worth it?

Yes — if you see only one museum in Egypt, make it this one. It is the only place to see Tutankhamun's tomb contents complete, the galleries are new and air-conditioned, and the building frames the pyramids from its top floor. It costs more than the old museum in Tahrir, but you get far more for it.

Who might skip it: travellers with a single afternoon who would rather stand at the pyramids themselves, and anyone who dislikes big, busy museums. If you have done the old Egyptian Museum on a previous trip, come anyway — most of what you remember from Tutankhamun's rooms has moved here, alongside thousands of objects never shown before.

What to see inside the GEM

• Ramesses II colossus in the Grand Hall — 11 m and 83 tonnes of granite that stood outside Cairo's main railway station until 2006.
• Grand Staircase — six storeys of kings, gods, sarcophagi and stelae, rising to a picture window over the Giza plateau.
• Tutankhamun Galleries — all 5,398 objects from the tomb: the gold mask, three nested coffins (the innermost of solid gold), the Golden Throne, chariots, weapons and jewellery. The mummy itself stays in the Valley of the Kings.
• The 12 Main Galleries — Egypt from prehistory to the Greco-Roman period, including the burial goods of Queen Hetepheres and of Yuya and Thuya, parents of Queen Tiye.
• Khufu's Boats Museum — a 4,600-year-old cedar solar boat, one of the oldest wooden ships ever found, and Khufu's second boat, restored by the museum's conservators.
• The Hanging Obelisk of Ramesses II from Tanis greets you outside — raised on four pillars so you can look up at the cartouches carved on its base.
• Children's Museum — hands-on rooms for ages 6–12, worth knowing about if you are travelling as a family.

Opening hours and the best time to visit

The galleries open every day: 9:00–18:00 on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9:00–21:00 on Wednesday and Saturday. Last entry is an hour before the galleries close. The grounds, cafés and gardens open from 8:30 until 19:00, or 22:00 on the two late days.

Take the 9:00 slot or come on a Wednesday or Saturday evening — tour coaches arrive late morning. Head straight for the Tutankhamun Galleries while they are quieter, then work back through the Grand Staircase and Main Galleries. Ramadan hours may differ, so check the slots on the ticketing site.

With one day in Cairo, our pick is the pyramids at 7:00 opening, lunch, then the museum in the afternoon heat — the two are minutes apart.

Grand Egyptian Museum vs the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir

For Tutankhamun, the GEM is now the only option. The Tahrir museum is for a second day, if you love the old building and its classic displays.

Rules: photos, bags and food

Personal photos and video are allowed with cameras and phones, but no flash, tripods, monopods, selfie sticks, drones or live streaming. In the Tutankhamun Galleries only phone photography is allowed. Commercial filming needs written permission.

Bags larger than 40 × 40 cm, backpacks and umbrellas go in the lockers, which are free. Outside food and drinks are not allowed apart from a small bottle of water; there are cafés and restaurants on site. The museum is wheelchair accessible, with ramps and lifts, and has prayer rooms.

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How to do it right

• Book a few days ahead — popular slots can sell out, especially from October to April.
• See the Tutankhamun Galleries first, before the tour groups arrive around midday.
• For the pyramid view, climb to the top of the Grand Staircase; on a clear day the whole plateau lines up.
• On Wednesdays and Saturdays the galleries stay open until 21:00 — ideal after a morning at the pyramids.
• Pair the museum with the Giza Pyramids, 2 km away; the plateau needs its own ticket.
• If you want the classic collection too, give half a day to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir.

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