# Pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara, Cairo > Djoser's Step Pyramid is Egypt's oldest pyramid and the centrepiece of the Saqqara necropolis, in the desert south of Cairo. Entry for foreign visitors is EGP 600; going inside the pyramid is a separate EGP 280 ticket. Open daily from 8:00, last entry 16:00. Allow two hours, or half a day with the Serapeum. Web page: https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/saqqara - City: [Cairo](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo), Egypt - YesGo score: 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 2 h - Entry: EGP 600, pyramid interior +280 - With kids: Fine with kids - Saqqara entry (foreign visitors): EGP 600; students under 24 EGP 300 - Children: Free under 6 - Included in the main ticket: Djoser complex, Unas and Teti pyramids, several nobles' tombs, Imhotep Museum - Inside the Step Pyramid: EGP 280 (students 140), south entrance - Djoser's Southern Tomb: EGP 300 - Serapeum: EGP 340 - Tomb of Mereruka: EGP 200 - Nobles' and New Kingdom tombs: EGP 400 - Inclusive ticket: EGP 1,400: site, museum, nobles' tombs, Mereruka and Mehu - Hours: Daily from 8:00, last entry 16:00; Ramadan until 15:30 - Where to buy: Egymonuments website, Experience Egypt app, ticket office at the gate - Payment: Visa and Mastercard in every sales channel - Car entry: Taxi or car EGP 25 - Phone photography: Free - Coordinates: 29.87111, 31.21667 - Facts checked: 03.11.2026 ## Key facts - **Oldest** — pyramid in Egypt and the first large building made entirely of cut stone (source: English and Russian Wikipedia (Pyramid of Djoser); Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Imhotep Museum)) - **3rd Dynasty** — built for King Djoser around the 27th century BC (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Saqqara)) - **Imhotep** — the architect, Djoser's chief official — the site museum is named after him (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Imhotep Museum)) - **62.5 m** — original height of the pyramid (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **6 steps** — it began as a flat mastaba tomb and grew in shrinking tiers (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **109 × 121 m** — base of the pyramid — a rectangle, not a square (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **5th Dynasty** — the Pyramid of Unas holds the first Pyramid Texts carved in a burial chamber (source: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid of Unas, Saqqara)) - **≈ 1,400 years** — the sacred Apis bulls were buried in the Serapeum, from the New Kingdom to the Ptolemies (source: English Wikipedia (Serapeum of Saqqara); Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Serapeum)) > **Getting back is the hard part** Saqqara sits in the desert beyond the villages, and there is rarely a free taxi waiting at the gate. Uber or Careem will drop you off, but booking a ride back out is often slow or impossible — drivers don't like coming out of town for a pickup. Agree a waiting time with your driver, or hire a car and driver for half a day. This is unofficial, based on Wikivoyage and travel guides. ## What is the Step Pyramid of Djoser? It is the first pyramid ever built in Egypt and the oldest large building of dressed stone. It went up for King **Djoser** of the 3rd Dynasty around the 27th century BC — roughly a century before the [Giza Pyramids](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/giza-pyramids). The design is credited to **Imhotep**, Djoser's chief official, later revered as a sage and a god of medicine. Saqqara itself is the vast cemetery of ancient Memphis, spread along the desert ridge above the Nile valley. Kings and officials were buried here for over 3,000 years, from the first dynasties to the Ptolemies. Djoser's pyramid is the landmark in the middle; around it are the pyramids of Unas and Teti, nobles' tombs with painted reliefs, the Serapeum and the Imhotep Museum. It joined the UNESCO list in 1979 together with Giza, Dahshur and [ancient Memphis](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/ancient-memphis). Crowds are a fraction of Giza's, which makes it the calmest place near Cairo to take in a pyramid. ## Saqqara tickets: what the EGP 600 covers The main ticket for foreign visitors costs **EGP 600**, students under 24 pay EGP 300 and under-6s go free. According to the Ministry's official ticket list it covers the Djoser complex, the pyramids of Unas and Teti, the nobles' tombs by the Teti pyramid (Kagemni, Ankhmahor, Ptahhotep and others) and the **Imhotep Museum**. Extras are sold separately: the descent inside the Step Pyramid (EGP 280), Djoser's Southern Tomb (EGP 300), the Serapeum (EGP 340), the Tomb of Mereruka (EGP 200), and the nobles' and New Kingdom tombs along the Unas causeway (EGP 400). An inclusive ticket at EGP 1,400 bundles the museum and several tombs, but not the pyramid interior or the Serapeum — check what it covers at the desk. Buy online at Egymonuments, in the Experience Egypt app or at the ticket office. Tickets are dated and non-refundable. **Visa and Mastercard** work in every channel, including the desk, so you don't need cash for entry. Keep small Egyptian pounds for toilets, water, a tuk-tuk and tips. ## Is it worth going inside the Step Pyramid? If you want to stand in the burial vault of the very first pyramid, yes — it is the signature interior at Saqqara. A separate **EGP 280** ticket lets you in from the south side, down to a central shaft about 28 m deep and the granite burial chamber, surrounded by galleries once lined with blue faience tiles. It is a cramped, stuffy descent, and Djoser's body was never found — the tomb was robbed in antiquity. If you have already been inside the Great Pyramid at Giza and don't enjoy tight passages, spend the money on the Serapeum or Mereruka's tomb instead. ## What to see at Saqqara - **The Djoser complex** — the enclosure wall with its false gates, the entrance colonnade of ribbed columns carved like reed bundles, the Great South Court and the Heb-Sed court with its dummy chapels. Allow 45–60 minutes. - **The serdab** on the pyramid's north side — a sealed stone box with two eye holes; a plaster copy of Djoser's statue gazes out. - **The Imhotep Museum** by the entrance — six halls of Saqqara finds, a reconstructed tomb with a mummy, and a room for Jean-Philippe Lauer, who devoted his life to restoring the Djoser complex. Start here. - **The Pyramid of Unas** and its causeway — the first pyramid with Pyramid Texts on the burial chamber walls. Ask at the desk whether the interior is open that day. - **The Pyramid of Teti** and the tombs of Kagemni and Ankhmahor — more Pyramid Texts and lively scenes of daily life, all on the main ticket. - **The Serapeum** — underground galleries with colossal granite and basalt sarcophagi of the Apis bulls. The single best extra here. - **The Tomb of Mereruka** — a vizier's huge mastaba covered in hunting, fishing and craft scenes. ## How to get to Saqqara from central Cairo 1. Easiest: **Uber, Careem or inDrive** from Tahrir Square to the Saqqara ticket office, 45–60 minutes depending on traffic. Agree up front that the driver waits 2–3 hours, or book a car and driver for half a day. 2. Cheaper but slower: **Cairo Metro Line 2** from Sadat station under Tahrir Square to the El Mounib terminus, about 20 minutes. 3. From El Mounib take a **microbus** to El Badrasheen, 25–30 minutes, then a **tuk-tuk** to the site entrance, about 20 minutes — fix the fare before you get in. Unofficial, per Wikivoyage. 4. Buy your ticket at the gate; a car pays a small entry fee. The necropolis stretches over several kilometres, so it helps to hop between monument groups in the same car. 5. From here ancient Memphis and Dahshur are a short drive away, and many people do all three in one day. ## How long to spend and when to go Saqqara is open **every day from 8:00**, last entry 16:00, or 15:30 during Ramadan. Two hours covers the Djoser complex, the museum and a tomb or two. Add the Serapeum, Mereruka and the Unas pyramid and you need half a day on site, plus travel. Arrive at opening. There is almost no shade, and you walk on sand and rubble between monuments. The best months are November to March; in summer it is hot even by mid-morning, so carry water and a hat. Is Saqqara worth it if you have seen Giza? For anyone curious about how pyramids came to be, yes: you can trace the leap from tomb to pyramid here, and the nobles' tomb reliefs are among the best preserved near Cairo. With only one day in Cairo and a wish to see the famous three pyramids, skip it this time. ## Saqqara checklist - [ ] Ride back arranged with the driver - [ ] At the gate by 8:00–9:00 - [ ] Visa or Mastercard for tickets - [ ] Small Egyptian pounds for toilets, tuk-tuk and tips - [ ] Student card, if you have one - [ ] Water, hat, sunscreen, closed shoes - [ ] Extras decided: pyramid interior, Serapeum, Mereruka ## Saqqara vs Giza vs Memphis | | Saqqara | Giza Pyramids | Ancient Memphis | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | The first, stepped pyramid and nobles' tombs | Three 4th-Dynasty pyramids and the Sphinx | Open-air museum at the old capital | | Foreign adult ticket | EGP 600 | EGP 700 | EGP 200 | | Hours | From 8:00, last entry 16:00 | From 7:00, last entry 16:00 | From 8:00, last entry 16:00 | | Crowds | Light | Heavy | Light | Giza has the world-famous pyramids; Saqqara shows where they began. Memphis is next door and takes about an hour, so pair it with Saqqara. ## Ancient Egypt in Cairo: compare and choose Historic sites 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 ## Saqqara, Memphis and the Grand Egyptian Museum in a day Morning at the first pyramid, then the colossus of Ramesses II at Memphis, and the evening at the Grand Egyptian Museum, open until 21:00 on Wednesdays and Saturdays. YesGo sets the timings and transfers. 1. [Pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/saqqara) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · EGP 600, pyramid interior +280 2. [Memphis](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/ancient-memphis) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · EGP 200, students EGP 100 3. [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 > **Guards and “closed” tombs** Guards at the monuments check tickets, and some offer to show you a “closed” room or a tomb your ticket doesn't cover in exchange for a tip. That isn't part of the rules, and a polite no is fine. A small tip for opening a door or pointing the way is customary but never required. ## Don't confuse Djoser's Step Pyramid is at Saqqara; the Bent and Red pyramids are further south at Dahshur. The Serapeum of Saqqara is a burial place for Apis bulls — Alexandria has a different Serapeum, a temple of Serapis. ## Tips - Sort out your ride back before you set off — it is the one real hassle of a Saqqara trip. - Start at the Imhotep Museum by the gate; the Djoser complex makes far more sense afterwards. - If you buy one extra, make it the Serapeum; for tomb reliefs, Mereruka. - Already been inside the Great Pyramid? You can skip the Step Pyramid descent. - Pair Saqqara with ancient Memphis — it is next door and takes about an hour. - Bring your own water: there is almost no shade on the plateau. ## Questions ### How much is the Saqqara ticket? EGP 600 for foreign adults, EGP 300 for students under 24, free under 6. Going inside the Step Pyramid is EGP 280 extra and the Serapeum EGP 340. ### What does the Saqqara ticket include? The Djoser complex, the pyramids of Unas and Teti, several nobles' tombs near the Teti pyramid and the Imhotep Museum. The Step Pyramid interior, Serapeum and Mereruka cost extra. ### Can you go inside the Step Pyramid of Djoser? Yes, with a separate EGP 280 ticket, entering from the south side. The descent is tight and leads to the burial chamber under the pyramid. ### What are Saqqara's opening hours? Daily from 8:00 with last entry at 16:00; during Ramadan last entry is 15:30. ### How do I get to Saqqara from Cairo? Uber or a taxi from Tahrir Square takes 45–60 minutes — ask the driver to wait. On a budget: Metro Line 2 to El Mounib, a microbus to El Badrasheen and a tuk-tuk. ### Can I use Uber to get back from Saqqara? Getting dropped off is easy, but finding an Uber back often isn't. Arrange for your driver to wait or hire a car for half a day. ### How long do you need at Saqqara? About two hours for the Djoser complex, the museum and a couple of tombs; half a day with the Serapeum, Mereruka and Unas. ### Is Saqqara worth visiting? Yes, if you like history: it shows how pyramids began, the tomb reliefs are superb and crowds are light. With just one day in Cairo, Giza comes first. ### Can I do Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur in one day? Yes — they are close together, and a car and driver makes it an easy day. Start at Saqqara at 8:00, since all three stop admitting visitors at 16:00. ### Who built the Step Pyramid? Imhotep, chief official of King Djoser of the 3rd Dynasty, is credited with the design. It was built around the 27th century BC. ## How we checked The main fare, concessions, hours, Ramadan hours, sales channels and card payment come from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' official ticketing system. Extra-ticket prices come from the Ministry's Saqqara page; its separate Serapeum page still shows an older EGP 180, while the Saqqara page and Wikivoyage both give EGP 340, so we use 340. The inclusive ticket is EGP 1,400 per the Ministry but EGP 1,000 per Wikivoyage, so that row is marked checking. What the main ticket covers comes from the Ministry's 2024 fare list and the Imhotep Museum page (area entry); the 2024 prices are outdated and were not used. Daily access inside the Unas and Teti pyramids is not officially stated, so we suggest asking at the desk. Older Ministry pages say open until 17:00; the ticketing system says last entry 16:00, which we show. Distances from Cairo differ between sources (Ministry 40 km, Wikivoyage 32 km), so we give travel times instead. Transport, drive times and the difficulty of finding a ride back are unofficial, from Wikivoyage and the Travel the World Pages guide. The enclosure and colonnade are described from English Wikipedia without figures confirmed by only one source. ## Sources - Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, official Egymonuments ticketing: Saqqara Monuments, Memphis, Pyramids — fares, hours, Ramadan hours, free entry; FAQ — sales channels, payment, refunds - Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities: Saqqara — extra tickets, inclusive ticket, car fees, history; Pyramid of Unas, Serapeum, Imhotep Museum - Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities: official 2024 fare list — what the main Saqqara ticket covers - English and Russian Wikipedia: Pyramid of Djoser, Djoser, Serapeum of Saqqara; Wikidata Q192418 - Wikivoyage: Saqqara — transport from Cairo, tickets, Uber - Travel the World Pages: how to get to Saqqara from Cairo — drive times, getting back, time on site --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.