Cairo & Giza
The Pyramids of Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum and a thousand years of Islamic and Coptic Cairo — the start of almost every trip to Egypt.
Giza and Cairo hold more of Egypt’s headline sights than anywhere else in the country. The Giza plateau, with the Great Pyramid, the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure and the Great Sphinx, sits a few kilometres from the Grand Egyptian Museum, which opened fully on 1 November 2025 and shows the complete Tutankhamun collection. South of the city, Saqqara and Dahshur trace how pyramid building began, from Djoser’s Step Pyramid to the Bent and Red Pyramids.
Across the river, Historic Cairo is a UNESCO World Heritage site: the Citadel of Saladin, the mosques and madrasas of al-Muizz Street, the Khan el-Khalili bazaar and the churches of Coptic Cairo. The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat displays the royal mummies. Two to three days cover the essentials comfortably; a single well-planned day works for a stopover.
- Best time
- October to April is the most comfortable; in summer we start at dawn and keep midday for museums.
- Getting there
- Cairo International Airport (CAI) and Sphinx International Airport (SPX) near Giza. Direct flights link Cairo with several cities in China, the Gulf and Europe.
- Where to stay
- Pyramid-view hotels in Giza for the plateau and the museum; the Nile Corniche or Zamalek for the old city.
Top sights
- 1
Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx
The only surviving wonder of the ancient world. Morning visits avoid the midday heat; entry into the Great Pyramid needs a separate ticket.
- 2
Grand Egyptian Museum
Next to the plateau, with the Grand Staircase, the colossal Ramesses II and the full Tutankhamun galleries. Allow at least three hours.
- 3
Saqqara and Dahshur
Djoser’s Step Pyramid, decorated Old Kingdom tombs and the Bent and Red Pyramids, usually quieter than Giza.
- 4
Islamic and Coptic Cairo
The Citadel, al-Muizz Street, Khan el-Khalili, the Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue — best explored on foot with a guide.
Places in this region
Pyramids of Giza · Great Sphinx · Grand Egyptian Museum · Egyptian Museum (Tahrir) · National Museum of Egyptian Civilization · Saqqara · Dahshur · Memphis · Historic Cairo · Citadel of Saladin · Al-Azhar Mosque · Al-Muizz Street · Khan el-Khalili · Coptic Cairo · Hanging Church · Cave Church of St Simon
Gallery
Programs that visit Cairo & Giza
1 dayPyramids, Sphinx & Grand Egyptian Museum in one day
The essential Cairo day: the Giza plateau in the morning light, then the Grand Egyptian Museum and Tutankhamun’s treasures.
Cairo & Giza
1 dayIslamic Cairo & Khan el-Khalili day
The Citadel of Saladin, the medieval lanes of Al-Muizz Street and the bazaar of Khan el-Khalili with a guide who knows fair prices.
Cairo & Giza
3 daysCairo & Giza in 3 days
Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, the step pyramid of Saqqara and Dahshur, then old Cairo and the Museum of Civilization.
Cairo & Giza
8 daysClassic Egypt in 8 days with a Nile cruise
Cairo and the pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum, then three nights on the Nile from Aswan to Luxor with Abu Simbel as an option.
Cairo & Giza · Aswan & Abu Simbel · Luxor
11 daysEgypt in 11 days: private Nile cruise & Red Sea
The length travellers choose most: Cairo, four nights on the Nile from Luxor to Aswan, Abu Simbel, then three days by the Red Sea.
Cairo & Giza · Luxor · Aswan & Abu Simbel · Red Sea
14 daysGrand Egypt in 14 days
Everything in one journey: Cairo, Saqqara, Alexandria, Aswan and Abu Simbel, a Nile cruise, a Luxor balloon at sunrise and the Red Sea.
Cairo & Giza · Alexandria · Aswan & Abu Simbel · Luxor · Red Sea
5 daysLuxor total solar eclipse 2027 — 5 days
Cairo and the GEM, then Luxor for the eclipse of 2 August 2027 — up to 6 min 23 s of totality over ancient Thebes.
Cairo & Giza · Luxor
1 dayCoptic Cairo & the Holy Family route — 1 day
The Hanging Church, the church of Abu Serga linked by tradition to the Holy Family, Ben Ezra Synagogue, the Coptic Museum and the Cave Church in the Mokattam hills.
Cairo & Giza
1 dayGrand Egyptian Museum & Museum of Civilization — a museum day
Two of Egypt’s newest museums in one day: the Grand Egyptian Museum beside the pyramids and the Royal Mummies Hall at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
Cairo & Giza
21 daysEgypt in 21 days — Nile, desert and Red Sea
Three weeks across Egypt: Cairo, Alexandria, Fayoum and the White Desert, Aswan and Abu Simbel, a Nile cruise, Luxor, Dendera and Abydos, and the Red Sea.
Cairo & Giza · Alexandria · Desert & oases · Aswan & Abu Simbel · Luxor · Red Sea
30 daysThe grand journey: Egypt in 30 days
A month across Egypt: Cairo, Alexandria and El Alamein, Siwa, Fayoum, the White Desert, Middle Egypt, Abydos and Dendera, Luxor, a Nile cruise, Aswan, Abu Simbel and the Red Sea.
Cairo & Giza · Alexandria · Desert & oases · Luxor · Aswan & Abu Simbel · Red Sea
Other destinations
Useful for this trip
Questions travellers ask
How many days do I need in Cairo?
One full day covers Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum. Three days add Saqqara, Dahshur, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization and Islamic and Coptic Cairo without rushing.
Can I visit the Pyramids during a Cairo layover?
Often yes, if you can leave the airport and have about eight hours or more. We arrange the car and a licensed guide and plan the timing around your onward flight; visa rules depend on your passport.
Are the Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum close to each other?
Yes. The museum is about two kilometres from the Giza plateau, so both fit easily into one day.
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