The Giza Plateau can be visited during a stay in Cairo, but the journey and the archaeological visit deserve proper time. Arrange transport that suits your starting point and check the venue you want to see. Taxi prices and journey times vary, so a fixed fare should not be treated as universal. Plan the museums and the city's historic districts as separate parts of the day.

For the Giza monuments themselves, see our dedicated pyramids guide.

The Giza Plateau

The complex contains three pyramids (Khufu/Cheops, Khafre, Menkaure) and the Great Sphinx. Entry to the complex: EGP 540 (approximately USD 11). Interior of Khufu's Pyramid: additional EGP 400 (USD 8). Interior of Khafre's Pyramid: additional EGP 100. The ascending corridor inside Khufu's Pyramid — low, narrow, rising at 26 degrees for 40 metres before opening into the Grand Gallery — is extraordinary engineering from 2560 BCE. The Grand Gallery itself (8.74m high, 47m long) is the most impressive interior passage in any pyramid.

The Sphinx is less accessible than most visitors expect — you view it from a distance from the lower Sphinx Temple, rather than standing at its base. The scale from this distance is difficult to judge. The best close-range Sphinx view is from the road to the north of the Sphinx (ask your driver).

The Grand Egyptian Museum

The new Grand Egyptian Museum, adjacent to the Giza Plateau (5-minute drive), opened fully in 2023 and is the largest archaeological museum in the world. The Tutankhamun collection — all 5,398 objects from the tomb, displayed completely for the first time — occupies several dedicated galleries. The objects previously in storage in the old Egyptian Museum are now properly lit and explained. Entry: EGP 1,000-1,500 depending on which galleries you visit. Allow 4-6 hours minimum.

Islamic Cairo

The Citadel of Saladin (11th century, overlooking Cairo from the Muqattam Hills) contains the Mohamed Ali Mosque — an Ottoman mosque with extraordinary interiors and views across the city. The Khan el-Khalili bazaar (14th century) below the Citadel is the great Cairo market: the gold section, the copper section, the spice section (the most interesting). The best coffee in Khan el-Khalili is at El Fishawy — open continuously since 1773, with mirrors, incense, and the correct level of dilapidation. Lunch at Naguib Mahfouz Café in the bazaar is overpriced for what it is but allows you to sit in the great Egyptian novelist's territory.

Cairo Food

Kushari at Abu Tarek (near Tahrir Square) — lentils, macaroni, rice, fried onions, and tomato sauce served in a whirring, efficient operation that has never diversified its menu in 50 years. USD 1-2. Ful medames (slow-cooked fava beans) for breakfast anywhere in the old city — the national breakfast of Egypt. The Four Seasons Cairo for Zitouni if you want exceptional modern Egyptian cooking at five-star prices.