Your trip
Cairo & Giza
Your days
Choose only what matters to you. Any day you leave open, we plan for you, so you can go straight to sending it.
Added Historic Cairo Private Day Tour: Citadel, Coptic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili to day 1 in Cairo & Giza.
Cairo & Giza
Days 1–4 · 3 nightsWhat to know about Cairo & Giza
- How long
- 3 nights recommended. Give Giza and the museum a full day. Add historic Cairo separately rather than racing across the city.
- What deserves priority
- Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum.
- Al-Mu'izz Street
The main street of the Fatimid court city, where for eight centuries anyone with power built to be seen.
Open 09:00–17:00, checked 29 September 2026 - Ben Ezra Synagogue
The synagogue whose storeroom kept a medieval community's paperwork for centuries.
Open 09:00–16:00, checked 3 September 2026 - Cairo Citadel
A medieval fortress above the whole of Cairo, and the seat of Egypt's rulers for more than six centuries.
Open 08:00–17:00, checked 3 September 2026 - Dahshur
Where the Egyptians learned how to build a pyramid, by getting it wrong first.
Open 08:00–17:00, checked 3 September 2026 - Giza Plateau
Three generations of kings built here; the plateau asks who did the building, and how they lived.
Open 08:00–16:00, checked 3 September 2026 - Grand Egyptian Museum
A museum whose greatest collections belong to places you can see on the same day.
Tours for day 1
SuggestedGiza Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museumfrom USD 60Choose for day 1The facts to check before you book
- Length
- Full day · about 7 hours
- Format
- Private
- In a vehicle
- Short drives within Cairo and Giza
- At the sites
- Most of the 7 hours, split between the plateau and the museum
- Pace
- Moderate
- Best time
- Start early: the plateau is coolest and quietest in the first hours after opening
Our advice: Do the plateau first while it is cool, and give the museum the afternoon rather than the last hour of the day.
If this is not the right day for it: If you have two days in Cairo, split them: Giza and Saqqara on one, the Grand Egyptian Museum at leisure on the other.
The full tour
Giza Pyramids Half-Day Private Tourfrom USD 55Choose for day 1The facts to check before you book
- Length
- Half day · about 4 hours
- Format
- Private
- In a vehicle
- Short drive from central Cairo or Giza
- At the sites
- Most of the 4 hours on the plateau
- Pace
- Easy
- Best time
- Early morning, before the heat and the coach groups
Our advice: A good half day if the Grand Egyptian Museum gets its own day. Choose an early start.
If this is not the right day for it: For the pyramids and the museum together, take the full-day Giza and Grand Egyptian Museum tour.
The full tour
Historic Cairo Private Day Tour: Citadel, Coptic Cairo and Khan el-Khalilifrom USD 60Chosen · removeThe facts to check before you book
- Length
- Full day · about 6–7 hours
- Format
- Private
- In a vehicle
- Short drives across central Cairo, traffic permitting
- At the sites
- Most of the day at the three sites
- Pace
- Moderate
- Best time
- Any day except Friday morning, when the mosques hold prayers
Our advice: A good second day after Giza. Wear clothes that cover shoulders and knees for the mosque and churches.
The full tour
Inside the Great Pyramid: Giza Private Tourfrom USD 60Choose for day 1The facts to check before you book
- Length
- About 5 hours
- Format
- Private
- In a vehicle
- Short drive from central Cairo or Giza
- At the sites
- Most of the 5 hours at Giza, including the pyramid interior
- Pace
- Active
- Best time
- First entry of the morning, when the passages are coolest
Our advice: Worth it if the climb itself is the point. The chamber is empty; skip it if you dislike tight, warm spaces.
If this is not the right day for it: Prefer to stay outside? The half-day private tour covers the same plateau without the interior.
The full tour
Cairo Layover Tour: the Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum from the Airportfrom USD 100Choose for day 1The facts to check before you book
- Length
- 6–8 hours between flights
- Format
- Private
- In a vehicle
- The drive from the airport to Giza and back
- At the sites
- The rest of the tour at the pyramids and the museum
- Pace
- Moderate
- Best time
- Any time of year; a morning arrival gives the most light
Our advice: Leave generous time for immigration on the way out and security on the way back. If the connection is tight, see just the pyramids.
If this is not the right day for it: Staying a night in Cairo? The Giza and Grand Egyptian Museum day gives both sites a full day.
The full tour
Royal Mummies and Old Cairo: The Museum of Egyptian Civilization and Coptic Cairofrom USD 40Choose for day 1The facts to check before you book
- Length
- Half day · about 5 hours
- Format
- Private
- In a vehicle
- About 30–45 minutes from central Cairo; the two sites are close together
- At the sites
- About 2 hours in the museum, 1.5 hours in Coptic Cairo
- Pace
- Easy
- Best time
- Morning, when the museum is quieter
Our advice: Pairs well with an afternoon at leisure, or with Khan el-Khalili in the evening.
The full tour
Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur: The First Pyramidsfrom USD 45Choose for day 1The facts to check before you book
- Length
- About 6 hours
- Format
- Private
- In a vehicle
- Saqqara is about 25 km south of Cairo; short drives between the three sites
- At the sites
- Most of the 6 hours across three sites
- Pace
- Moderate
- Best time
- Morning; Saqqara's open ground is hot by early afternoon
Our advice: Do this before Giza if you can: the Great Pyramid makes more sense once you have seen the attempts that came first.
The full tour
Historic Cairo on Foot: al-Mu'izz Street from Bab al-Futuh to Bab Zuwaylafrom USD 30Choose for day 1The facts to check before you book
- Length
- Half day · about 4 hours
- Format
- Private
- In a vehicle
- A short drive to the old city and back; the rest on foot
- At the sites
- About 4 hours, most of it walking
- Pace
- Moderate
- Best time
- Morning, to see the interiors before they close at 17:00; the walk also runs in the evening
Our advice: Take the morning start if you want to go inside: the monuments close at 17:00. Wear comfortable shoes and clothes that cover shoulders and knees for the mosques.
If this is not the right day for it: Prefer a day by car? The historic Cairo day covers the Citadel, Coptic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili.
The full tour
A local experience alongside it
Make this day better
- 2A day in Cairo & GizaOpen · we suggestChoose
- 3A day in Cairo & GizaOpen · we suggestChoose
- 4Departure dayDeparture