Cairo is a huge city and its great sights are far apart: the Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum are on the western edge in Giza, the Egyptian Museum is downtown on Tahrir Square, and the Citadel and the old Islamic quarter are to the east. Traffic decides how much fits in a day, so the best plan is one that keeps you in one or two areas. These are the five combinations that work.
1. Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum
The simplest full day: the two sites are about two kilometres apart, so you spend your time looking, not driving. Pyramids and Sphinx in the morning, the Tutankhamun galleries in the afternoon.
See the Pyramids and Grand Egyptian Museum day tour
2. Pyramids, Memphis and Saqqara
For travellers who want the story of the pyramids from the beginning: the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, the first monumental stone building in Egypt, the open-air museum at Memphis with its colossal statue of Ramesses II, and Giza.
Pyramids, Memphis and Saqqara day tour · with Dahshur as well
3. Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square
The classic first visit: Giza in the morning and, after lunch, the historic museum downtown, which still holds a vast collection of statues, coffins and everyday objects.
Pyramids and Egyptian Museum tour
4. Islamic and Coptic Cairo
A day without pyramids, for a second visit or for anyone curious about the living city: the Citadel of Saladin and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, the churches and lanes of Coptic Cairo, and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar.
Islamic and Coptic Cairo tour
5. Museums, Citadel and the bazaar
The royal mummies at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, the Citadel and an evening walk in Khan el-Khalili.
Mummies Museum, Citadel and Khan el-Khalili tour
Only a few hours?
A half day is enough for the Pyramids and the Sphinx or for the Grand Egyptian Museum. In the evening, a felucca on the Nile or the Sound and Light Show at the pyramids.
How to choose
- First time in Egypt: plan 1 or 3.
- Interested in how the pyramids began: plan 2.
- Already seen the pyramids: plan 4 or 5.
- Travelling with children: a half day at Giza with a camel ride, and the afternoon free.
Every tour page shows the duration, the pickup, what is included and the price per person for each option. See all day tours in Cairo, or read our guide to the Giza Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum.