How much does it cost to visit the Pyramids of Giza?

General entry to the Giza plateau is around EGP 700, with an extra ticket (about EGP 900) to go inside the Great Pyramid, which sells out early. A guided half-day tour that bundles tickets, transport and a camel ride is often better value than arranging each part yourself.

Are Saqqara and Dahshur worth adding to a Giza day?

Yes — Saqqara's Step Pyramid is older than Giza's, and Dahshur's Bent and Red pyramids are the least crowded on any Cairo tour. Both are about 40 minutes from Giza, so they fit comfortably into a full day, often combined with Memphis.

Is the pyramids sound and light show in English?

The show runs in a different language on a rotating nightly schedule, so check that an English performance is listed for your date. Booking a ticket with hotel pickup included makes the evening trip out to the plateau much easier.

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Full day · Cairo itinerary

Cairo Pyramids & Sphinx: The Perfect Giza Day Trip

The only surviving wonder of the ancient world sits barely 30 minutes from downtown Cairo. This full-day Giza itinerary takes you from the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Sphinx to the older step and bent pyramids at Saqqara and Dahshur, then back for the evening sound and light show — with the best-rated tours and tickets to book for each.

At a glance

1Great Pyramids of Giza at opening
2The Sphinx & a camel ride on the plateau
3Saqqara & Dahshur older pyramids
4Sound & light show after dark

Morning: the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx

Start at opening, around 7am, before the coaches and the midday heat arrive. General plateau entry runs about EGP 700, with a separate ticket (roughly EGP 900) to climb inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu — numbers are capped daily, so a guided tour that pre-books it saves a wasted trip. Walk down to the Sphinx and the Valley Temple, then ride a camel or horse along the ridge for the classic all-three-pyramids photo.

Midday: Saqqara and Dahshur

Drive 40 minutes south to Saqqara, where Djoser's Step Pyramid is the oldest stone monument on earth, then on to Dahshur for the Bent and Red pyramids — Egypt's first true smooth-sided pyramids, and blissfully crowd-free. Many half-day tours pair these with the ancient capital at Memphis. Entry is modest (EGP 200–300 each), and you can usually go inside the Red Pyramid at no extra cost.

Evening: the sound and light show

Return to the plateau after dark for the sound and light show, when the pyramids and Sphinx are floodlit in colour and the Sphinx narrates 4,500 years of history. Shows run in a different language each night, so check the English schedule when booking. Tickets start around $30; a version with hotel pickup spares you the taxi haggling on the way home.