Saqqara and Dahshur Pyramids 2026: Egypt Beyond Giza

Booking choice: The Giza, Saqqara and Memphis tour, ★ 4.7 (3,659). Check dates Compare the options below

Most visitors see the three pyramids of Giza and go home without knowing that the story starts further south. Before Khufu's builders could raise the Great Pyramid, earlier kings had to work out how: first with steps at Saqqara, then with experiments at Dahshur that went wrong before they went right.

This guide covers where the main pyramid sites are, what makes each one worth the drive, which ones you can go inside, and how to see them with or without Giza in a single day. For the Giza interiors, see going inside the pyramids.

The quick answer

Saqqara, about a century older than Giza, holds the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest of Egypt's pyramids, reopened in 2020 after a 14-year restoration; it has its own site ticket and a separate ticket for the pyramid, open 8 am to 4 pm. Memphis, between Saqqara and the Nile, was the capital of Old Kingdom Egypt and keeps a colossal Ramesses II. Dahshur, open 8 am to 5 pm on a single site ticket, has Sneferu's Red Pyramid, which you can walk inside, and the Bent Pyramid, open inside since 2019, subject to closures. All three are part of the same UNESCO property as Giza and are much quieter. A full day of about 8 hours combines Giza, Saqqara and Memphis; the Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur tour lets you pick one site or all of them.

Where can I visit the pyramids?

At Giza, on the western edge of Greater Cairo, and along the desert edge to the south at Abusir, Saqqara and Dahshur, with Abu Rawash just north of Giza. Meidum, much further south, has one more.

All of these except Meidum belong to one UNESCO World Heritage property, Memphis and its Necropolis, the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur, inscribed in 1979, together with Memphis itself, the ancient capital whose kings were buried here. Abu Rawash, about 8 km north of Giza, held the pyramid of Djedefre, Khufu's son, now mostly quarried away. Meidum, about 72 km south of Cairo, has a collapsed pyramid usually linked to the kings Huni and Sneferu. For a first visit, Giza, Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur are the ones worth your time, and the table shows how they compare. See also the UNESCO listing.

Site	From Giza	Highlight	Go inside?
Giza	On the western edge of Cairo	The Great Pyramid, Khafre, Menkaure and the Sphinx	Khufu and Khafre at the time of writing, each with its own ticket; Menkaure closed on rotation
Saqqara	South along the desert edge	The Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest pyramid	A separate Step Pyramid ticket, when its galleries are open
Memphis	South, between Saqqara and the Nile	The ancient capital and its colossal Ramesses II	Not a pyramid site; a short stop
Dahshur	South, beyond Saqqara	The Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid of Sneferu	Red Pyramid yes; Bent Pyramid since 2019, subject to closures
Meidum	Much further south, about 72 km from Cairo	A collapsed pyramid linked to Huni and Sneferu	Rarely on day tours

Giza, the Step Pyramid at Saqqara and Ramesses II at Memphis in one eight-hour day with an Egyptologist, rated 4.7 from 3,659 reviews.

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What is the oldest pyramid in Egypt?

The Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, built in the 27th century BC for a king of the 3rd Dynasty. It is about a century older than the Great Pyramid of Giza.

The Step Pyramid rises in six tiers to about 62.5 m and is often described as the earliest large-scale cut stone construction. Its design is traditionally credited to Imhotep, Djoser's architect, and it shows the idea of a pyramid taking shape: a stack of ever smaller layers rather than smooth sides. A panelled enclosure wall surrounds it.

The pyramid reopened in March 2020 after a restoration that lasted 14 years. Saqqara has its own site ticket, and the Step Pyramid has a separate interior ticket when its galleries are open. The site is open from 8 am to 4 pm; check the official Ministry pages before you go, as hours change during Ramadan.

Is Memphis worth a stop?

Yes, as a short stop on the way to Saqqara or Dahshur. Memphis was the capital of Old Kingdom Egypt, the city the pyramids were built to serve, and its colossal statue of Ramesses II is the highlight.

Memphis is usually a short stop, but it puts the pyramid fields in context: the kings ruled from here and were buried along the desert edge to the west. The Giza, Saqqara and Memphis Day Tour (4.7 from 3,659 reviews) covers all three in about 8 hours with hotel pickup, an Egyptologist and water. It starts with the Step Pyramid, continues to Memphis, stops for lunch and ends at Giza with the pyramids, the Sphinx and the Valley Temple. Entry tickets and lunch are included only if you book that option, and the day includes a shopping stop, so ask before booking whether you can skip it. One reviewer called it a long day, worth it.

Square red granite pillars and lintels of the Valley Temple of Khafre, sunlight on a pale floor — The granite Valley Temple of Khafre at Giza, the last stop on most Saqqara and Memphis days.

The oldest pyramid and the greatest in one day: the Step Pyramid of Djoser, Memphis and its Ramesses II, lunch, then the Giza pyramids, the Sphinx and the Valley Temple, with an Egyptologist and hotel pickup.

★ 4.7 (3,659) · 8 hours · Full refund up to 24 h ahead

Explore the Giza, Saqqara and Memphis tour

Why are the Dahshur pyramids worth the drive?

Because they show how the true pyramid was invented. Sneferu, Khufu's father, built both: the Bent Pyramid, whose angle changes halfway up, and the Red Pyramid, the first true smooth-sided pyramid.

The Bent Pyramid, about 104.7 m tall, starts at an angle of about 54 degrees and changes to about 43 degrees above 47 m, which gives it its unmistakable shape. Most of its original polished casing still covers it, so it looks much closer to how a new pyramid did than anything at Giza. The Red Pyramid, about 105 m tall, takes its name from the reddish stone of its core and is described as Egypt's first successful attempt at a true smooth-sided pyramid. Dahshur also has the Black Pyramid of Amenemhat III.

A single site ticket covers Dahshur, and it is open from 8 am to 5 pm. The open desert around the pyramids is part of the pleasure: after Giza, the space and the silence come as a surprise.

The Bent Pyramid at Dahshur, its angle changing halfway up and its casing intact — The Bent Pyramid: the change of angle halfway up is the builders correcting course.

Choose one site or all of them: the Step Pyramid, Memphis and the Red and Bent pyramids of Dahshur, shared in English or private in your language, rated 4.8 from 768 reviews.

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Can you go inside the Red and Bent pyramids?

Yes, the Red Pyramid can be entered on the Dahshur site ticket, and the Bent Pyramid has been open inside to visitors since 2019, subject to closures. Both interiors involve a long, low passage.

Inside the Red Pyramid, the entrance passage is about 0.91 m high and 1.2 m wide, and it slopes down at about 27 degrees for some 61 m, so you walk down bent over for several minutes. At the bottom you reach impressive corbelled chambers. The Bent Pyramid reopened in July 2019 after decades of closure, with a tunnel of about 79 m, and its small satellite pyramid was opened at the same time; whether it is open on a given day is not guaranteed, so ask your guide.

The passages are long and low. If tight spaces or bending for a long time bother you, the outside alone is worth the trip. How these interiors compare with the Great Pyramid and Khafre is in the guide to going inside the pyramids.

Why are Saqqara and Dahshur so much quieter than Giza?

Because they are further from the city, harder to reach without a car and left out of most short tours. The coach groups that fill Giza in the middle of the morning rarely continue south.

Giza draws huge numbers: on the second day of the new entrance system in April 2025, the plateau counted 14,000 visitors. At Dahshur you may share the Red Pyramid with only a handful of people, and at Saqqara the courtyard of the Step Pyramid feels open and calm. That calm comes at a cost in time, because there is no public transport worth relying on and the sites are spread along the desert edge, so most visitors go with a driver or a tour.

If you are doing Giza on your own, as in the guide to visiting without a tour, consider a tour or a hired car for the southern sites only. Your Giza ticket is for one entry, so see the plateau in one go rather than coming back the same day.

Can you see Giza, Saqqara and Dahshur in one day?

Yes, in a full day of about 8 hours with a driver or a guide. Start in the south at Dahshur or Saqqara in the morning, and finish at Giza in the afternoon light, before last entry around 4 pm.

Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur Tour (4.8 from 768 reviews): 3 to 8 hours. Choose one site or combine Giza, Memphis, the Step Pyramid and the pyramids of Dahshur. Shared tours run in English only, private tours in any language, with an optional felucca on the VIP option and shop visits only if you ask for them.
Giza, Saqqara and Memphis Day Tour (4.7 from 3,659): 8 hours, the Step Pyramid, Memphis, lunch and Giza with the Sphinx and the Valley Temple. It does not go to Dahshur.
Private Pyramids Tour with Camel Ride (4.9 from 7,825): 4 hours at Giza with your own Egyptologist, with options of up to 8 hours that add Memphis and Saqqara.

Whichever you choose, check which entry tickets the option includes, remember that the inside of any pyramid needs its own ticket, and keep some water and a hat in the car: the southern sites have even less shade than Giza.

The Pyramid of Menkaure with three small queens' pyramids in front, in late afternoon light — Menkaure in the late afternoon: ending a southern day at Giza gives you the best light.

Your choice of sites in one tour: the Red and Bent pyramids of Dahshur, the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, Memphis and Giza, from 3 to 8 hours, with private tours in any language and an optional felucca on the Nile.

★ 4.8 (768) · 3 to 8 hours · Full refund up to 24 h ahead

Explore the Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur tour

Can you see the pyramid fields from the air?

Yes, over Giza, on a microlight flight of about 15 minutes with a certified pilot. It flies up to about 500 feet, with the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum below you.

The Microlight Flight over the Pyramids (4.8 from 243 reviews) flies with a certified pilot and comes with an edited video of your flight. Passengers must be 14 or older and weigh no more than 100 kg, and transport to the airfield is not included. It shows you the scale and layout of the Giza plateau in a way no viewpoint can, though it does not fly as far south as Saqqara or Dahshur. To plan the rest of your day around it, see the guide to the best time to visit.

A microlight flying above the Giza pyramids, with Giza city behind — The Giza pyramids from a microlight, with the city reaching right up to the plateau.

Fifteen minutes in the air over the Giza pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum with a certified pilot, with an edited video of your flight.

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Frequently asked questions

Which pyramid came first, Giza or Saqqara?

Saqqara. The Step Pyramid of Djoser is about a century older than the Great Pyramid, and the Dahshur pyramids of Sneferu, Khufu's father, came between the two.

Do you need separate tickets for Saqqara and Dahshur?

Yes. Saqqara has its own site ticket, plus a separate ticket for the Step Pyramid interior when it is open. Dahshur has a single site ticket. Neither is covered by the Giza plateau ticket.

Is Saqqara worth visiting?

Yes, for the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest of Egypt's pyramids, restored and reopened in 2020. It is also far quieter than Giza.

Who built the Red Pyramid?

Sneferu, the father of Khufu, who also built the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur. The Red Pyramid was Egypt's first successful true smooth-sided pyramid.

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