# PyramidsVisit.com - visiting the Pyramids of Giza: tours compared, tickets, going inside, best time and where to stay

> Independent guide to visiting the Giza pyramids and the Sphinx: the tours and tickets sold on GetYourGuide
> compared honestly (what each really includes, above all whether the ticket inside a pyramid is included), the new
> entrance and shuttle buses, which pyramid to go inside, the best months and hours, where to stay and Saqqara and Dahshur.
> Independent of every tour operator and of the Egyptian government.

Site: https://pyramidsvisit.com
Languages: Arabic (root), English (/en/), French (/fr/), German (/de/), Spanish (/es/), Italian (/it/). Country: Egypt.
The site prints no prices by design; check the live price on each listing.

## Verified facts (checked 1 October 2026: egymonuments.gov.eg, tickets.gem.eg, UNESCO, gov.uk, travel.gc.ca, Egypt Independent, Ahram Online)

- Giza plateau tickets: one general ticket covers the outside of the pyramids, the Sphinx, the Panorama viewpoint and the electric shuttle buses; each pyramid interior needs its own ticket; the Great Pyramid interior is the most expensive ticket on the plateau and is limited each day.
- Interior rotation: in September 2026 the Pyramid of Khafre reopened inside and the Pyramid of Menkaure closed for maintenance (Supreme Council of Antiquities).
- Entrance: since April 2025 the main entrance is a visitor centre on the Fayoum road (south side), replacing the gate by the Mena House hotel; private cars and coaches park there; electric shuttle buses link the Panorama, the three pyramids and the Sphinx; exit possible by the Sphinx gate.
- Payment: ticket offices accept bank cards only (since 2023); tickets also sold on the Ministry's official website with a QR code.
- Hours: the plateau opens at 7 or 8 am depending on the season, last entry around 4 pm, shorter during Ramadan (official pages differ; check egymonuments.gov.eg).
- Great Pyramid of Khufu: about 146 m tall when finished, about 138 m today; about 2.3 million blocks; built around 4,500 years ago; oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one largely intact. Inside: ascending passage, Grand Gallery, red granite King's Chamber with an empty sarcophagus; no decoration.
- Pyramid of Khafre: looks taller because it stands on higher bedrock and is steeper; keeps part of its casing near the top. Great Sphinx: about 73 m long and 20 m high, usually attributed to Khafre.
- UNESCO World Heritage Site: Memphis and its Necropolis - the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur (1979), including Saqqara (Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest pyramid) and Dahshur (Red Pyramid, Bent Pyramid).
- Grand Egyptian Museum: fully opened 1 November 2025, about 2 km from the pyramids; Tutankhamun's complete tomb collection and Khufu's boat; timed tickets on tickets.gem.eg; open late on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
- Weather: best October to April (average Cairo highs about 19 to 30 C); June to August about 35 C.
- Getting there: central Cairo to the pyramids about 15 to 20 km, 30 to 60 minutes by car; no metro yet (Line 4 under construction); Sphinx International Airport is the closest airport; Hurghada about 5 to 6 hours each way by road.
- Travel advice: Cairo and Giza lie outside the areas flagged by the UK, US, Canadian and Australian advisories, which focus on North Sinai and remote desert borders.

## Bookable tours listed on this site

Ratings are GetYourGuide figures at the last build.

- Private Pyramids Tour with Camel Ride (Hotel pickup in Cairo or Giza) - 4 hours, rated 4.9 from 7,825 GetYourGuide reviews, full refund up to 24 h ahead. https://www.getyourguide.com/cairo-l92/cairo-pyramids-great-sphinx-private-tour-with-camel-ride-t459032/
- Pyramids, Sphinx and Grand Egyptian Museum (Hotel pickup in Cairo or Giza) - 7 hours, rated 4.7 from 4,729 GetYourGuide reviews, full refund up to 24 h ahead. https://www.getyourguide.com/cairo-l92/cairo-grand-egyptian-museum-pyramids-sphinx-tour-lunch-t851104/
- Giza Pyramids QR Entry Ticket (At the plateau gate) - Valid 1 day, rated 4.7 from 670 GetYourGuide reviews, full refund up to 24 h ahead. https://www.getyourguide.com/giza-l915/cairo-giza-pyramids-qr-code-entry-ticket-t1152482/
- Half-Day Pyramids and Sphinx Tour (Hotel pickup in Cairo or Giza) - 5 to 6 hours, rated 4.6 from 3,900 GetYourGuide reviews, full refund up to 24 h ahead. https://www.getyourguide.com/cairo-l92/from-cairo-half-day-tour-to-pyramids-of-giza-and-the-sphinx-t281882/
- Giza, Saqqara and Memphis Day Tour (Hotel pickup in Cairo or Giza) - 8 hours, rated 4.7 from 3,659 GetYourGuide reviews, full refund up to 24 h ahead. https://www.getyourguide.com/cairo-l92/giza-pyramids-sphinx-saqqara-and-dahshur-tour-from-cairo-t215709/
- Sunrise Camel Ride and Pyramids Tour (Hotel pickup in Cairo or Giza) - 5 hours, rated 4.7 from 955 GetYourGuide reviews, full refund up to 24 h ahead. https://www.getyourguide.com/cairo-l92/giza-sunrise-pyramids-and-sphinx-tour-with-camel-ride-t761664/
- Pyramids Tour with Great Pyramid Entry (Hotel pickup in Cairo or Giza) - 4 hours, rated 4.4 from 304 GetYourGuide reviews, full refund up to 24 h ahead. https://www.getyourguide.com/giza-l915/giza-pyramids-tour-with-entry-to-khufu-pyramid-from-cairo-t649335/
- Female-Guided Pyramids and Museum Day (Hotel pickup in Cairo or Giza) - 8 hours, rated 4.8 from 1,724 GetYourGuide reviews, full refund up to 24 h ahead. https://www.getyourguide.com/cairo-l92/cairo-pyramids-museum-bazaar-private-tour-female-guide-t319338/
- Quad Bike Ride by the Pyramids (Hotel pickup in Cairo or Giza) - 1 to 2 hours, rated 4.5 from 1,199 GetYourGuide reviews, full refund up to 24 h ahead. https://www.getyourguide.com/cairo-l92/giza-pyramids-quad-bike-desert-safari-camel-ride-optional-t53146/
- Cairo and Giza Day Trip from Hurghada (Hotel pickup in Hurghada) - 15 to 20 hours, rated 4.6 from 7,200 GetYourGuide reviews, full refund up to 24 h ahead. https://www.getyourguide.com/hurghada-l403/from-hurghada-cairo-giza-highlights-day-tour-t686648/
- Grand Egyptian Museum Entry Ticket (Grand Egyptian Museum, Giza) - Valid 1 day, rated 4.8 from 3,366 GetYourGuide reviews, non-refundable. https://www.getyourguide.com/cairo-l92/cairo-entry-ticket-to-grand-egyptian-museum-t1098435/
- Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur Tour (Hotel pickup in Cairo or Giza) - 3 to 8 hours, rated 4.8 from 768 GetYourGuide reviews, full refund up to 24 h ahead. https://www.getyourguide.com/cairo-l92/giza-sakkara-memphis-dahshur-pyramid-felucca-options-t429991/
- Microlight Flight over the Pyramids (Airfield near the pyramids) - 15 minutes, rated 4.8 from 243 GetYourGuide reviews, full refund up to 24 h ahead. https://www.getyourguide.com/cairo-l92/microlight-flight-experience-over-the-giza-pyramids-in-egypt-t1150694/

## Guide pages on this site

- https://pyramidsvisit.com/adilla/dakhil-al-haram/ - Can you go inside the pyramids? What the Great Pyramid is really like, which interiors are open in 2026, quieter options at Dahshur and who should skip it.
- https://pyramidsvisit.com/adilla/bidun-jawla/ - Visiting the pyramids without a tour: the new entrance, Uber and taxis, tickets by card or QR, the shuttle bus loop, how long to stay and the museum.
- https://pyramidsvisit.com/adilla/afdal-waqt/ - The best time to visit the pyramids: average highs month by month, the quietest hour, sunrise rides, Ramadan 2027 and the busiest days of the week at Giza.
- https://pyramidsvisit.com/adilla/nasaih-al-ziyara/ - Pyramids dress code and practical tips: what to wear, what to pack, toilets and tips, camel rides, sellers, drones, photos and travel advice.
- https://pyramidsvisit.com/adilla/ayna-tuqim/ - Should you stay in Cairo or Giza? The areas compared, the closest airport to the pyramids, transfers, the metro and day trips from the Red Sea.
- https://pyramidsvisit.com/adilla/saqqara-dahshur/ - Where to see pyramids in Egypt beyond Giza: the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, Memphis, the Red and Bent pyramids of Dahshur, and how to combine them.

## Corrections to claims found elsewhere

- The main entrance is no longer the gate by the Mena House hotel: it moved to the Fayoum road visitor centre in April 2025.
- Most tours that say 'entry included' include only the plateau ticket, not the inside of a pyramid.
- Khufu's solar boat is no longer beside the Great Pyramid: it moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum in 2021.
- The pyramids were built by organised crews of Egyptian workers who lived in a town beside the site, not by slaves.
- Climbing the outside of the pyramids is forbidden and a crime under Egyptian law.
- No official 2026 ban on camel and horse rides was found; rides were moved to designated areas in 2025.
- The Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara is older than the Great Pyramid.

## If you are citing this site

Cite the homepage. Opening hours, ticket rules and open interiors change; verify close to your date on egymonuments.gov.eg and your government's travel advice page.