Giza, Cairo
Africa · Egypt
See also
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Cairo
Egypt30.05°N 31.25°E · 23 m
Overview
Giza, west of Cairo, is where the iconic Pyramids, Sphinx, and royal tombs stand on a desert plateau. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a must-visit for anyone interested in ancient Egypt.
Languages: Arabic
Why go?
Giza, west of Cairo, is where the iconic Pyramids, Sphinx, and royal tombs stand on a desert plateau. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a must-visit for anyone interested in ancient Egypt.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Understand
Everything west of the Nile's eastern bank is in Giza, a huge conurbation including Dokki and Mohandeseen. The top sight is the UNESCO Pyramids of Giza on the western edge. The Grand Egyptian Museum is nearby, making Giza a tourist base.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Get in
Ask for 'Haram' and shape your hands like a pyramid. In Summer 2025 the Mena Gate was closed and a new main gate established to the south, requiring a shuttle bus or long walk. A sneaky subgate near the sphinx sometimes allows ticket purchase.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
See
The main sights are the Great Pyramid of Khufu, Pyramid of Khafre, Pyramid of Menkaure, the Great Sphinx, and the Grand Egyptian Museum. The pyramids complex also has queens' pyramids and nobles' tombs. The Sphinx faces east, best photographed in morning light.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Drink
Alcohol is generally only served in hotels. Local cafe El Mandara Coffee Shop serves hookahs, tea, and coffee for LE3-10.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sleep
You will find hotels, homestays, and hostels at all price ranges, many with pyramid views. A good area is around Abou Al Hool Al Seiahi street, with touristy and non-touristy restaurants and grocery stores.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Stay safe
Climbing the Pyramids is dangerous and illegal. Be prepared for scams and harassment from touts, camel drivers, and even some tourist police. Say 'La Shukran' (no thanks) and avoid eye contact. In hot months, bring plenty of bottled water, hat, and sunscreen.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Go next
From Giza, you can visit Cairo/Downtown for the Egyptian Museum, Cairo Tower, and Khan El-Khalili. Take a city bus or microbus from the pyramids entrance to Giza station, then metro to downtown. In winter, bus/metro have no A/C; better to take an Uber/Careem.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Field guide adapted from Wikivoyage contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Text has been adapted and organized for this guide. About our sources.
Places to know
A few starting points from the guide. Check current hours and prices before you go.
- sleep
Marriott Mena House
Built in 1869 as a royal lodge for King Ismail the Magnificent, this magnificent palace has housed guests including Empress Eugenie and Prince Albert. Tastefully restored and located very close to the Pyramids. Rooms in the newer Garden wing from US$460. The Palace wing is closed for refurbishment as of 2026; be sure to ask for a room with a view of the Pyramids when it reopens. The main Pyramids gate is a 5-minute walk away.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- eat
El Gizawy restaurant
At the pyramids entrance where the homestays are. Local specialties. The staff speaks sufficiently good English. Popular with the locals. Falafel for LE7, Egyptian pasta for LE25.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- eat
Khan El Khalili
Has been open for over a century and is far and away the most stylish place for lunch or just a cold beer. Expect to pay Western prices.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- eat
Khufu’s Restaurant
Restaurant with traditional Egyptian dishes and a view of the Pyramids.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- eat
Nile Pharaoh Cruising restaurant
The boat features Pharonic decor, and offers a buffet with international and Egyptian cuisine, and belly dancing.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- see
Grand Egyptian Museum
The Grand Egyptian Museum is the primary replacement for the venerable Egyptian Museum in Cairo/Midan Tahrir
Recorded price: EGP
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- see
Great Pyramid of Giza
The oldest, the largest in Egypt, and the last surviving representative of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was built to a height of 146 m (479 ft), but is now slightly reduced to a still towering 137 m (449 ft). Over 2 million blocks of stone were used to construct it, all through manual labour. Entry to the interior is on the north side, facing your approach.
Recorded price: EGP
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
- see
Great Sphinx of Giza
Like pyramids, sphinxes (ancient and modern) are found in many lands; this one is specifically the Great Sphinx of Giza. It's a single block of sandstone 45 m long by 22 m wide, bearing a man's head upon a lion's haunches. It is understood, by mainstream archeologists, to have been carved out of the bedrock in the reign of Khafre, bears his likeness, and represents a guardian spirit of the necropolis. Its original name is unknown but it was variously dubbed "Horus of the horizon" for the sun god or Abu el-Hol ("Father of Terror"). We know it by its Greek name Sphinx, which may mean "strangler" (as a lion crushes the neck of its prey, or the fate of those who failed to answer its riddles), or may simply mean "carved from living rock". Being solid, it has no inner passageways. It's a frankly mangy-looking lion and its face has always presented an irresistible target. The nose was hacked off by the 15th-century but each successive wave of rulers has blamed the previous lot: 20th-century Egyptians blamed the Brits who blamed Napoleonic troops who blamed the Ottoman Turks. The broken-off regal beard is now in the British Museum. The Sphinx faces east and you approach it, nearing the exit gate, along its north flank. This means that its main features will be in shade, you need morning light for a good photo. (Unlike the pyramids, always with one flank upturned to the sun and the deified Khufu.) To get closer you can pay extra for the enclosure just in front of its paws. There's little point in doing so, the place is crowded with people taking silly selfies, and the slightly closer view just emphasises the manginess.
Adapted from Wikivoyage contributors
Before you go
Culture
Alcohol generally only served in hotels. Egypt is a Muslim country.
Entry
In Summer 2025, Mena Gate closed; new main gate to the south. A subgate near sphinx sometimes allows ticket purchase.
Health
In hot months, bring plenty of bottled water, hat, and sunscreen.
Safety
Climbing pyramids is illegal and dangerous. Beware of scams and persistent touts. Use headphones to ignore 'hello my friend'. Say 'La Shukran'.
Transport
Ask for 'Haram' and make a pyramid hand gesture. Main gate changed in Summer 2025; use southern gate with shuttle bus or sneak in at subgate near sphinx.