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| Cairo sightseeing tours |
The Pyramids complex at Giza, The Great Pyramid, Khufu, to the right, next to it Khafre then Menkaure. The Great Sphinx and mortuary complex are to the front. The white object to the left of Khufu is the Solar Boat Museum.
The number one attraction of Cairo is the last of the 7 Wonders of The World. The Great Pyramid at Giza is probably what started your fascination with Egypt as a child. You absolutely must see the pyramids complex. The pyramids stand on the edge of modern Cairo, on the Giza Plateau. To see them appear above the city skyline is quite an experience. The pyramids complex is on the west side of the Nile, roughly 13 km from the city center.
During Cairo Sightseeing Tours We enjoyed staying in the village at the foot of the pyramids and I took the photo above from our hotel window. If you are staying in Cairo itself you will need to arrange a half-day tour or car with driver. It’s also possible to catch the Cairo Metro to Giza station and from there pick up a shuttle bus. As we were staying in Giza we haven’t tested this but we did use Giza station for our journey south along the Nile to Aswan, Luxor and Abu Simbel. We list major highlights of the Pyramids complex below.
The Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Cheops ( as the Greeks called him) or Khufu, is the largest pyramid of the Giza group. Khufu was the founder of the pyramids complex and was the second Pharaoh of the Fouth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom.
Just in front of The Great Pyramid you’ll find the smaller Queens’ pyramids. We were able to go inside these without an extra charge.
You can, absolutely, go inside the Great Pyramid. At the time of our visit we had to buy a separate ticket and needed to walk to the ticketing booth quite some distance from the pyramid itself. Narrow, steep passages lead you to a chamber containing an empty stone sarcophagus. I’ve been inside but on our second visit I sat this one out. I’m a little claustrophobic. The kids absolutely loved this experience as well as the incredible Pokemon Go opportunities at all of Egypt’s ancient sites.
The Solar Boat Museum, to the left of Cheops as you look up from the entrance near the Sphinx, also carried a separate ticket, available on the door. It’s a small museum housing a ceremonial solar barque excavated inside the complex.
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The Sphinx, correctly the Great Sphinx of Giza, for there are many others, is the guardian of the mortuary temples and his face is possible that of Khefre. The Sphinx sits in front of Khefre’s pyramid just behind the mortuary complex.
The nightly sound and light show at The Sphinx is hauntingly spectacular. We were able to see and hear the Sphinx talk every night from our hotel rooftop.
You will find camels, horses and carriages waiting to take you for tours of the complex. These animals are not treated well and it is quite upsetting to see tiny horses slipping on steep cobbles. You will see them whipped and stumbling, struggling to pull over loaded carriages of careless tourists. Please don’t support this. We took camels, which I now regret.
We visited the pyramid complex several times during our time in Cairo and my husband was able to go in before opening time for his morning run. That’s quite the experience.
You can read about our time exploring the pyramids complex by camel (includes costs at the time, fixed prices for those in the know, no bargaining) as well as learn about the hotel and area we stayed in by reading our post here.
The Grand Egyptian Museum one of Cairo sightseeing Tours
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is not far from the Nile, on the East Bank.
Cairo’s Egyptian Museum is, to me, the greatest treasure house on Earth. It’s an old-school dusty, chaotic museum where you need a guide to find the most special treasures. Take a guide, the exhibits mostly do not have clear labels.
French Egyptologist August Mariette founded the museum in 1857. He moved to its current home in Downtown Cairo in 1897. It holds more treasures than it could possibly display. Here you will find such treasures as mummies, stone statues, gold and ceramics. The ticket desk is outside. There was security and bag checks inside and in the surrounding streets.
The collection of relics, mostly gold, discovered in the tomb of King Tutankhamun have their own galleries. This section of the museum is quite modern and well done. The boy king’s tomb, famously discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings contained the complete compliment of ancient burial relics and treasures. Most of these are now in the Egyptian Museum, including the magnificent burial mask.
Some relics are currently being moved to the new Great Egyptian Museum and some of King Tutankhamun’s relics go on tour. With this in mind, it’s possible that you’ll find an incomplete display. The Egyptian Museum will continue as a museum in its current site. Which relics will go where is not clear.
The Egyptian Museum is on Midan Tahrir, the main square of Downtown Cairo. You can take the Metro to here or arrange a taxi, tour or driver.
We also have a full post here on visiting the Egyptian Museum, finding its treasures and arranging a guide.
Where To Stay in Cairo sightseeing tours ?
hotels and nile cruise ships on the nile in Cairo Egypt
Luxury hotels and Nile cruise vessels along the River Nile in Cairo
Cairo has many stunning hotels. If you’re looking for the best luxury accommodation in Cairo check out the many Nile-side chain hotels such as The Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza, The Sofitel Cairo Nile at El Gezirah or the Nile Ritz Carlton Cairo. All are pretty close to central Cairo and the Egyptian Museum. If you’re looking for a pyramids-view resort-style hotel try the Le Meridien Pyramids Hotel and Spa. There are also Sheraton and Marriott hotels in Cairo.
Budget travellers may prefer The Pyramids View Inn or Sphinx Guest House, both perfectly located to soak up the Giza complex by night and day. If you choose to stay in Giza, we did, it’s not very difficult to arrange transport into central Cairo.
for more info. kindly visit www.alltoursegypt.com
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