The Great Pyramids of Giza: What to Expect

The scale doesn’t register until you’re standing at the base. Photos compress them into something that looks manageable. In person, the Pyramid of Khufu is 138 metres tall and covers 5.3 hectares at its base. The limestone blocks average 2.5 tonnes each. You spend the first few minutes just trying to take in the dimensions.

Buying Tickets

The general site entry is around 160 EGP (roughly $5 USD at 2024 exchange rates). Entering the interior of the Great Pyramid costs an additional 360 EGP. The interior is claustrophobic, involves significant bending and climbing, and the chambers are largely bare stone. Worth doing if you’re not prone to small spaces; skip it otherwise. The Solar Boat Museum, housing a reconstructed 4,500-year-old cedar boat found sealed beside the pyramid, is 100 EGP separate and genuinely interesting.

Timing

Go at opening (08:00) or in the late afternoon after 15:00. Midday in summer is brutal, with temperatures regularly hitting 40°C. The site closes at 17:00. The Sound and Light Show runs in the evenings and is effectively a tourist trap, though the setting is undeniably atmospheric.

The Sphinx

The Great Sphinx is at the eastern end of the complex, adjacent to the Valley Temple of Khafre. It’s included in the general admission. Up close it’s more eroded than photographs suggest, but the context, framed by Khafre’s causeway and the pyramid behind, makes more sense than any angle you’ve seen in pictures.

Eating

Don’t eat at the on-site restaurants. They’re overpriced and mediocre. Head back into Giza proper or to Cairo. Koshary Abou Tarek near Ramses Square is the canonical spot for koshary, Egypt’s rice-lentil-pasta street dish, at around 25-40 EGP a bowl. In Khan el-Khalili, El Fishawy has been a tea house since 1773 and is worth a stop.

Staying

The Marriott Mena House at the foot of the pyramids is the famous option, with direct pyramid views from some rooms. Budget travellers do well in Zamalek or Mohandessin and take the metro or a taxi out.

A Practical Warning

Scammers at the Giza plateau are persistent. Don’t accept anything offered as a “gift.” If someone offers to take your photo, they will ask for payment. The camel and horse riders near the entrance will approach aggressively. A clear, repeated “no” is more effective than engagement.