Cairo Tours &
Things to Do
Discover the best Cairo tours, Giza Pyramids and Sphinx tickets, Grand Egyptian Museum entry, Nile dinner cruises and day trips. Compare top-rated activities and plan your perfect Cairo itinerary.
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Explore Cairo by interest
Whatever brings you to Cairo — world-class museums, the river, or a long lunch — start with the experiences travellers love most.
Pyramids & ancient sites
The Giza Pyramids, the Sphinx, Saqqara and Dahshur with expert guides.
ExploreMuseums
The Grand Egyptian Museum and the historic Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square.
ExploreNile cruises
Dinner cruises with belly dancing and relaxed felucca sailing trips.
ExploreIslamic & Coptic Cairo
Medieval mosques, ancient churches and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar.
ExploreFood tours
Koshary, taameya and street-food walks through markets and old Cairo.
ExploreDay trips
Alexandria, Luxor, Fayoum and the Red Sea — easy escapes from the city.
ExploreDesert & adventure
Quad biking, camel rides and sandboarding around the pyramids and oases.
ExploreEvening shows
The Giza Sound & Light Show and Nile dinner cruises after dark.
ExploreTop attractions in Cairo
The landmarks that define the city — and the tickets and tours that get you in, often skipping the line.
Pyramids of Giza
The last surviving wonder of the ancient world — three colossal pyramids on the Giza plateau.
Great Sphinx
The enigmatic lion-bodied guardian of the Giza plateau, carved from a single limestone ridge.
Grand Egyptian Museum
The world's largest archaeological museum, home to the complete Tutankhamun treasures.
Saqqara & Memphis
The Step Pyramid of Djoser and the ruins of ancient Egypt’s first capital, Memphis.
Khan el-Khalili
The medieval bazaar of Cairo — spices, lanterns, jewellery and historic coffee houses.
Coptic Cairo
The old Christian quarter, with the Hanging Church and the Roman fortress of Babylon.
Egyptian Museum (Tahrir)
The historic museum of antiquities and royal mummies on Tahrir Square downtown.
Nile River
The lifeline of Egypt, best seen on a felucca sail or an evening dinner cruise.
Cairo in 1 day
- 1Giza Pyramids & Sphinx at opening
- 2Camel ride on the plateau
- 3Grand Egyptian Museum
- 4Nile dinner cruise
Cairo in 2 days
- 1Day 1: Giza Pyramids & GEM
- 2Nile dinner cruise
- 3Day 2: Saqqara & Memphis
- 4Islamic & Coptic Cairo
Cairo in 3 days
- 1Days 1–2: pyramids, museum & old Cairo
- 2Saqqara & Dahshur
- 3Day 3: Alexandria or Luxor day trip
- 4Farewell Nile cruise
Cairo with kids
- 1Camel ride at the pyramids
- 2Tutankhamun at the GEM
- 3Felucca sail on the Nile
- 4Khan el-Khalili treasure hunt
Pyramids & Sphinx day
- 1Great Pyramids of Giza at opening
- 2The Sphinx & a camel ride on the plateau
- 3Saqqara & Dahshur older pyramids
- 4Sound & light show after dark
Islamic Cairo & the Nile
- 1Egyptian Museum treasures
- 2Islamic & Coptic Cairo landmarks
- 3Khan el-Khalili bazaar
- 4Nile dinner cruise with belly dance
3 hrs awayAlexandria
Egypt's Mediterranean city — the Bibliotheca, the Citadel of Qaitbay and Roman catacombs.
Full day (fly) awayLuxor
The Valley of the Kings, Karnak and Luxor temples, by short round-trip flight.
2 hrs awayFayoum
Wadi Rayan waterfalls, the Valley of the Whales and Lake Qarun in a desert oasis.
2 hrs awayRed Sea (Ain Sokhna)
Coral-reef snorkelling and beach time on the Red Sea coast, a refreshing escape.
Multi-day awaySiwa Oasis
Palm groves, salt lakes and the Oracle Temple deep in the Western Desert.
40 min awaySaqqara & Dahshur
The Step Pyramid, the Bent and Red Pyramids and the ruins of Memphis.
Know before you go
Short, straight answers to the questions every Cairo visitor asks before booking.
The sweet-spot months
October–April brings warm, comfortable days (20–28°C) ideal for the pyramids and outdoor sites — the best time to visit.
Autumn (Oct–Nov)
Pleasant temperatures and thinner crowds after the summer heat make autumn an excellent time for sightseeing.
Winter (Dec–Feb)
Cool and sunny days (peaks 18–22°C) and chilly evenings — the most popular season, so book pyramid tours ahead.
Spring (Mar–Apr)
Warm and pleasant, though the brief khamsin sand winds can blow in. Still a great time before the summer heat arrives.
Summer (Jun–Aug)
Very hot (35–40°C). Visit the pyramids at opening, carry water and keep midday for indoor museums.
Ramadan
During Ramadan some hours and restaurants change; sites stay open but plan around shorter afternoons and a lively atmosphere after sunset.
One day
Enough for the highlights: the Giza Pyramids and Sphinx, the Grand Egyptian Museum and a Nile dinner cruise.
Two days
Add Saqqara and Dahshur, and explore Islamic and Coptic Cairo with the Khan el-Khalili bazaar.
Three days
The sweet spot: the city and Giza plus one day trip to Alexandria, Luxor or Fayoum.
Four to five days
Add a Red Sea break or fly to Luxor and Aswan for the temples and a short Nile cruise.
A week or more
Combine Cairo with a full Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan, or a desert trip to Siwa or the White Desert.
Travelling with kids
Add a half-day buffer for the heat — camel rides and the museum are big hits but need a relaxed pace.
Private driver & guide
By far the easiest way to see Cairo — a guided tour with a private car and driver handles the traffic, distances and site logistics for you.
The Metro
Cheap and fast on its three lines, avoiding traffic for longer hops, with dedicated women-only carriages. Less useful for reaching Giza directly.
Ride-hailing apps
Uber and Careem are widely used, reliable and good value, and avoid fare haggling with street taxis.
To the Giza Pyramids
The plateau is 30–45 minutes from downtown by road; most visitors reach it on a tour with pickup rather than public transport.
From the airport
Cairo International is about 45–60 minutes from downtown depending on traffic; pre-booked transfers or ride apps are the simplest option.
On foot
Old Cairo, Coptic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili are best explored on foot, ideally with a guide to navigate the lanes.
Inside-pyramid tickets
Entering a pyramid needs a separate, limited ticket on top of plateau entry; a guided tour is the reliable way to secure it, especially for the Great Pyramid.
Grand Egyptian Museum
Book timed entry ahead — the museum is very popular, and a guide helps you cover the highlights across the vast galleries.
Cash & tipping
Carry small Egyptian pounds for tips (baksheesh), which are customary, and for markets and minor fees. Cards work in hotels and bigger venues.
Photography
Some sites and the inside of pyramids charge a camera fee or restrict photos; your guide will advise where photography is allowed.
Dress & sun
Dress modestly for mosques and churches, and bring a hat, sunscreen and water for the exposed pyramid plateau.
Bargaining
Haggling is expected in bazaars and for camel rides; booking activities through a tour avoids the hardest negotiations.
Private pyramid tours
The best-rated private guides and small-group pyramid tours fill up in peak season — book a few days ahead.
Grand Egyptian Museum
Timed entry helps you skip the line at this hugely popular new museum; reserve your slot in advance.
Nile dinner cruises
Evening cruises with dinner and a show fill up on weekends and holidays — book ahead for the best boats.
Luxor day flights
Fly-in day trips to Luxor have limited seats and need booking ahead, as they include scheduled domestic flights.
Sound & Light Show
Check the language schedule and book ahead to catch the show in your language with transfers.
Siwa & desert trips
Multi-day desert and oasis tours run on set departures and limited spots, so reserve early.
Pyramid tours
Around €25–60 for a half-day guided Giza tour; private tours with the museum cost more.
Museum entry
Roughly €15–35 for Grand Egyptian Museum or Egyptian Museum tickets, more with a private guide.
Nile dinner cruises
About €25–50 per person for a dinner cruise with a buffet and entertainment, including transfers.
Day trips
Alexandria or Fayoum run about €40–70; fly-in Luxor day trips cost around €180–250 with flights.
Desert activities
Quad biking and camel rides at Giza start around €15–35; multi-day Siwa trips cost more.
How to save
Join group tours, visit in shoulder season and combine sites in one day to cut transport costs.
Cairo through the seasons
What's best, how busy it gets, and one booking tip for each time of year.
- Best for
- Warm, pleasant days for the pyramids before the summer heat, with occasional sand winds.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Visit outdoor sites early and keep an eye on the khamsin forecast.
- Best for
- Very hot and quiet, with the lowest prices — sightseeing starts at dawn.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Do the pyramids at opening and keep midday for air-conditioned museums.
- Best for
- Comfortable temperatures and clear skies make autumn ideal for sightseeing.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- A great-value shoulder season before the winter peak.
- Best for
- Cool, sunny days — the peak season for visiting the pyramids and the Nile.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Book pyramid tours and cruises ahead, and pack a layer for cool evenings.