The Giza Plateau

6 min read Updated November 2026 Compare all tours

The plateau sits on the desert edge west of the Nile, about 15 km by road from Tahrir Square in central Cairo. Three kings of the Fourth Dynasty built their pyramids here. Khufu's Great Pyramid is the largest, the ministry ranks Khafre's as the second-largest in Egypt, and Menkaure built the third. Beside them stand the smaller queens' pyramids, and below them the valley temple of Khafre and the Sphinx. UNESCO lists the whole area as part of the World Heritage Site "Memphis and its Necropolis", which runs south through Saqqara to Dahshur and calls the Great Pyramid the only surviving wonder of the ancient world.

The new entrance and the electric buses

In April 2025 the ministry and Orascom Pyramids Entertainment, which has developed the plateau since 2018, opened a new visitor entrance on the Cairo-Fayoum road, south of the pyramids. The old gate by the Mena House closed. At the new gate there is a visitor centre, two self-service ticket machines and a car park with space for more than 1,200 cars and 200 coaches. Private cars are no longer allowed onto the site, so everyone switches to the electric buses, which stop at seven stations.

The start was bumpy. In the first weeks, visitors complained about waiting for buses or walking in the heat, and the minister asked for larger buses with seat belts until the electric fleet was complete. Reviews from autumn 2026 mention a closed main gate on one day, with visitors sent to a second entrance near the Sphinx about 2.8 km away, and crowding at the gate on Fridays.

Hours and tickets

As of November 2026, the official portal Experience Egypt (egymonuments.com) gives the plateau's hours as 7am to last entry at 4pm in both summer and winter, and 8am to last entry at 3:30pm during Ramadan. The portal names no closing time, so treat 4pm as the latest time to be through the gate. The plateau ticket costs 700 EGP for foreign adults and 350 EGP for students up to 24 with a valid card; children under six enter free and phone photos are allowed. The portal asks you to keep the ticket with you at all times. Going inside costs extra: 1,500 EGP (students 750 EGP) for the Great Pyramid and 280 EGP (students 140 EGP) for the Pyramid of Khafre, according to the same portal.

Two tour descriptions say the ticket office takes cards only. Going inside a pyramid needs a separate ticket for each interior, bought on top of the plateau ticket; our page on the Great Pyramid explains what that involves.

How a visit usually runs

Most guided visits follow the same order. They start at the Great Pyramid, move to Khafre's and Menkaure's pyramids, stop at a panorama viewpoint above the pyramids, and finish at the Sphinx and the valley temple of Khafre. Half-day tours from Cairo or Giza hotels list four to five hours including the drive. The walking tour that meets at the ticket area takes about three hours and adds free time at the end.

Shopping stops are the complaint that comes up most in reviews of half-day tours: papyrus, perfume oil and alabaster workshops on the way back, sometimes taking time away from the plateau. Some reviewers also found tours shorter than the times listed. If you would rather skip the shops, say so when you book and again to the guide at the start.

Early starts and the heat

The sun rises between about 5:45 and 6:50am all year, before the plateau opens. Sunrise tours therefore begin outside the site: one leaves hotels at 5am for a camel or horse ride from a stable near the pyramids, has breakfast and then enters for a two-hour guided visit. Reviewers describe being among the first inside and having parts of the plateau almost to themselves.

From May to September, average daytime highs at Cairo airport sit between 32 and 35 °C, and there is little shade on the ridge. From November to March they stay between about 19 and 25 °C, the most comfortable months for a visit. In December the sun sets around 5pm, close to the last entry time, so a winter afternoon visit is short. Dust storms called khamsin can blow between March and May. When the new gate opened in April 2025, the plateau counted 12,000 to 15,000 visitors a day.

Camels, horses and touts

Camel and horse handlers have been moved to new zones, which they say are too far from the main entry points. The operator of the redevelopment said it would regulate them rather than remove them, with shaded shelters, clean water and vets checking the animals. The animal rights group PETA says the ministry has announced plans to ban animal rides at Giza; we found no official confirmation of such a ban. Some reviews describe mistreated camels and horses on the plateau. Our page on camel and quad rides covers what each bookable ride includes.

The UK Foreign Office notes that scammers and touts sometimes target foreign visitors in tourist areas, while the crime rate is generally low. The Tourist Police can be reached on 126.

Getting there

There is no metro to the pyramids yet. The Pyramids station on Metro Line 4 is scheduled for the first half of 2028. Without traffic, the drive from central Cairo takes around 20 minutes and from Cairo airport about 35 minutes, but Cairo traffic is often much slower than that. Most tours include a pick-up from hotels in Cairo or Giza. The Grand Egyptian Museum is about 2 km away in a straight line and 5.7 km by road, so many visitors combine the two on the same day.