The pyramids with kids

Children under 6 enter the Giza plateau free, and the Grand Egyptian Museum opened with a children's museum for ages 6 to 12. The challenges are the heat, early starts and, from the Red Sea, very long days.

Corner of a pyramid with rows of limestone blocks and fallen stones at its foot, blue sky above — Limestone blocks at the corner of a pyramid at Giza. Photo: Richard Bowden / Pexels

5 min read Updated November 2026 Compare all tours

The pyramids work for children of most ages, because there is space, there are animals, and the scale of the stones makes an impression without any explanation. What makes a family visit hard is not the site but the conditions around it: heat for much of the year, early starts, traffic and, for families staying at the Red Sea, a day that can last a full 24 hours. This page collects what the official sites and the tour operators say about children.

Tickets for children

On the Giza plateau, children under 6 enter free, according to the ministry's ticket portal at egymonuments.com. Older children pay the regular rate. Students up to the age of 24 with a valid student card get the reduced ticket. Phone photos are free. Current amounts are on the tickets and opening hours page.

At the Grand Egyptian Museum, the rules published at its opening in November 2025 included a children's museum for ages 6 to 12, with its own ticket, where adults had to accompany children aged 6 to 9. The museum sells all tickets for fixed time slots through its own shop, so check the current children's options there when you book.

Heat and timing

From May to September the average high at Cairo Airport is between 32 and 35 °C. With children, the first hours after the 7 am opening are the only comfortable time in summer. December to February is easier, with highs around 19 to 20 °C, but the mornings are cool at about 10 °C, and the sun sets around 5 pm. A sensible pattern all year is the plateau in the morning and the air-conditioned museum after lunch. Bring water, hats and sun cream; several tours include bottled water.

Head and body of the Great Sphinx in warm sand tones with a pyramid behind and scaffolding at the left — The Great Sphinx with a pyramid behind it. Photo: Adrian Dascal / Unsplash

Camels and carriages

For many children the ride is the highlight. One half-day tour lets you choose between a camel and a horse carriage to get around the plateau, and its rules are clear: children must be accompanied by an adult during the camel ride, and each carriage takes two adults and one child or one adult and two children. It is not suitable during pregnancy. The plateau ticket is not included in that tour, so you buy it on the day.

Reviews of some Giza tours also describe animals in poor condition, which can upset children; the camel and quad rides page covers what is known about animal welfare and the rules on the plateau. One private ATV tour sets price bands for children from 6 to 11, but operators advise against quads for anyone with back or heart problems.

Early starts

The sunrise tour picks up at 5 am for a one-hour ride from a stable outside the plateau, then breakfast and two hours on the plateau with a guide. It is a five-hour morning. A parent who did it with a four-year-old wrote that the child was very tired after the camels, so the 8 am version may suit younger children better.

Inside the pyramids

A visit inside a pyramid needs an extra ticket. This guide found no official age limit. Tour operators describe the interiors as unsuitable for people with claustrophobia or limited mobility, and the Great Pyramid was closed for maintenance for a time in 2023. For small children the outside is usually enough.

Day trips from the Red Sea

Coach day trips from Hurghada start with pickups from about 2 am, take around six hours each way and last 15 to 24 hours in total. One coach tour states that pushchairs cannot be taken. Flights shorten the day to 16 to 17 hours but still start before dawn. With children, the two-day versions or a night in Cairo make a far more manageable trip; tours are compared on the day trips from Hurghada and Sharm page.

Tours with families in mind

Two private tours on this page are labelled family-friendly on their tour pages: a day with the Giza pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, where you can add a camel ride, a quad or a felucca, and a two-day programme with the museum and Old Cairo on one day and the pyramids, Saqqara and Memphis on the other. Private tours set the pace around your children rather than a group. The microlight flight over the pyramids, by contrast, takes passengers only from the age of 14.

All tours side by side

Tours that suit families: a camel or carriage ride across the plateau with clear rules for children, an early sunrise start, a private day with the museum and a choice of extras, and two private days in Cairo and Giza.

Tour	Format	Duration	Age	Rating	From
Sunrise camel ride and breakfast at GizaEgypt Excursions OnlineWith the 5am pickup you ride a camel or horse for an hour from a stable outside the plateau at sunrise, eat an Egyptian breakfast, then spend two hours touring the pyramids and Sphinx with an Egyptologist.	Sunrise or 8am start, camel or horseTransport, guide, 1-hour ride, breakfast; plateau ticket with some options	5 hoursHotel pickup at 5am or 8am	–	4.7 (999 reviews)	From $67Free cancellationBook on GetYourGuide
Private pyramids and GEM with optional camel or feluccaPyramids Sunrise ViewA private guide takes you to the Giza pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, with lunch, a camel ride, a quad or a felucca depending on the option.	Private, optionsAll entry tickets, transfer, guide, water; extras by option	4 to 8 hoursHotel pickup in Cairo	Not suitable during pregnancy	4.7 (294 reviews)	From $51Free cancellationBook on GetYourGuide
Giza by camel or horse carriageOceanAir TravelsYou choose a camel or a horse carriage to get around the Giza plateau with an Egyptologist, passing the Sphinx and the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure.	Camel or horse carriageTransfer, guide, camel or carriage, water; plateau ticket not included	5 hoursHotel pickup in Cairo or Giza	Not suitable during pregnancy; children ride camels with an adult	4.8 (172 reviews)	From $91Free cancellationBook on GetYourGuide
Two private days: GEM, Old Cairo, Giza and SaqqaraEgypt Excursions OnlineDay one covers the Grand Egyptian Museum, a felucca and Old Cairo, and day two the Giza pyramids, the Sphinx, Saqqara and Memphis, with the same guide.	2 days, private, no hotelGuide and private car both days; lunch, felucca and tickets with some options	2 daysYour hotel reception in Cairo or Giza	–	4.6 (75 reviews)	From $429Free cancellationBook on GetYourGuide

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Questions travellers ask

Do children pay to enter the Giza pyramids?

Children under 6 enter free, according to the official portal Experience Egypt. Older children pay the regular ticket, and students up to 24 with a valid student card pay the reduced rate.

Is there anything for children at the Grand Egyptian Museum?

When it opened in November 2025 the museum had a children's museum for ages 6 to 12, with a separate ticket. Adults must accompany children aged 6 to 9, according to the published rules at the time.

Can children ride a camel at the pyramids?

On the tours listed here, yes, with conditions. One operator requires children to ride with an adult and allows two adults and one child, or one adult and two children, per horse carriage. Check the rules of the option you book.

Is a day trip from Hurghada a good idea with children?

It is a lot to ask. Coach days take 15 to 24 hours with pickups from about 2 am, and flights still mean 16 to 17 hours. With young children, a night in Cairo or a two-day tour is much easier.

Can children go inside the Great Pyramid?

There is no official age limit that this guide could find. Tour operators describe the interiors as unsuitable for people with claustrophobia, so judge your child before buying the extra ticket.

Where these facts come from

Dates, opening hours and rules change. We checked these pages in November 2026; the official source has the final word.