Saqqara and Memphis

6 min read Updated November 2026 Compare all tours

Saqqara lies on the desert edge south of Giza, about 20 km from the plateau by road and roughly 30 minutes without traffic. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities describes it as a vast cemetery of ancient Memphis, with royal and private tombs from across Egyptian history, and calls it an open-air museum. UNESCO includes it in the same World Heritage Site as Giza and Dahshur. Memphis, the capital those tombs belonged to, is now a small open-air site in the village of Mit Rahina, a short drive away.

The Step Pyramid of Djoser

The ministry dates the Step Pyramid to the early Third Dynasty, during the reign of King Netjerykhet, better known as Djoser, around 2667 to 2648 BC. It is made of six stacked mastabas, which gives it its stepped shape. The ministry credits the idea to Imhotep, its architect, who "may very well have been responsible" for this innovation. Djoser's complex is older than the Giza pyramids, and seeing it first makes the step from here to the smooth sides at Giza easier to follow.

The photo above shows scaffolding on one face, a sign of restoration work. The ministry's pages do not say if the inside of the pyramid can be visited, so do not count on it.

More at Saqqara

The ministry names the Serapeum, burial place of the Apis bulls, and the Imhotep Museum among the sights. The private tour on this page also spends about two hours at the pyramid complex of Unas with the tomb of Kagemni and the pyramid of Teti, after an hour at the Step Pyramid. The ministry does not list which tombs are open on a given day, and guides sometimes let the group decide which ones to enter, as one reviewer describes.

According to the official ticket portal, egymonuments.com, Saqqara opens at 8am and last entry is at 4pm in summer and winter, as of November 2026. The area ticket costs 600 EGP for foreign adults and 300 EGP for students. The ministry's Saqqara page also lists an inclusive ticket that adds the Imhotep Museum and several tombs, at 1,400 EGP and 700 EGP. Vehicles pay a separate fee.

That private tour runs six to eight hours with an Egyptologist who reads the hieroglyphic texts with you. It includes water, snacks, a driver and parking, and lunch at a local farm. Entrance tickets are not included, and the guide asks for a moderate level of fitness.

Memphis at Mit Rahina

UNESCO lists the Temple of Ptah at Mit Rahina as part of the World Heritage Site. Tours stop here for the colossal statue of Ramses II and the alabaster sphinx. The tours on this page combine it with Saqqara, and some with Dahshur as well. The official ticket portal lists Memphis at 200 EGP for adults and 100 EGP for students, open from 8am with last entry at 4pm, as of November 2026. Many tours include the ticket; check the inclusions before you book.

Choosing a tour

The day trips on this page differ mainly in how many sites they pack in. The tour with the most options lets you choose between one, three or four sites, adding Giza or Dahshur, and offers a felucca ride with its top option. Shared groups on that tour are in English only. Its description lists optional stops at a papyrus gallery, an oils factory, a bazaar, a cotton store and a carpet school, which can be skipped on request; one reviewer mentions an unannounced carpet shop and a missed visit to the Red Pyramid.

Combined days with Giza run about eight hours including hotel transfers. One of them covers the Step Pyramid, Memphis, lunch, the three Giza pyramids, the Sphinx and the valley temple, with free shopping time at the end. Another by Emo Tours Egypt includes entry fees and lunch; group passengers meet at the Ramses Hilton or near the pyramids, and reviewers mention that the day felt rushed. A private tour by Sun Pyramids Tours takes four to six hours from your hotel, with entry to Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur and a restaurant lunch; its description says that the group steps inside the Red Pyramid. For that part of the day, see our page on Dahshur.