Things to do around the Giza pyramids
Beyond the classic plateau tour, Giza has flights over the pyramids, dinners and a light show in the evening, and day tours that add the Citadel, the bazaar or the old Egyptian Museum.
Microlight flight over the pyramids and GEM
Microlight, filmed · 10 to 15 minutes in the air
✓ Free cancellation
from $200
Book on GetYourGuide
Dinner facing the pyramids
Evening, set menu · 4 hours
✓ Free cancellation
from $57
Book on GetYourGuide
Pyramids by camel, then the Citadel and the bazaar
Shared, camel ride · 8 hours
✓ Free cancellation
from $87
Book on GetYourGuide
Many tours of Giza cover the plateau in a morning. This page collects what else the area offers: a flight over the plateau, an evening with the pyramids lit up, and day tours that carry on into the old city. Tours for the plateau itself are on Giza pyramids tours, the museum on Grand Egyptian Museum tours.
Over the pyramids by microlight
The microlight flight lasts 10 to 15 minutes at up to 500 feet and passes over the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum; an extended route also follows the Nile. An edited video of the flight is included. Transport to the airfield is not, and neither is a plateau ticket, so plan the flight as a separate outing.
The operator is strict about who may fly. Children under 14, passengers over 100 kg, pregnant women, people with heart problems and anyone who has been diving in the previous 24 hours are not accepted, and a passenger turned away for weight does not get a refund. Hats, sandals and selfie sticks are not allowed on board. Flights are guided in English or Arabic, and you can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours ahead.
The paramotor and the skydive go a step further. The tandem paramotor flight lasts about 13 minutes and includes aerial acrobatics with the pyramids behind. The tandem skydive jumps from 13,000 feet with instructors certified by the United States Parachute Association, filmed by a professional, and the whole outing takes about four hours. Neither includes hotel pickup. We could not confirm age or weight limits or the meeting point for the skydive and the paramotor flight, so ask the operator before you book and plan your own transport to the start.
Dinner with the pyramids in view
The evening dinner picks you up at your hotel in Cairo or Giza and lasts about four hours. You choose from a set menu, with a dessert, a soft drink and a bottle of water included; further drinks are extra. On specific nights, the operator says, you can watch the Sound and Light Show from the table. The tour gives two different names for the venue, so check where you will eat on the booking page.
The show itself is run by the Misr Company for Sound, Light and Tourism Development, which has its own website. Show times and languages are not listed there, so ask the operator before you plan the evening. Sunset falls at 17:09 on 1 November and 17:00 on 21 December, but at 20:00 on 21 June, so a summer evening starts much later.
Pyramids and Old Cairo in one day
Several full-day tours start at the pyramids and spend the afternoon in the city. The shared tour to the Citadel and the bazaar includes a 30-minute camel ride at the pyramids, then the Saladin Citadel, Al-Muizz Street and Khan el-Khalili, in eight hours with hotel pickup. It needs at least two participants, lunch is an add-on, and it is not suitable for wheelchair users.
The tours with the old Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square and the bazaar also take eight hours. One runs shared or private with lunch; the other is private, with lunch and the entry fees included. Note that the Tutankhamun collection is no longer shown at Tahrir; one reviewer had booked to see it and found it had moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum. The tour with options lets you add Old Cairo, the Citadel, the museum or, in its VIP version, a felucca; its shared departures run in English only. Depending on the extras, it lasts three to eight hours, and it is not suitable for people with limited mobility or wheelchair users. On every one of these city days, the entry tickets are either included or tied to the option you choose, so read the inclusions line before you book.
With more time, a private two-day tour spreads it out: the GEM, a felucca, Old Cairo, the Mohammed Ali Mosque and Khan el-Khalili on the first day, the pyramids, Saqqara and Memphis on the second. The operator calls it family-friendly, and accommodation is not included.
Ramadan and shorter opening hours
During Ramadan the plateau opens at 8am instead of 7am, and last entry moves from 4pm to 3.30pm, according to the official portal. Ramadan 2027 is projected to begin on Monday 8 February, with Eid al-Fitr expected around 9 March, with the exact dates set by the sighting of the moon. If you travel then, put the plateau first in the day and keep the flights, the city and the evening outings for later.
Evenings at the museum and a race on the plateau
On Wednesdays and Saturdays the galleries of the Grand Egyptian Museum stay open until 9pm, a way to fill a hot afternoon after an early visit to the pyramids. In December the Pyramids Half Marathon starts and finishes at the Pyramids Visitor Center: the 5 km race on Friday 11 December 2026 at 8am, the 10 km and the half marathon on Saturday 12 December at 7am. We do not know whether the race affects access to the plateau on those mornings, so check before you book a tour for that weekend.
Cairo's average daily high stays at 19 to 25 °C from November to March and reaches 32 to 35 °C from May to September, so evening outings make most sense in the hot months. To plan the days around all this, see itineraries.
Heading south to Luxor after Cairo? The tombs and temples there are covered on visitvalleyofthekings.com.
More ways to spend a day or an evening at Giza
Flights over the plateau, an evening dinner and full days that pair the pyramids with Cairo. The age column matters for the flights, which set limits on age and weight.
| Tour | Format | Duration | Age | Rating | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private pyramids, Tahrir museum and bazaar with lunchEmo Tours EgyptA private car takes you to the pyramids, the Valley Temple and the Sphinx, then to the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square and Khan el-Khalili. | Private, lunchPrivate car, entry fees, guide, lunch, water | 8 hoursHotel pickup in Cairo or Giza | – | 4.6 (754 reviews) | From $70Free cancellationBook on GetYourGuide |
| Microlight flight over the pyramids and GEMWonder WingA certified pilot flies you up to 500 feet over the Giza pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum for 10 to 15 minutes, with an edited video of the flight. | Microlight, filmedFlight, pilot, edited video; no transfer, no plateau ticket | 10 to 15 minutes in the airAirfield, transfer not included | From 14; maximum 100 kg; not after diving within 24 hours | 4.8 (329 reviews) | From $200Free cancellationBook on GetYourGuide |
| Pyramids, the Tahrir museum and Khan el-KhaliliOceanAir TravelsAfter the pyramids and the Sphinx and a local lunch, you visit the old Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar. | Shared or privateTransfer, guide, lunch, water; tickets with some options | 8 hoursHotel lobby in Cairo or Giza | Not suitable for wheelchair users | 4.8 (306 reviews) | From $65Free cancellationBook on GetYourGuide |
| Pyramids with optional Old Cairo, Citadel or museumEgypt Excursions OnlineThe base tour covers the Giza pyramids and the Sphinx, and options add the Egyptian Museum, Old Cairo, the Citadel, Khan el-Khalili or a felucca. | Shared, private or VIPTransfer, licensed guide, water; tickets and lunch by option | 3 to 8 hoursHotel pickup in Cairo or Giza | Not suitable with limited mobility or for wheelchair users | 4.7 (238 reviews) | From $33Free cancellationBook on GetYourGuide |
| Dinner facing the pyramidsSun Pyramids ToursYou eat a set-menu dinner with a view of the pyramids, and on some nights the Sound and Light Show runs while you sit at your table. | Evening, set menuHotel transfer, main course, dessert, one soft drink, water | 4 hoursHotel pickup in Cairo or Giza | – | 4.4 (199 reviews) | From $57Free cancellationBook on GetYourGuide |
| Pyramids by camel, then the Citadel and the bazaarOceanAir TravelsA 30-minute camel ride takes you to the Sphinx, and the afternoon covers the Saladin Citadel, Al-Muizz Street and Khan el-Khalili. | Shared, camel rideTransfer, guide, camel ride, water; tickets with some options | 8 hoursHotel pickup in Cairo or Giza | Not suitable for wheelchair users | 4.9 (79 reviews) | From $87Free 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 |
| Tandem paramotor flight at GizaSky Sports EgyptA tandem paramotor flight with the Giza pyramids below you. | Paramotor, tandem | About 13 minutesNo hotel pickup | – | 4.8 (24 reviews) | From $204Book on GetYourGuide |
| Tandem skydive over the pyramidsSkydive PharaohsYou jump from 13,000 feet over the Giza pyramids with a USPA-certified instructor, and the jump is filmed. | Tandem skydive, filmed | 4 hoursNo hotel pickup | – | 4.8 (23 reviews) | From $410Book on GetYourGuide |
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Questions travellers ask
Can I fly over the pyramids?
Yes. A microlight flight takes 10 to 15 minutes over the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, and there are tandem paramotor flights and a tandem skydive. Each has its own limits, so read the conditions on the tour page.
Who cannot take the microlight flight?
The operator does not take children under 14, anyone over 100 kg, pregnant women, people with heart problems, or anyone who has been diving in the previous 24 hours. Passengers turned away for weight get no refund.
Can I watch the Sound and Light Show from a restaurant?
The dinner with a view of the pyramids says the show can be seen from the table on specific nights. For show times and tickets, check the operator, the Misr Company for Sound, Light and Tourism Development.
Can I combine the pyramids with Old Cairo in one day?
Yes. Several eight-hour tours visit the pyramids in the morning and then the Citadel, the old Egyptian Museum or Khan el-Khalili in the afternoon. Expect a long day with a lot of driving.
Is the Tutankhamun collection in the old Egyptian Museum?
No longer. A tour that goes to the museum on Tahrir Square notes that the Tutankhamun collection is not on display there now; it is in the Grand Egyptian Museum.
Where these facts come from
Dates, opening hours and rules change. We checked these pages in October 2026; the official source has the final word.
