Trip to Cairo and the Pyramids from Sharm el-Sheikh

On this page, we talk about how to visit the majestic pyramids in Egypt from Sharm El-Sheikh on a tour. You will learn how and where you can buy a tour to the Pyramids and Cairo cheaper, whether it's worth buying such a tour at all, what you need to know so you are not scammed, and we give other tips for visiting the pyramids. Here we share our travel experience, and if you want to learn more from other travelers or share your experience, then join our 💬 chat about Egypt.

Description and is it worth visiting

Everyone should go to the capital Cairo, to the Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza! These are the most significant and important sights in Egypt, its hallmark. This complex of ancient monuments on the plateau in the Giza area of Cairo is the only surviving monument of the seven wonders of the ancient world, as well as a national treasure of Egypt. You will see the three great pyramids of the pharaohs Cheops, Khafre, and Menkaure, tombs and small pyramids of the pharaohs' wives (queens), and, of course, the majestic Sphinx. In addition to the pyramids themselves, the tour also includes a visit to the National Museum of Egypt and other sights of the ancient city, but this already depends on the program of the specific tour.

Tours to the Pyramids are available from Sharm el-Sheikh and are inexpensive. However, one important feature must be taken into account: for a trip to Cairo, a full Egyptian visa is needed, and the free Sinai stamp will not work. Therefore, if you have a plan to see the pyramids, it is best to apply for a full visa right at Sharm airport upon arrival, it costs 30 dollars and is done almost instantly: just bought at the window and pasted into the passport. However, if you did not get a visa initially and then decided to go to the Pyramids, this problem is easily solved on the spot already during the holiday through a guide or local travel agencies, you just have to pay a little extra for it.

Is it worth going to the Pyramids from Sharm El-Sheikh with a tour

It is better to visit Cairo and the Pyramids with a ready-made tour, as an independent trip will be more expensive and longer. In our opinion, it is worth going to Cairo and the Pyramids from Sharm el-Sheikh independently only if you want to spend several days there and get to know other places and sights of the city, but that is a completely different story. If you just want to see this wonder of the world, visit the capital and see the country's main museum, then there is simply no alternative to a tour. And so for the first time we definitely recommend visiting Cairo and the Pyramids with a ready-made tour. Moreover, during the tour you will be accompanied by guides telling about the mysteries of the pyramids, the history of Egypt and the modern life of the country, and believe me, it is very interesting. For example, during our last tour we were accompanied by a guide who is a professional archaeologist, and even despite his difficulties with Russian pronunciation, listening to his stories was very exciting.

Where is it better to buy tours to the Pyramids

Ready-made tours from Sharm El-Sheikh to the Pyramids can be bought from hotel guides, in street travel agencies, online on travel agency websites and aggregators.

Personally, we prefer to buy tours in Egypt online, as it is inexpensive and convenient: you can read reviews, choose a payment method, book at any time, and simply don't have to go anywhere. The price of tours when booking online is the same as in street travel agencies, so if it's more convenient for you to buy offline, you can safely buy it at any street travel agency or from distributors in the hotel. But, of course, it's better to go around a few places first to compare the price. Here are trusted sites with reviews, where we usually buy:

• 📷 To Cairo and the Pyramids on Tripster.ru
• 📷 To Cairo and the Pyramids on Sputnik8.com
• 📷 To Cairo and the Pyramids on Tezeks.com

A separate story, and most often an unpleasant story, is buying tours from hotel guides from the tour operator. Of course, there is nothing wrong with buying from hotel guides, on the contrary it is good and reliable. But, unfortunately, hotel guides often sell exactly the same tours twice as expensive. And what's bad is that they are not shy about deceiving and misleading tourists just to get them to buy from them.

What kinds of tours to the Pyramids are there

Tours to Cairo and Giza from Sharm el-Sheikh are offered in several variants and on different types of transport. First of all, you need to choose the type of transport – bus or plane. The plane is faster, but much more expensive, and by bus it takes a long time, but is very cheap. Don't be afraid of bus trips, because tours are conducted on large comfortable buses or minivans, you can even get some sleep on the way. Large buses have toilets on board (but check when buying a specific tour program), and sanitary stops are made.

The programs and content of tours also vary. The most popular is a sightseeing tour of Cairo, a visit to the National Museum (Egyptian Museum), free time for a walk in Cairo, pyramids in Giza and the Sphinx, a visit to a papyrus factory and a perfume and oils museum. For an additional fee, a Nile River cruise is offered (10 dollars), entrance inside the Pyramid of Cheops (20 dollars), photo and video shooting in the National Museum 50 Egyptian pounds. Another less popular option skips the National Museum, and instead offers more time to walk around the city and visit temples.

How the visit to the Pyramids happens and what is important to know

For the famous Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx during a group tour, usually no more than two hours are allotted. Honestly, this is very little to at least somewhat understand the history and appreciate the scale and atmosphere of the ancient structures. But, unfortunately, a lot of time during group tours you will lose in all sorts of "museums" of cosmetics, stone carving, papyrus making, as well as on a not very interesting Nile cruise. It would be better if these "museums" were not in the program and more time was left for viewing the Pyramids, but thanks to their visit the tour is cheaper for the organizers, so there is no way out. Well, if finances allow, it is better to buy more expensive individual tours without all this commercial nonsense.

But back to the Pyramids themselves. The territory of the Giza Pyramids complex is quite extensive: it contains the three great pyramids of Cheops, Khafre, and Menkaure, small pyramids of the pharaohs' wives, and the Sphinx. Therefore, to save time, the tour bus enters the territory and makes several stops at different places near the pyramids so you can walk near each and take photos. Time flies very quickly here, so in the end, taking into account the stop, group disembarkation, re-gathering and boarding, transfer to a new stop point, you will have time to walk near each pyramid for about 15-20 minutes, no more. So don't waste time: take photos and walk around the pyramids as quickly as possible.

The culmination of the tour will be viewing the pyramids from the observation point, the so-called Panorama, from where all three great pyramids are visible at once. This panorama is located right there, on the territory of the archaeological park not far from the Menkaure pyramid (guides sometimes call it Mykerinos). This is not an equipped observation point, but simply a place with a good view on a sandy hill next to the Mykerinos pyramid, near which the last stop of tourist buses is usually made. Buses do not go directly to the observation point, because there is no road to it. Therefore, you need to be ready to disembark from the bus immediately and get to the observation point as quickly as possible. This can be done on foot, it's only a 5-minute walk on the sand. But you can also get there riding a camel or in a cart for 5-10 dollars. The accompanying guide will offer a "ticket" for the cart or camel for 10 dollars even on the way to the Pyramids, gently hinting that it is impossible to walk. But this is a small scam, and in our opinion such a short camel ride is not worth 10 dollars. And don't believe the guide if he says you won't make it to the observation point without a camel and cart. We personally walked to the observation point faster than the tourists from our bus who rode, and returned back faster too.

Another option available when visiting the pyramids is entrance inside. The Pyramid of Cheops and Menkaure are open for visits for a fee of 20 and 10 dollars respectively. The guide will persistently offer you to do this, and of course it's up to you. But just keep in mind that inside there is practically nothing except corridors, and the viewing will be very brief, only 5-10 minutes.

The tour of the pyramid complex usually ends near the Sphinx. Unfortunately, it is now fenced off, you cannot get close, and they only let you behind the fence for an additional tip. At least, that's how it was during our last visit in December 2023, but maybe in the future the Sphinx will become more accessible again.

Useful tips for the trip to Cairo and the pyramids

• Take one or two bottles of water with you, as the trip will last a whole day, and buying it near the sights or in a cafe will be expensive.
• Considering that the departure is scheduled at midnight, be sure to order an early breakfast (breakfast-box) at the hotel reception the evening before, and don't forget to pick it up in the morning before departure.
• At night and early morning in the desert areas of Egypt it can be cool, and there will be one or two stops on the way where you can stretch and get off the bus. A warm sweatshirt will come in handy here. It will also be needed in case the air conditioning is on in the bus, because it's not a short ride.
• A hat, sunglasses - mandatory things that will be needed during the walking tour to the ancient monuments. Those particularly sensitive to the sun should also take care of sunscreen.
• The walk will be more comfortable if you wear comfortable shoes, because you will have to walk on sand.
• Don't forget a certain amount of money to pay the guide and leave for unforeseen expenses (souvenirs, drinks in a cafe at lunch, tips for the accompanying staff and guide). Don't take a lot, so as not to be tempted to spend on unnecessary things.
• For a comfortable sleep on the way to the sights, and it takes only 6-8 hours one way, you can bring a travel pillow.
• Upon arrival at the sights, you can leave your things in the bus during the walk, but the most valuable (documents, money, phone, camera) is better to carry with you, for which a small backpack will come in handy.
• At every step you will be offered to buy souvenirs and generally anything for a dollar, but this is a scam. As soon as you decide to actually buy something from a seller, the price will immediately increase many times.
• Accompanying guides also offer during the tour to buy something interesting from them like souvenirs, teas, cartouches with your name custom-made, etc. Treat their offers with respect, but also with a healthy dose of caution, as sometimes they offer to buy even quality goods but at an inflated price.
• During visits to "museums" of papyrus, stone cutting, cosmetics, etc. you will be very intensively and professionally processed to make you buy something. If you have firmly decided not to buy anything in these places, then immediately make it clear to the sellers and openly say that nothing interests you. If you start being interested in their goods just for the sake of politeness, they will only put more pressure on you to buy, and it will be very difficult to get rid of them.