Official Entrance Fees
Set in Egyptian Pounds. Euro at the exchange rate of 2026-10-25 (62 pounds per euro), rounded.
| Ticket | Adults | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Area ticket: Plateau, Sphinx, Valley Temple, Shuttle | 11 €700 EGP | 5.6 €350 EGP |
| Great Pyramid of Khufu, Interiorin addition to the area ticket, closed from 12:00 to 13:00 | 16 €1,000 EGP | 8.1 €500 EGP |
Students with an international student ID card.
Verified on 2026-10-25: Plateau page of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Monument page for the Great Pyramid of Khufu.
If you plan to buy tickets online for the Giza Plateau, you first need the correct address, because the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities operates two websites with almost identical names. One provides information; the other sells tickets.
This can be verified. The Antiquities Authority's information page under the state domain .gov.eg lists tickets and prices on its site page, but has no button or shopping cart. Sales take place at egymonuments.com, which uses a commercial domain. That this address is the genuine one is stated directly on the information page itself: A Ministry announcement explicitly names it as the official website for ticket purchases. The sales page lists the same amounts for the plateau as the official price list.
So, if you are looking for the official page for the Pyramids of Giza, you will find two, but you can only buy tickets on one of them. This is particularly important if you intend to arrive at the eastern gate, where there is no ticket booth. An online ticket for the Pyramids of Giza is available officially and through intermediaries. It becomes problematic where a third site looks like one of the two official ones. Confusion is easy because the two real addresses differ only in their domain suffix, and it is precisely this similarity that imitations exploit.
This page therefore categorizes the types of providers, identifies the security each offers, and describes how to recognize imitations. The ticket structure and prices themselves are detailed on a separate page.
Entry ticket as a QR code via an intermediary
- An intermediary that identifies itself as such, with cancellation terms and reachable customer service
- Entry to the site is included; access to the interior chambers of the pyramids is explicitly not included
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure, depending on the provider
- Especially useful for the eastern gate, where there is no ticket office
Three Types of Providers
You will encounter three types of providers, which differ less in price than in what happens when something goes wrong.
The first type is the official sales platform of the Ministry at egymonuments.com. It sells tickets for sites across the country at the official price, without a markup. Its contact address for payment issues is e-finance, the company operating state payment platforms in Egypt, and the authority's information page cites it as the official purchase address. What it lacks is the detail provided by an intermediary: on the ticket page for the plateau, there are neither cancellation rules nor refund conditions.
The second type consists of intermediaries, i.e., well-known booking platforms. They openly state that they are intermediaries, provide cancellation and refund terms, process payments through established service providers, and have reachable customer service. The price is usually higher than the pure entry fee because it includes a margin.
The third type comprises imitations. They copy the design and wording of official pages, buy visibility in search engines, and either sell nothing or sell something that is not valid at the gate. This group is the reason this page exists.
Why this specific location attracts so many imitations has two simple reasons. It is world-famous, and search queries come from countries where no one knows what Egyptian government websites look like. Additionally, the rules on site have actually changed in recent years, creating uncertainty, and uncertainty is the fuel for such offers. If you read descriptions that are two years old, you are already in the mindset where a confidently designed 'Buy' button promises relief.
The crucial difference between the three types is not the appearance, but the question: Who do you call if the code at the gate does not work?
Three Assumptions About Online Purchases
- False
The authority does not sell its tickets online itself.
It does sell them, just not on its information page. The page under .gov.eg lists prices and opening hours; purchases are made at egymonuments.com, which the Ministry itself names as its official purchase address.
- False
If it says 'Ministry' at the top, it is the official site.
Design, logos, and phrasing can be copied, and that is exactly what imitators do. A logo is not evidence. A sales address is only proven legitimate if the authority itself refers to it.
- Partially
An intermediary is worse than buying directly.
It is more expensive because it includes a margin. In return, you get cancellation terms, reachable customer service, and payment processed through an established provider. Those who prioritize security over price will benefit from this.
How to Recognize an Imitation
Unfortunately, recognizing an imitation is not about a single feature, but a collection of anomalies.
Pay attention to the domain suffix. Official Egyptian authorities use state domains, and a commercial domain with a state appearance is a reason for caution, but nothing more: Even genuine state service providers operate platforms under commercial addresses, and the official sales page for Giza is the best example of this. Secondly, watch the payment page. If the address changes during payment and the new provider was never mentioned anywhere, abort the process. Thirdly, look for what is missing: an imprint (legal notice), a reachable phone number, and understandable cancellation terms.
And fourthly, watch the price in both directions. An offer significantly below the known entry fee is not a bargain, but a warning sign, and one multiple times higher without any recognizable added value is equally suspicious.
One anomaly often overlooked is language. Imitations frequently rely on urgency: limited quotas, expiring offers, countdown timers. Authorities do not do this, and reputable intermediaries use it sparingly. If a site rushes you despite the fact that it is a day ticket for a site that admits thousands of visitors daily, that is a signal.
The practical advice that summarizes all of this: Pay in a way that allows you to recover your money. Credit card or a payment service with buyer protection costs nothing extra and turns a potential total loss into a dispute process. A bank transfer to an unknown recipient is the only method where this does not work.
When You Must Buy Online At All
The question remains: when must you buy online at all? The answer is pleasantly short.
It is mandatory in only one case: if you want to enter via the eastern gate near the Sphinx. There is no ticket office there, and you cannot enter without a pre-purchased ticket. If you arrive via the main entrance in the southwest, you will find counters and machines there and do not need to buy online.
This asymmetry between the two gates is the actual reason online purchasing has become a topic. Without it, the question of genuine versus fake sales pages would be irrelevant for most travelers, as they would simply buy at the counter. However, this creates a group of people who must buy online and must find the correct address among two almost identically named official addresses and many imitations. It is precisely in this risk of confusion that imitators operate.
It is sensible, but not mandatory, in two other cases: on days with expected crowds to skip the line at the counter, and if you want to be at the gate very early and do not want to plan time for queuing.
For everyone else: Buying at the counter is the simplest way, because it does not raise the question of internet address authenticity at all. You pay the official price, you receive the ticket in hand, and if anything is unclear, there is a person standing in front of you.
A special case concerns the interior chambers of the pyramids. It is unclear whether supplementary tickets for these are offered in advance, and descriptions contradict each other. Therefore, plan as if you must buy these tickets at the counter, and treat any online offer for them with particular caution.
If you buy online, save the receipt offline. A QR code that sits only in an email inbox is useless if the network is weak at the gate. Take a screenshot or printout, and ensure your phone is charged.
Stay near the main entrance, buy at the counter. If you stay overnight near the gate in the southwest, you can buy at the counter early and do not need to deal with the question of genuine versus fake sales pages at all. Three hotels cover this:
At the SphinxGiza Pyramids View Inn
- Good breakfast
- Airport shuttle
- Two restaurants
- 24-hour reception
- Free Wi-Fi
For those who want to see the Sphinx from their breakfast chair
Most reviewedGreat Pyramid Inn
- Fabulous breakfast
- Rooftop terrace restaurant
- Bar
- Airport shuttle
- 24-hour reception
Most who want to stay in the neighborhood
Garden & poolMarriott Mena House
- Excellent breakfast
- Outdoor pool
- Spa and wellness center
- Three restaurants
- Fitness center
For those who want space, garden, and pool instead of a rooftop terrace
Frequently asked questions
Does the Antiquities Authority sell tickets online?
Yes, via egymonuments.com. Their information page at egymonuments.gov.eg does not sell anything itself, but mentions the address with the .com suffix in an announcement as the Ministry's official purchase address.
Is there an official sales page?
Yes, egymonuments.com. It carries the Ministry's branding, its contact address for payment issues is with the state payment provider e-finance, and the authority itself names it as the official website for purchases.
Do I have to buy in advance?
Only for the eastern gate near the Sphinx, because there is no ticket office there. At the main entrance, there are counters and machines.
How do I recognize a fake site?
By the lack of an imprint, unclear cancellation terms, a change of address during payment, and prices that are significantly lower or far higher than the known entry fee.
What is the safest way to pay?
With a method that allows you to recover your money. A bank transfer to an unknown recipient does not offer this possibility.
What do I do if the code at the gate does not work?
With an intermediary, you call customer service; with official purchases, it is the contact address on egymonuments.com. Therefore, it is important to know whom you can reach in an emergency before making the purchase.