GetYourGuide
★ 4.4(126 Reviews)Half-Day Cairo Sightseeing Tour to the Pyramids of Giza & Sphinx
- Hotel pickup included
- German-speaking guide indicated
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
- Duration per provider: 3 hours
Three Hours on the Giza Plateau
The half-day tour to the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx starts in Giza. From the city area of Giza to the plateau is about twelve kilometers, and the drive takes about 15 minutes. Once there, you have three hours on the site: the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure, the Great Sphinx, and the viewpoints in between. The walk shows the structures from the outside and also leads to the terrace above the Sphinx. If you're looking for a compact introduction to the plateau without combining several other sights, this is the right choice.
Photos from the provider Egypt Excursions Online. They show the offer, not your day.
- Provider
- Egypt Excursions Online
- Duration
- 3 hours
- Start location
- Giza
- Group type
- Group
- Guide
- Live guide
- German-speaking
- Yes
- Hotel pickup
- Yes
- Price
- From €36
- Rating
- 4.4 out of 126 reviews
- Quality threshold
- Passed
What's included, what's not, and what the provider doesn't say
The catalog distinguishes three states, and the third is the most important: no information does not mean excluded, but rather unresolved.
| Inclusion | Status | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Site ticket for the plateau | Not included | About €11 per adult at the ticket office, card only. |
| Interior of a pyramid | No information | The norm. Khufu officially about €16 (1,000 Egyptian pounds). |
| Hotel pickup | Included | Included; meeting point is your accommodation. |
| Lunch | No information | Not specified. |
| Burial chambers and mastabas | Nowhere in the catalog | In the entire reviewed catalog, no offer sells access to a tomb on the plateau. |
| Cancellation | Free up to 24 hours before | Provider's statement in the catalog. |
Site ticket for the plateau
- Status
- Not included
- What it means for you
- About €11 per adult at the ticket office, card only.
Interior of a pyramid
- Status
- No information
- What it means for you
- The norm. Khufu officially about €16 (1,000 Egyptian pounds).
Hotel pickup
- Status
- Included
- What it means for you
- Included; meeting point is your accommodation.
Lunch
- Status
- No information
- What it means for you
- Not specified.
Burial chambers and mastabas
- Status
- Nowhere in the catalog
- What it means for you
- In the entire reviewed catalog, no offer sells access to a tomb on the plateau.
Cancellation
- Status
- Free up to 24 hours before
- What it means for you
- Provider's statement in the catalog.
What the price covers and what comes extra on the day
The entry price is €36. Included are hotel pickup in Giza, a live guide, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start. The guide speaks English, German, Spanish, French, or Russian; a German-speaking tour is indicated. At €36, the tour ranks twelfth among the 43 prices in its category. The site ticket for the plateau is explicitly not included; it costs 700 Egyptian pounds, which at an exchange rate of 59.14 EGP per euro is about €11. None of the other 42 offers in the same category explicitly state that the site ticket is not included. The site ticket does not cover interiors. If you want to visit the interior of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, you pay the official 1,000 EGP, about €16; the interior of the Pyramid of Menkaure is listed by the official authority as 280 EGP in addition to the site ticket. Whether lunch is planned and whether this tour includes a pyramid interior is not stated by the provider.
The price in comparison
Entry price of this tour against the four best-documented offers in the same category. The highlighted bar is this tour.
Price alone says little. Read it together with the 'Site ticket' row in the comparison table: an offer without entrance is not cheaper, but calculated differently.
Figures in this chart as a table
| Row | Half-Day Cairo Sightseeing Tour to … | Giza: Guided Pyramid Tour at Sun… | Giza: Pyramid, Memphis, Sakkara with … | Pyramids of Giza: Quad Desert Safari… | Pyramids of Giza and Sphinx: Half-Day… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | 36 € | 40 € | 31 € | 34 € | 25 € |
This tour against four comparable ones
All five come from the category 'Tours from Giza'. The column for this tour is highlighted; the other four are the best-documented in the category.
| Halbtägige Kairo-Besichtigungstour zu den Pyramiden … | Gizeh: Geführte Pyramiden-Tour bei Sonnenaufgang … | Gizeh: Pyramide, Memphis, Sakkara mit optional … | Pyramiden von Gizeh: Quad-Wüstensafari und … | Pyramiden von Gizeh und Sphinx: Halbtägige private … | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Egypt Excursions Online | Egypt Excursions Online | Egypt Excursions Online | Emo Tours Egypt | Emo Tours Egypt |
| Price | from 36 € | from 40 € | from 31 € | from 34 € | from 25 € |
| Duration | 3 hours | 5 hours | 3 to 8 hours | 1 to 2 hours | 4 hours |
| Group type | group | group | group | private | private |
| German-speaking | yes | no | yes | yes | no |
| Area ticket | no | Add-on | included | Add-on | included |
| Pickup | yes | yes | yes | yes | not specified |
| Rating (reviews) | 4.4 (126) | 4.7 (928) | 4.8 (388) | 4.5 (1,167) | 4.4 (1,607) |
| Quality threshold | passed | passed | passed | passed | passed |
| Free cancellation until | 24 h | 24 h | 24 h | 24 h | 24 h |
Halbtägige Kairo-Besichtigungstour zu den Pyramiden von Gizeh & Sphinx
- Provider
- Egypt Excursions Online
- Price
- from 36 €
- Duration
- 3 hours
- Group type
- group
- German-speaking
- yes
- Area ticket
- no
- Pickup
- yes
- Rating (reviews)
- 4.4 (126)
- Quality threshold
- passed
- Free cancellation until
- 24 h
Gizeh: Geführte Pyramiden-Tour bei Sonnenaufgang mit Kamelritt und Frühstück
- Provider
- Egypt Excursions Online
- Price
- from 40 €
- Duration
- 5 hours
- Group type
- group
- German-speaking
- no
- Area ticket
- Add-on
- Pickup
- yes
- Rating (reviews)
- 4.7 (928)
- Quality threshold
- passed
- Free cancellation until
- 24 h
Gizeh: Pyramide, Memphis, Sakkara mit optional Dahschur und Feluke-Tour
- Provider
- Egypt Excursions Online
- Price
- from 31 €
- Duration
- 3 to 8 hours
- Group type
- group
- German-speaking
- yes
- Area ticket
- included
- Pickup
- yes
- Rating (reviews)
- 4.8 (388)
- Quality threshold
- passed
- Free cancellation until
- 24 h
Pyramiden von Gizeh: Quad-Wüstensafari und optionaler Kamelritt
- Provider
- Emo Tours Egypt
- Price
- from 34 €
- Duration
- 1 to 2 hours
- Group type
- private
- German-speaking
- yes
- Area ticket
- Add-on
- Pickup
- yes
- Rating (reviews)
- 4.5 (1,167)
- Quality threshold
- passed
- Free cancellation until
- 24 h
Pyramiden von Gizeh und Sphinx: Halbtägige private oder Gruppen-Tour
- Provider
- Emo Tours Egypt
- Price
- from 25 €
- Duration
- 4 hours
- Group type
- private
- German-speaking
- no
- Area ticket
- included
- Pickup
- not specified
- Rating (reviews)
- 4.4 (1,607)
- Quality threshold
- passed
- Free cancellation until
- 24 h
The order follows the documentation, not the commission. All values come from the same catalog fields to make the columns comparable.
How many people have judged?
Number of reviews per offer, with the rating in parentheses. A rating without its sample size is not information.
The quality threshold on this page is ten reviews. Anything below that is not a judgment but a coincidence.
Figures in this chart as a table
| Row | Half-Day Cairo Sightseeing… (4.4) | Giza: Guided Pyramid Tour… (4.7) | Giza: Pyramid, Memphis, Sakk… (4.8) | Pyramids of Giza: Quad Desert… (4.5) | Pyramids of Giza and Sphinx… (4.4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 126 Reviews | 928 Reviews | 388 Reviews | 1,167 Reviews | 1,607 Reviews |
What the 4.4 out of 126 reviews is worth
The rating of 4.4 comes from 126 reviews. That is a manageable sample: when comparing ratings, you should look less at the first decimal place than at the number behind it. By number of reviews, the tour ranks 9th out of 43 in its category; the category ranking shows 8th place because there the evidence strength counts, not the rating alone. The four direct comparison offers are based on 388 to 1,607 votes.
The day, stop by stop
The order follows the usual sequence. Each stop tells you what to expect there and the documented figures; everything else is in the data sheet.
Pickup at your accommodation
The provider picks you up; the duration of the tour counts from here, not from the gate.
Giza Plateau
The site itself: the three pyramids, the Sphinx, and the viewpoints in between. Private vehicles are not allowed up; you travel by electric shuttle or on foot.
- Site ticket for foreigners (adults)700 EGPMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities
- Opening hours (official website)08:00–16:00Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
- Ticket office closes before gate closes1 hourAltertümerverwaltung (Regelpraxis)
Great Sphinx
Carved from the existing rock, not built. The public stands on the terrace above, not next to the paws.
- Length73 mWikipedia (en): Great Sphinx of Giza
- Height20 mWikipedia (en): Great Sphinx of Giza
- Public accessFrom the east through the Valley Temple of Khafre up to the viewing terraceMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities (Giza Plateau)
Great Pyramid of Khufu
The largest of the three, from the outside. The interior is a separate ticket and is not included in almost any offer.
- Original height146.6 mWikipedia (en): Great Pyramid of Giza
- Interior visit for foreigners (adults)1,000 EGPMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Pyramid)
- Midday closure12:00–13:00Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Giza Plateau)
Pyramid of Khafre
The middle one, still partly clad at the top. Its valley temple is included in the site ticket and is the shadiest spot on the site.
- Original height143.5 mMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Khafre)
- Remaining casingPolished limestone blocks at the topMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Khafre)
- Valley temple included in site ticketIncludedMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities (Giza Plateau)
Pyramid of Menkaure
The smallest of the three, clad in granite from Aswan on the lower courses.
- Original height65 mMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Menkaure)
- Interior visit foreigners (adults)280 EGPMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Menkaure)
- Cladding materialRed granite from Aswan instead of limestoneMinistry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Menkaure)
Back to the starting point
The return trip is included in the stated duration. In Cairo traffic, it is the most unpredictable part of the day.
A stop in this list is a stop, not a promise about the duration of the stop.
Temperatures in Cairo throughout the year
Average daily maximum and minimum values per month. Two series, one axis; the points mark the hottest and coldest months. Giza (city) has no official station of its own; measurements are taken in Cairo.
Daily maximumDaily minimum
There is hardly any shade on the site itself; the values are normal outdoor values and not a forecast.
Figures in this chart as a table
| Row | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily maximum | 18.9 °C | 20.5 °C | 23.8 °C | 28.1 °C | 32.2 °C | 34.6 °C | 35 °C | 34.9 °C | 33.4 °C | 30 °C | 24.9 °C | 20.5 °C |
| Daily minimum | 10.1 °C | 11 °C | 13.2 °C | 15.9 °C | 19.3 °C | 22.2 °C | 23.8 °C | 24.3 °C | 22.7 °C | 20 °C | 15.6 °C | 11.7 °C |
Monthly values that matter for the plateau
The city of Giza has no measuring station of its own; the chart shows values from nearby Cairo. There is hardly any shade on the plateau. From June to August, highs reach 35 degrees, and lows only drop to 22–24 degrees at night. May and September are barely cooler at 32 and 33 degrees. It stays mild from November to February: daytime temperatures are 19–25 degrees, nighttime 10–16 degrees. The provider does not specify a fixed departure time; for the half-day tour, the booked time of day determines whether the three hours fall during the hottest period.
The complete data sheet
Every piece of information this project has documented about this tour, the places in its program, and the area covered by your ticket: 201 rows, each with its source. Collapsed because this is not a reading page, but fully present.
Download full table as CSV · 201 Rows
Show all 201 entries
| Item | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The offer30 | ||
| Provider's title | Half-day Cairo sightseeing tour to the Pyramids of Giza & Sphinx | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Provider | Egypt Excursions Online | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Product number | 11778 | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Start location | Giza | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Duration | 3 hours | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Multi-day | no | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Starting price | 36 € | GetYourGuide, live retrieval |
| Starting price in local currency | approx. 2,129 EGP | Exchange rate 59.14 EGP per euro |
| Rating | 4.4 stars | GetYourGuide, live retrieval |
| Number of reviews | 126 | GetYourGuide, live retrieval |
| Project quality threshold | passed | Own rule: at least 4.0 with at least 10 reviews |
| Rank in category | 8 of 43 in 'Tours from Giza' | Own evaluation, grade weighted by number of reviews |
| Plateau area ticket | not included | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Interior of a pyramid | no information | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Access to a tomb | no offer in the catalog sells that | Own evaluation of all 252 offers |
| Hotel pickup | included | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Lunch | no information | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Type of guide | live guided tour | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Guide languages | English, German, Spanish, French, Russian | GetYourGuide catalog |
| German-speaking guide | yes | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Bookable as private | no | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Small group | no | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Group type according to provider | no information | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Preferred entry | no | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Wheelchair accessible | no information | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Free cancellation | yes | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Cancellation deadline | 24 hours before start | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Giza reference in catalog | high | Own check of catalog fields |
| Provider images | 5 photos | GetYourGuide catalog |
| Data status | 2026-09-03 | Own retrieval |
| Giza Plateau22 | ||
| Area ticket foreigners (adults) | EGP 700 · Students EGP 350; Egyptians EGP 60/30. Does NOT cover the interiors | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities |
| Site ticket for students (foreigners) | EGP 350 | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities |
| Opening hours (official website) | 08:00–16:00 · Official sources contradict each other (PDF from 2020: 07:00–17:00); ticket office closes one hour before closing time | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities |
| Ticket office closes before the gates close | 1 hour | Antiquities administration (standard practice) |
| Payment at the ticket office | card only, no cash · Cashless sales since 2023; cash is still needed for tips and small purchases | Daily News Egypt |
| Main entrance since 2025 | Great Gate on the Cairo–Fayoum desert road (southwest) · Replaces the old gate at Mena House; Sphinx Gate is open but has no ticket office | RESEARCH-BASE |
| Private vehicles on the plateau | forbidden since the 2025 reorganisation | RESEARCH-BASE |
| Electric shuttle | included in the entrance fee, hop-on/hop-off · Stops confirmed: Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure, Panorama Point, Sphinx | RESEARCH-BASE |
| Visitor operations | Orascom Pyramids Entertainment (OPE), 15-year contract since 2018 · Ticket revenue remains entirely with the state, plus 50% of project profit | Egyptian Streets |
| Visitors per year (operator figure) | 3,500,000 · Figure from 5 Jan 2026; target 5 million; no official figure per site published | Middle East Observer |
| Visitors per day (derived) | 9,600 · Calculated from 3.5 million/year | Middle East Observer |
| UNESCO World Heritage since | 1979 · Part of 'Memphis and its Necropolis', No. 86 | UNESCO World Heritage Centre |
| Area of the World Heritage site | 16,358.52 ha | UNESCO / Wikidata |
| Length of the pyramid field (Abu Roasch to Dahschur) | 30 km · Over two dozen pyramids depending on the count | UNESCO World Heritage Centre |
| Great Pyramid of Khufu closed at midday | 12:00–13:00 | RESEARCH-BASE (on-site visit 2026-08-31) |
| Interior of the Great Pyramid (figures in circulation) | EGP 400–1,500 · Three orders of magnitude circulate; daily quota ~300 in two windows (Hawass regulation after 1998) | RESEARCH-BASE (multiple sources, disputed) |
| Access for under-16s on Fri/Sat/holidays | only with ID or accompanied · Regulation from June 2022; current application unverified | Egypt Independent |
| Major concerts on the plateau since | 1978 · Around 15 documented major performances in five decades, almost yearly since 2021 | The National |
| First professional boxing match on the plateau | 2026-05-23 · Usyk vs Verhoeven, T.K.o. round 11 | Saudi Press Agency |
| Private photography at the sites | free of charge, also with system/SLR cameras · Permit required for: photo umbrellas, artificial light, equipment that blocks the way | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities |
| Milky Way over the plateau | not visible (brightest night sky in the world in the Nile Delta) · Starry-sky photos over the pyramids are montages | Falchi et al., Science Advances 2016 |
| Air purification system in the King's Chamber since | September 2025 · Plasmacluster; aim: reduce humidity, protect walls | Egyptian Streets |
| Great Sphinx23 | ||
| Length | 73 m | Wikipedia (en): Great Sphinx of Giza |
| Height | 20 m | Wikipedia (en): Great Sphinx of Giza |
| Width | 19 m | Wikipedia (en): Great Sphinx of Giza |
| Material | carved directly from the bedrock · Not a built structure, but a sculpture in the natural limestone | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Sphinx) |
| Date of creation | 4th Dynasty, c. 2613–2494 BC · Thus the oldest of the Egyptian colossal statues | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Sphinx) |
| Attribution | Reign of Khafre, c. 2558–2532 BC · The official wording is 'the evidence points to' – attested, but not proven | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Sphinx) |
| Iconography | the king with a lion's body, as a sign of his power | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Sphinx) |
| Sphinx Temple | immediately in front of it, next to the Valley Temple of Khafre | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Sphinx) |
| Construction sequence | the Valley Temple was finished before work on the Sphinx began · Result of archaeological analysis, not of tradition | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Sphinx) |
| Facial features | striking resemblance to the statues of Khafre | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Sphinx) |
| Interpretation in the New Kingdom | manifestation of the sun god, called Horemakhet ('Horus in the Horizon') · 18th Dynasty, c. 1550–1295 BC | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Sphinx) |
| Temple of Amenhotep II | built next to the Sphinx, dedicated to this god · Amenhotep II, c. 1427–1400 BC | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Sphinx) |
| Dream Stele | erected by Thutmose IV between the front paws · Thutmose IV, c. 1400–1390 BC; the research figure given by NOVA is 1401–1391 BC | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Sphinx) |
| Content of the Dream Stele | The young prince rests at noon in the shadow of the Sphinx; the god promises him kingship in a dream if he removes the sand | Kasia Szpakowska in conversation with NOVA (PBS) |
| Purpose of the stele | legitimisation of the succession to the throne and fulfilment of the king's core duty to maintain sacred buildings | Kasia Szpakowska in conversation with NOVA (PBS) |
| Condition in the New Kingdom | largely covered in sand, probably only the head visible | Kasia Szpakowska in conversation with NOVA (PBS) |
| The plateau in the New Kingdom | excursion grounds of the court: hunting, chariot driving, archery, resting places in the shade | Kasia Szpakowska in conversation with NOVA (PBS) |
| Dream Stele: material and size | granite, just under four metres high, several tonnes · Only secondarily attested; according to a widespread interpretation, a reused lintel from the mortuary temple of Khafre | Kasia Szpakowska in conversation with NOVA (PBS) |
| Dream Stele: condition | about half of the text is missing, crack from the twelfth line · Exposed in 1817 by Giovanni Battista Caviglia; afterwards accelerated weathering | Kasia Szpakowska in conversation with NOVA (PBS) |
| Public access | from the east through the valley temple of Khafre up to the viewing terrace · There is no walkable circular path on the north side of the pit; the minimum distance is on the order of 30 to 50 m | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Giza Plateau) |
| Access at paw level | official category “The Sphinx (Private Visits only + Site Opening Fee)” · Private booking outside opening hours with additional opening fee – not an invention of providers, but also not a normal ticket | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Sphinx) |
| Claim of a second, buried sphinx | not substantiated · Presentation from June 2026 from the same group whose foundational work was withdrawn in August 2026 | Remote Sensing (MDPI), withdrawal notice 10.08.2026 |
| UNESCO World Heritage since | 1979 | UNESCO World Heritage Centre |
| Great Pyramid of Khufu25 | ||
| Original height | 146.6 m · 280 cubits; the official site states 146.5 m | Wikipedia (en): Great Pyramid of Giza |
| Current height | 138.5 m · The missing eight meters are the removed casing and the tip | Wikipedia (en): Great Pyramid of Giza |
| Base length | 230.33 m · 440 cubits | Wikipedia (en): Great Pyramid of Giza |
| Volume | 2,600,000 m³ | Wikipedia (en): Great Pyramid of Giza |
| Inclination angle | 51°50'40" · Corresponds to a seked of 5 1/2 palms | Wikipedia (en): Great Pyramid of Giza |
| Material | Limestone, mortar, granite | Wikipedia (en): Great Pyramid of Giza |
| Origin of the casing | Turah, south of Maadi, delivered by ship · The structure was once completely clad with high-quality limestone | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Pyramid) |
| Builder | King Khufu, ca. 2589–2566 BC | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Pyramid) |
| Estimated construction time | 10 to 20 years · Official figure; exactly how it was built remains unresolved to this day | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Pyramid) |
| Tallest building in the world | for 3,800 years | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Pyramid) |
| Seven Wonders of the World | the only surviving one of the ancient Seven Wonders | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Pyramid) |
| Chambers | 3 chambers · One in the bedrock, two in the masonry – according to the ministry, no other pyramid has this | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Pyramid) |
| Sarcophagus | in the King's Chamber, still in place today | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Pyramid) |
| Grand Gallery | corbelled ascent to the King's Chamber | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Pyramid) |
| Boat pits on the south side | 2 ships · Found dismantled; the first boat is now in the Grand Egyptian Museum | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Pyramid) |
| Interior visit foreigners (adults) | EGP 1,000 · Official amount; the site ticket is additionally required. Amounts of 400 to 1,500 EGP are also in circulation – the ministry's figure is the reliable one | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Pyramid) |
| Interior visit students | EGP 500 | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Pyramid) |
| Opening hours (monument side) | 07:00–17:00 · Seven days; the site side of the same ministry states 08:00–16:00. The contradiction is official and unresolved | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Pyramid) |
| Midday closure | 12:00–13:00 · Only the Great Pyramid of Khufu; documented in the project's research base | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Giza Plateau) |
| Temporary closure | April 1, 1998 · Humidity inside had risen to 80 percent due to visitors | Zahi Hawass, Restoring the Great Pyramid |
| Water emission per visitor | 20 g · Through breath and sweat; the moisture carries salts into the plaster and justifies the tight daily quota | Zahi Hawass, Restoring the Great Pyramid |
| Air purification system | since September 2025 in the King's Chamber and the chamber below · Plasmacluster technology; the system is located in the chambers, not in the Grand Gallery | Egyptian Streets / Ahram Online, September 2025 |
| ScanPyramids: Big Void | at least 30 m above the Grand Gallery · Muon radiography, published 2017 | Nature 2017 (ScanPyramids) |
| ScanPyramids: North Face Corridor | confirmed behind the chevron stones on the north side · Confirmed in 2025 by ground-penetrating radar, ultrasound, and resistivity measurement | Scientific Reports 2025 (North Face Corridor) |
| UNESCO World Heritage since | 1979 · As part of “Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur” | UNESCO World Heritage Centre |
| Pyramid of Khafre23 | ||
| Original height | 143.5 m · Only slightly lower than the Great Pyramid of Khufu | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Khafre) |
| Current height | 136.4 m · 274 cubits | Wikipedia (en): Pyramid of Khafre |
| Base length | 215.25 m | Wikipedia (en): Pyramid of Khafre |
| Volume | 2,211,096 m³ | Wikipedia (en): Pyramid of Khafre |
| Inclination angle | 53°10' · Steeper than the Great Pyramid of Khufu, which partially compensates for the height loss | Wikipedia (en): Pyramid of Khafre |
| Builder | King Khafre, ca. 2558–2532 BC · A son of Khufu | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Khafre) |
| Location | built on slightly higher bedrock · Therefore it appears as high as his father's – the official text explicitly calls this an intention | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Khafre) |
| Remaining casing | polished limestone blocks at the top · The only one of the three that still has casing at the top | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Khafre) |
| Origin of the casing | Turah, south of Maadi, by ship | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Khafre) |
| Core masonry | Blocks of local limestone | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Khafre) |
| Mortuary and valley temples | larger than those of all earlier pyramids · and among the best-preserved structures of the Old Kingdom | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Khafre) |
| Valley temple: construction | massive limestone blocks with granite facing, alabaster floors, monolithic granite pillars | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Khafre) |
| Valley temple: statue niches | symmetrically arranged, once filled with royal statues | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Khafre) |
| Most famous statue | Granodiorite seated figure with Horus falcon at the back of the head · considered one of the masterpieces of ancient Egyptian art | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Khafre) |
| The Great Sphinx | officially part of the Khafre complex · literally listed as a "colossal statue beside his valley temple" | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Khafre) |
| Statue discoveries | in 1860 by Auguste Mariette, some from a shaft in the temple | Giza Project, Harvard University |
| Current location of the statues | documented inconsistently · the official site names the Egyptian Museum, while the Harvard find catalogue lists most pieces with GEM inventory numbers | Giza Project, Harvard University |
| North-south axis relative to Khufu | about 0.5 arc minutes difference · total station survey by Nell and Ruggles, December 2006 | Nell & Ruggles, Archaeoastronomy 25 (2012) |
| Right angles of the sides | more accurate than the Great Pyramid of Khufu · same survey; the east-west axis is closer to true cardinal direction than the north-south axis for both | Nell & Ruggles, Archaeoastronomy 25 (2012) |
| Valley temple in the site ticket | included · thus the nearest accessible interior space at the Sphinx and the shadiest spot on the open site | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Giza Plateau) |
| Interior visit | not officially listed · the monument page does not include a ticket block; circulating figures range from 130 to 280 EGP. Do not treat as a price | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Khafre) |
| Claimed structures beneath the pyramid | not substantiated · the March 2025 press conference relied on a method whose foundational work was retracted on 10 August 2026; the authors dispute the retraction | Remote Sensing (MDPI), retraction notice 10.08.2026 |
| UNESCO World Heritage since | 1979 | UNESCO World Heritage Centre |
| Pyramid of Menkaure20 | ||
| Original height | 65 m · 125 cubits | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Menkaure) |
| Base area | 102.2 × 104.6 m · 200 cubits | Wikipedia (en): Pyramid of Menkaure |
| Construction volume | 235,183 m³ · about one tenth of the Great Pyramid of Khufu | Wikipedia (en): Pyramid of Menkaure |
| Inclination angle | 51°20'25" | Wikipedia (en): Pyramid of Menkaure |
| Builder | King Menkaure (Mycerinus), c. 2532–2503 BC · probably son of Khafre and grandson of Khufu | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Menkaure) |
| Base area in comparison | less than a quarter of the other two · the ministry cites, among other reasons, the limited space on the plateau | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Menkaure) |
| Casing material | red granite from Aswan instead of limestone · over 800 km transport, and a much harder stone than limestone | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Menkaure) |
| Granite portion of the casing | only the lower quarter · the rest is limestone | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Menkaure) |
| Condition at the end of his reign | unfinished · Menkaure died before completion; many granite blocks were never smoothed | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Menkaure) |
| Mortuary and valley temples | planned as limestone with granite facing, executed in whitewashed mudbrick | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Menkaure) |
| Funerary cult after his death | still practised for about 300 years | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Menkaure) |
| Queen's pyramids | 3 pyramids | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Menkaure) |
| Satellite pyramid | none found · it is suspected that the largest of the three queen's pyramids originally had this role | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Menkaure) |
| Interior visit foreigners (adults) | 280 EGP · official amount, site ticket required additionally | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Menkaure) |
| Interior visit students | 140 EGP | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Menkaure) |
| Opening hours (monument page) | 07:00–17:00 · seven days | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Menkaure) |
| Announced casing project | January 2024, estimated at three years · the granite blocks lying on the ground were to be reattached | State Information Service (Review Committee Menkaure) |
| Decision of the review committee | unanimous rejection · reason: the original position of no single block can be determined | State Information Service (Review Committee Menkaure) |
| Instead recommended | surveying, ordering the fallen blocks, excavation in the rubble slope, making the site accessible to visitors · the construction project became a research and interpretation project – the current state remains | State Information Service (Review Committee Menkaure) |
| UNESCO World Heritage since | 1979 | UNESCO World Heritage Centre |
| Giza (city) and the climate17 | ||
| Population | 4,458,135 inhabitants · as of 2023; third largest city in Egypt | Wikipedia (en): Giza |
| City area | 98.4 km² | Wikipedia (en): Giza |
| Elevation above sea level | 30 m | Wikipedia (en): Giza |
| Latitude | 29.99 degrees | Wikipedia (en): Giza |
| Longitude | 31.21 degrees | Wikipedia (en): Giza |
| Founded | 642 AD | Wikipedia (en): Giza |
| Administrative seat | Capital of Giza Governorate | Wikipedia (en): Giza |
| Visitors 2025 | 14,700,000 people · According to the article, this makes it Egypt's most visited destination | Wikipedia (en): Giza |
| Road to Giza Plateau | 12.2 km · From Giza city center; the plateau lies on the western edge of the city | OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data |
| Driving time to Giza Plateau | 15 min · Free-flow time without traffic; in Greater Cairo realistically much longer | OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data |
| Distance to Memphis (Mit Rahina) | under 30 km south | Wikipedia (en): Giza |
| International airport | CAI IATA · According to the article, 45 km from Giza via the Cairo-Alexandria desert road | Wikipedia (en): Giza |
| Second airport: Sphinx International (SPX) | Opened 2018 · Explicitly built to serve the plateau and the Grand Egyptian Museum | Wikipedia (en): Sphinx International Airport |
| Sphinx Airport to Giza Plateau | 36.8 km | OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data |
| Cairo University on site since | 1924 · The campus is in Giza, not Cairo | Wikipedia (en): Giza |
| Public transport | Cairo Metro, shared network with Cairo | Wikipedia (en): Giza |
| Nearest official climate station | Cairo Airport (NOAA normals 1991-2020) · According to the article, the climate matches that of Cairo; no separate official normals exist for Giza | Wikipedia (en): Giza |
| Cairo: Normals from the nearest station41 | ||
| Population (city) | 9,801,536 inhabitants · As of 2023 | Wikipedia (en): Cairo |
| Population (Greater Cairo) | 22,200,000 inhabitants | Wikipedia (en): Cairo |
| City area | 606 km2 | Wikipedia (en): Cairo |
| Greater area | 2,744 km2 | Wikipedia (en): Cairo |
| Elevation above sea level | 23 m | Wikipedia (en): Cairo |
| Latitude | 30.04 degrees | Wikipedia (en): Cairo |
| Longitude | 31.24 degrees | Wikipedia (en): Cairo |
| Founding of the Fatimid city | 969 AD · Earlier predecessor settlements (Babylon, Fustat) are significantly older | Wikipedia (en): Cairo |
| Nearest airport | CAI IATA | Wikipedia (en): Cairo International Airport |
| Airport to city center | 20.7 km | OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data |
| Road to Giza Plateau | 16.5 km | OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data |
| Driving time to Giza Plateau | 18 min · Free-flow time without traffic; in Greater Cairo realistically much longer | OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data |
| January daily high | 18.9°C · Station Cairo Airport (CAI) | NOAA climate normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| January daily low | 10.1°C · Station Cairo Airport (CAI) | NOAA climate normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| February daily high | 20.5°C · Station Cairo Airport (CAI) | NOAA climate normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| February daily low | 11°C · Station Cairo Airport (CAI) | NOAA climate normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| March daily high | 23.8°C · Station Cairo Airport (CAI) | NOAA climate normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| March daily low | 13.2°C · Station Cairo Airport (CAI) | NOAA climate normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| April daily high | 28.1°C · Station Cairo Airport (CAI) | NOAA climate normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| April daily low | 15.9°C · Station Cairo Airport (CAI) | NOAA climate normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| May daily high | 32.2°C · Station Cairo Airport (CAI) | NOAA climate normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| May daily low | 19.3°C · Station Cairo Airport (CAI) | NOAA climate normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| June daily high | 34.6°C · Station Cairo Airport (CAI) | NOAA climate normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| June daily low | 22.2°C · Station Cairo Airport (CAI) | NOAA climate normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| July daily high | 35°C · Station Cairo Airport (CAI) | NOAA climate normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| July daily low | 23.8°C · Station Cairo Airport (CAI) | NOAA climate normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| August daily high | 34.9°C · Station Cairo Airport (CAI) | NOAA climate normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| August daily low | 24.3°C · Station Cairo Airport (CAI) | NOAA climate normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| September daily high | 33.4°C · Station Cairo Airport (CAI) | NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| September daily low | 22.7°C · Cairo Airport Station (CAI) | NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| October daily high | 30°C · Cairo Airport Station (CAI) | NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| October daily low | 20°C · Cairo Airport Station (CAI) | NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| November daily high | 24.9°C · Cairo Airport Station (CAI) | NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| November daily low | 15.6°C · Cairo Airport Station (CAI) | NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| December daily high | 20.5°C · Cairo Airport Station (CAI) | NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| December daily low | 11.7°C · Cairo Airport Station (CAI) | NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| Annual precipitation | 24.8 mm | NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| Annual mean of daily highs | 28.1°C | NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| Annual mean of daily lows | 17.5°C | NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| Highest recorded value | 47.8°C | NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
| Lowest recorded value | 1.2°C | NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020 via Wikipedia |
At the Great Gate: card payment, ticket office closing time, shuttle
The main entrance has been the Great Gate on the Cairo-Fayoum desert road in the southwest since 2025; the old gate at Mena House has been replaced. The Sphinx Gate is open but has no ticket counter. Ticket sales have been cashless since 2023: at the counter, payment is only by card. The ticket office closes one hour before the gate closes. The official website lists opening hours as 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, while an official PDF from 2020 lists 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Private vehicles are no longer allowed on the plateau since 2025; an electric shuttle with stops at Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure, Panorama Point, and the Sphinx is included in the site ticket.
Who this tour is for and who it's not for
This tour is right for you if you want a compact introduction to the plateau and don't want to combine multiple sights in one day. It is explicitly not right if you expect a private tour or a small group; the provider offers neither. If you want to see Memphis and Saqqara in addition to the pyramids, you should take the tour "Pyramid, Memphis, Saqqara with optional Dahshur and felucca tour"; it lasts three to eight hours. The provider does not specify wheelchair accessibility.
Similar tours on this page
Six options that a reader of this page might actually be weighing: same departure point first, then same destinations, then similar duration. Each card leads to the page with the same data sheet, not directly to the provider, so you can compare before booking.
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Gizeh: Weiblich geführte Pyramiden- und Ägyptisches Museum Tour
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The order follows proximity to this tour, not commission. Reviews, prices and availability according to GetYourGuide, retrieved on 2026-09-03. Prices in euros; "from" is the provider's lowest entry price.
Frequently asked questions
Is entry to the plateau included in this offer?
No. Budget around €11 (700 Egyptian pounds) per adult, payable only by card.
How long does the tour actually take?
The catalog says 3 hours. This time is counted from the meeting point or hotel, not from the gate; in Cairo traffic, a good half to full hour each way goes to that.
Is there a German-speaking guide?
Yes, the provider lists German as the guiding language. That is a promise from the provider, not a verified characteristic of the person on site.
Will I get into a pyramid with this?
The offer says nothing about that, which is the case for 175 of 252 offers. You buy the ticket on site; for the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the official price is around €16 (1,000 Egyptian pounds).
Is the rating of this offer meaningful?
Yes. 4.4 stars from 126 reviews is above the threshold of 4.0 with at least ten votes that this page uses.
Where can I find all the data for this tour?
In the data sheet on this page. It lists every detail about the tour, each destination, and the climate of the departure city, each with a source, and can be downloaded as a CSV.
GetYourGuide
Half-day Cairo sightseeing tour to the Pyramids of Giza & Sphinx
Dates, availability, and the latest version of services are with the provider. This page reflects the catalog status, not the status as of this morning.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these sources. The running text does not cite them to keep it readable; the data sheet lists the source in each row.
- 1GetYourGuide: Halbtägige Kairo-Besichtigungstour zu den Pyramiden von Gizeh & Sphinx abgerufen 2026-09-03Title, duration, services, languages, cancellation policy, stars, number of reviews, and starting price.
- 2Kursdatensatz des Projekts, partners/fx.json abgerufen 2026-09-03Conversion of Egyptian pounds to euros, 59.14 EGP per euro. Amounts are rounded down because "from" indicates a lower limit.
- 3Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 4Altertümerverwaltung (Regelpraxis) abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 5Daily News Egypt abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 6RESEARCH-BASE abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 7Egyptian Streets abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 8Middle East Observer abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 9UNESCO World Heritage Centre abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 10UNESCO / Wikidata abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 11RESEARCH-BASE (Ortstermin 2026-08-31) abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 12RESEARCH-BASE (mehrere Quellen, umstritten) abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 13Egypt Independent abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 14The National abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 15Saudi Press Agency abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 16Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 17Falchi et al., Science Advances 2016 abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 18Egyptian Streets abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 19Wikipedia (en): Great Sphinx of Giza abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 20Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Sphinx) abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 21Kasia Szpakowska im Gespraech mit NOVA (PBS) abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 22Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Giza Plateau) abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 23Remote Sensing (MDPI), Ruecknahmehinweis 10.08.2026 abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 24Wikipedia (en): Great Pyramid of Giza abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 25Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (The Great Pyramid) abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 26Zahi Hawass, Restoring the Great Pyramid abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 27Egyptian Streets / Ahram Online, September 2025 abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 28Nature 2017 (ScanPyramids) abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 29Scientific Reports 2025 (North Face Corridor) abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 30Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Khafre) abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 31Wikipedia (en): Pyramid of Khafre abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 32Giza Project, Harvard University abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 33Nell & Ruggles, Archaeoastronomy 25 (2012) abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 34Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Pyramid Complex of Menkaure) abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 35Wikipedia (en): Pyramid of Menkaure abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 36State Information Service (Pruefkommission Mykerinos) abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 37Wikipedia (en): Giza abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 38OSRM-Routing auf OpenStreetMap-Daten abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 39Wikipedia (en): Sphinx International Airport abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 40Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities abgerufen 2026-09-04
- 41RESEARCH-BASE abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 42UNESCO World Heritage Centre abgerufen 2026-09-04
- 43Egypt Independent abgerufen 2026-08-31
- 44Wikipedia (en): Cairo abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 45Wikipedia (en): Cairo International Airport abgerufen 2026-09-03
- 46NOAA-Klimanormalen 1991-2020 via Wikipedia abgerufen 2026-09-03