Pyramids of Giza

How to visit without getting fleeced

The pyramids stand on the western edge of Greater Cairo, about 13–15 km from Downtown — a 30-minute Uber for roughly £3–5, or £8–12 from the airport. That short drive is the easy part. The thing that catches first-timers out is everything that happens once you’re on the sand, so get the practical bits right before you go.

Buy the 700 EGP general ticket (about £10) with a card at the turnstile. Giza switched to card-only payment in 2025, so the gate will refuse Egyptian pounds in cash — bring a contactless debit or credit card that works abroad. That single ticket covers the whole plateau and the Sphinx. The site opens at 07:00 and closes at 16:00 (the new shuttle buses don’t roll until 08:00, and opening slides to 08:00 during Ramadan).

The biggest decision is whether to pay the extra 1,500 EGP (~£21) to go inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu. Be clear about what that buys: a hot, hunched climb up a narrow wooden ramp to a bare granite chamber with nothing in it — no carvings, no sarcophagus on display, no view. If you’re claustrophobic or watching the clock, skip it. The pyramids are overwhelming from the outside; the inside is a corridor. If you must tick “went inside one”, Menkaure’s interior at 200 EGP (£3) does the job for a fraction of the price.

The camel trap, and what to expect

Do not, under any circumstances, take a camel or horse-cart price from a handler standing on the plateau. The standard scam is a cheap quote to climb on — say 50 EGP — followed by a much larger demand to make the camel kneel so you can get off again. If you want a ride, book it in advance through a guide or operator at a fair rate (around 300–500 EGP for 30 minutes), or just walk: the plateau is entirely walkable and the new shuttle bus links the main viewpoints. Real ticket inspectors stand only at the physical turnstiles — anyone flagging you down on the road to “check” or “sell” a ticket is freelancing.

Go at 07:00 opening or in the last hour before close to dodge both the coach crowds and the worst of the heat; November and March are the kindest months (high teens to low 20s versus 37°C-plus in summer). Allow two to three hours on foot.

The scale lands in person in a way photos never manage, and the 2025 handover to a private operator — card tickets, shuttle buses, working toilets, proper cafés — has taken a lot of the old hassle out of it. Pay for the outside, skip the cramped Khufu interior, and pair it with the Grand Egyptian Museum next door, which now holds the full Tutankhamun collection on the same Giza site. That combination is a full, genuinely great day.