Giza Travelers Recommend

One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and a star attraction in Egypt, the pyramids of Giza offer a completely different experience at night, when lasers, lights, and visual projections bring their history to life. Here’s how to visit the pyramids after dark.

When to Go

The sound and light show at the Giza pyramids is staged in English nightly at 7pm from October to April and at 7:30pm May to September. During Ramadan the starting time is pushed to 8:30pm. Depending on demand, there’s often a second or even third showing in another language—either Italian, Spanish, French, or German.  

How to Go

It’s possible to visit the pyramids of ancient Egypt to see the nighttime spectacle—of which the Sphinx acts as the storyteller—on your own. But the most convenient option is a guided tour from Cairo, which often includes round-trip transportation from your hotel in an air-conditioned vehicle. Private transportation to and from the Giza plateau is another option.

Things to Know

• Translation headsets are free for non-English speakers.

• An evening’s second and third showings require a minimum number of spectators.

• Plan to arrive 20 to 30 minutes before the show starts to see the monument at night and get situated.

• Some tours include round-trip transportation from Cairo hotels to the site.

Three days in Giza gives you scope to experience the must-see pyramids and Great Sphinx, cast your gaze over Cairo’s top sights, and see other Egypt attractions and cities—all with time left over for fun or relaxation. Here are a few ways to fill 72 hours in Giza.

Day 1: Top Giza and Cairo Sights

Dedicate today to Giza and Cairo highlights. Take in the three main tombs—Cheops, Khafre, and Menkaure—and the Great Sphinx as a guide charts how they were constructed 4,500 years ago. Many tours include time to enter a pyramid, ride a camel, and see the millennia-old barge at the nearby Solar Boat Museum. In the afternoon, tour Cairo’s Egyptian Museum—a treasure chest of pharaonic exhibits including Tutankhamun’s gold mask—before exploring the Khan El-Khalili bazaar or Old Cairo’s Citadel and churches. Alternatively, leave Giza for the older pyramid fields at Saqqara and Dahshur and the relics of Memphis. You’ll be back in time to enjoy Cairo’s illuminated sights and dinner aboard a River Nile cruise.

Day 2: Luxor, Alexandria, or the Red Sea

Several top Egypt attractions are accessible on day trips by road or air from Giza. History fans can visit Luxor, an ancient capital of the pharaohs, to see the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, and the Temple of Hatshepsut in a hassle-free day. Closer by is the coastal Mediterranean city of Alexandria, founded in the 4th century BC by Alexander the Great. Typically, tours here cover its catacombs, Roman theater, and sun-shaped library—a modern take on its classical original. For some beach time, meanwhile, head for Al Ein Sokhna—the closest Red Sea resort to Cairo—to swim and snorkel in the clear waters.

Day 3: Extra Sights and Fun

Use today to fill any gaps in your Cairo explorations, visiting Saqqara’s Step Pyramid, Dahshur’s pyramid fields, the Memphis Open-Air Museum, or any other sights you may have missed. If you’ve had your fill of sightseeing, book an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), horse, or camel ride across the Giza Plateau desert, or relax on a felucca sailboat ride along the Nile. Families, meanwhile, might want to visit the Pharaonic Museum—an open-air complex offering re-enactments of rural life, canal boat trips, costume photo ops, and more. This evening, take a last look at the pyramids at Giza’s sound-and-light show. See the tombs light up in a rainbow of colors as the narrator—cast as the Great Sphinx—chronicles the stories of their long-deceased pharaohs. 

Located on the west bank of Cairo’s River Nile, Giza is synonymous with Egypt’s biggest-ticket ancient site—the Great Pyramids. Yet with Cairo nearby, there’s more to see and do here than explore these age-old tombs, even if you only have a day or short airport layover to spare. Here are our tips for spending one day in Giza.

Morning: Pyramids and Sphinx

Begin with a half-day tour of the standout site—the pyramids. Most tours are private, so you can explore the three tombs—the Great Pyramid of Cheops and the Khafre and Menkaure pyramids—as you wish, with a guide recounting their secrets and stories. After admiring their exteriors, pay extra to enter any that are open: Their chambers were once the resting places of their namesake pharaohs. Then, inspect the plateau’s other relics, including the Great Sphinx, crumbled Valley Temple, and Solar Boat Museum—home to a stunning pharaonic funerary barge discovered buried near the Great Pyramid. 

Afternoon: Egyptian Museum and Old Cairo

Cairo’s Egyptian Museum is a close second to the Giza Pyramids on most visitors’ must-see lists, so devote this afternoon to its extraordinary exhibits. From the pyramids, continue to the über-atmospheric museum and downtown Cairo, making for a full day’s sightseeing with easy transport—a big bonus in the congested city. Focus on the highlights of the museum’s 120,000 artifacts with help from your guide: admiring pharaohs’ jewelry, statues, mummies, and the treasures of boy-king Tutankhamun, including his gold death mask. After a visit here, many tours extend into Old Cairo to see its mosques, churches, and Khan El Khalili bazaar—a vast indoor-outdoor souk of perfume, gold, spice, and souvenir stalls.

Evening: Sunset, Show, or Sailing

After a busy day, slow the tempo. Many visitors choose to view the Giza Pyramids afresh: either on a camel or horse ride in the orange-gold of sunset or at a sound-and-light show that brings their history to life with dazzling lights, music, and commentary. Alternatively, book a River Nile dinner cruise and admire Cairo’s twinkling sights as you enjoy an onboard dinner, along with belly dancing and whirling dervish shows.

With two days in Giza, there’s time to check out not just the pyramids at the Giza Plateau but also the highlights of Cairo, from its Citadel to the Egyptian Museum. Here are our ideas for the ultimate 2-day stay in Giza.

Day 1: Following the Pharaohs

**Morning:**Most visitors head straight for the Giza Pyramids, so follow their cue. Book a private tour and marvel at the biggest—the Great Pyramid of Cheops—as your Egyptologist guide explains how it was built and why. Then, admire the neighboring pyramids and Great Sphinx before seeing the incredible ancient Egyptian barge at the plateau’s Solar Boat Museum.

**Afternoon:**With Giza done, venture south to the age-old necropolis of Saqqara. Admire its Step Pyramid—the world’s oldest pyramid—before visiting the Memphis Open-Air Museum, filled with the remnants of ancient Egypt’s capital. View the relics, including a gigantic fallen statue of Ramses II, before exploring nearby Dahshur, another pyramid-studded burial ground.

**Evening:**Take in Giza’s sound-and-light spectacle tonight. Watch lasers and projections bathe the pyramids in color as a narrator charts their story to music. Alternatively, set off on a camel or horse trek on the Giza Plateau to view the pyramids at sundown.

Day 2: Museums and More

**Morning:**Set your sights on Cairo today, perhaps beginning with a tour of the Egyptian Museum to see some of its 120,000 ancient finds, including the treasures of Tutankhamun. Some tours round out a visit here with an optional River Nile felucca sailboat ride or souvenir-hunting time at Cairo’s Khan El Khalili bazaar. 

**Afternoon:**If you’re already on a full-day Cairo tour, head for the old city to view the Saladin Citadel, Coptic churches, Ben Ezra Synagogue, and other historical highlights. Otherwise, take a break from sightseeing and kick up the dust on an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) on the desert of the Giza Plateau. 

**Evening:**If you missed an ATV ride earlier, grab your chance this evening: The sun setting over the pyramids and Cairo’s cityscape will make it extra memorable. Or, combine a last dash of sightseeing with a romantic dinner on a River Nile cruise.