If you're passionate about the Pharaonic culture, then you can't miss this tour of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which includes the admission ticket and transport from your hotel. Discover the story of one of the Anqitquitiy's main cultures!
The Grand Egyptian Museum
The Grand Egyptian Museum is one of the must-see attractions in the land of the pharaohs. Located on the outskirts of Cairo, just 10 minutes from the Pyramids of Giza, the lavish Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is the biggest in the world dedicated to the civilisation of Ancient Egypt.
The museum covers a total area of 500,000 m² (1,640,419 ft²), twice the size of the Louvre Museum in Paris and 2.5 times larger than the British Museum in London.
History of the Building
The project to build this gigantic exhibition centre began in the 1990s, but it was not until the early 2000s that construction work began.
On November 1, 2025, all of its rooms were opened to the public, and since then, it has become one of the must-see places to visit in Egypt.
What's Inside the Museum?
Inside the museum, you'll find:
- 12 rooms
- More than 50.000 pieces from Ancient Egypt, 20,000 of which will be on display for the very first time
- The treasure chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, including his famous solid gold mask
- The colossus of Ramses II
- The solar boat of Cheops
- A temporary exhibition hall
- A children's museum
- Other facilities: a conference centre, a library, an auditorium, a cinema, and several spaces for educational workshops
Tour Options
When booking, you can choose from the following options, depending on how much time you want to spend on the visit and whether you prefer to be accompanied by a guide:
- Half-day tour without a guide: includes museum admission and round-trip transportation. You’ll explore the museum at your own pace.
- Half-day tour with a guide: includes transportation, admission, and an official English-speaking guide who will accompany you on a 2-hour tour.
- Full-day tour with lunch and without a guide: includes transportation, museum admission, lunch at a restaurant inside the Grand Egyptian Museum, and free time. You’ll explore the museum on your own.
- Full-day tour with lunch and with a guide: the most comprehensive option. It includes transportation, admission, lunch at a restaurant in the museum, and a 3-hour guided tour in English with an official guide, plus free time.
What Will The Tour of the Grand Egyptian Museum Be Like?
Depending on the option you select when booking, the itinerary will vary in duration and what’s included:
- Half-day options (2-hour tour): We’ll pick you up at your hotel in Cairo or Giza and take you to the museum in an air-conditioned vehicle. After a 2-hour tour (guided or self-guided, depending on your choice), we’ll take you back to your hotel, arriving between 3 and 4 hours after pickup.
- Full-day options (3-hour tour + lunch + free time): We’ll pick you up at your hotel and head to the GEM. Once there, we’ll take a 3-hour tour of the main areas of the museum (with or without a guide, depending on your booking). Next, you’ll enjoy the included lunch at a restaurant inside the museum and have free time to explore the facilities at your own pace or visit the gift shop. Finally, we’ll take you back to your hotel, where you’re expected to arrive between 7 and 8 hours after pickup.
What Will We See During the Guided Tour?
If you choose either of the two guided tour options, we’ll begin this guided tour of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo by viewing the obelisk standing on a four-legged platform. This imposing column, dedicated to Ramses II, is located outside the building, in front of the museum’s entrance.
After admiring this column, we’ll enter the building through the Grand Hall. In this spectacular entrance, we’ll see a 12 m (39 ft) statue of Pharaoh Ramses II. We’ll also see 10 statues of Senusret I, the column of Merenptah, and various Ptolemaic statues.
Inside this impressive foyer, where sunlight streams in through the glass roof, the Grand Staircase stands out. In this gallery of the Grand Staircase, which leads to the permanent exhibition halls, we’ll see a remarkable collection of sculptures.
As we make our way up this monumental staircase, we’ll see numerous sculptures of Egyptian gods and pharaohs, as well as a collection of stone columns and sarcophagi. As we’ll see, all these pieces are related in one way or another to the journey toward eternity in which the ancient Egyptians believed.
Inside the permanent collection galleries, you’ll have the chance to see the complete collection from Tutankhamun’s treasure chamber as well as the famous solar boat of Khufu, among other wonders of Ancient Egypt.
In addition, we’ll visit a glass-enclosed area from which we’ll be able to see the Pyramids of Giza in the distance. After the tour, and for the full-day options, we’ll refuel with lunch at the museum restaurant, and you’ll have some free time.
Finally, we’ll wrap up the museum tour in the gift shop. Here, you can purchase small replicas of Egyptian artifacts, cookbooks with recipes inspired by Ancient Egypt, locally made crafts, and many other souvenirs.
Tour Schedule
The full-day tour options begin at 9 am daily. For half-day tours, the activity will take place in the morning, and one day before the tour, you'll receive confirmation of the exact pickup time, which will depend on the location of your hotel.
Grand Egyptian Museum + Pyramids of Giza
If you want to make your experience in Cairo even more complete, we recommend booking our tour of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which also includes a visit to the Pyramids of Giza. The best of the Egyptian capital in a single day!
