Giza Pyramids & Grand Egyptian Museum: Essential Guide For 2026

Visiting Cairo for Ancient Egypt’s wonders used to mean traveller’s whiplash — wonder one moment, frustration the next. Egypt’s awe-inspiring past would constantly collide with the harsh reality of stuffy, antiquated museums and a deplorable situation at Giza, where you’d have to run the gauntlet of incessant touts and scammers — barely able to take in the pyramids before someone was hawking you a camel ride. Or at least, so it has always been described to me by travellers who went before me. Well, I’m happy to report that a lot has changed. Based on my recent visit in 2026, I would say that Cairo now delivers on Ancient Egypt in a way it never used to. The Grand Egyptian Museum, finally open after a decade-plus wait, is spectacular. The Giza site has also been redesigned into a pleasant, mostly stress-free visit. Nevertheless, there are still some important things to know to properly plan your visits. Giza in particular can be approached in several different ways (both figuratively and literally), and ticketing for both sites can be a little confusing. So, let me share here some essential tips to ensure your Giza and GEM visits go smoothly. For the Grand Egyptian Museum, there are...