Things to do — Giza

A visit to Giza organises around three complementary poles.

The pyramids plateau is best visited at opening (8:00). Start with the Pyramid of Khufu (Great Pyramid), the oldest and tallest of the three, and the only surviving Wonder of the Ancient World. Walk around to feel the scale (base blocks are 1.3 m tall), then admire the solar barque of Khufu at the on-site Boat Museum. Continue to the Pyramid of Khafre — slightly smaller but looking larger as it sits on higher ground, keeping its limestone casing at the apex — and the Pyramid of Menkaure, the smallest and most elegant of the three, closing the Old Kingdom cycle. Finish at the Sphinx (in fact an earlier work, likely carved under Khafre around 2500 BC), facing the Valley Temple. The panoramic viewpoint to the south, 1 km on foot or by electric shuttle, is absolutely worth the detour for photographs of the three pyramids aligned.

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is now the other major pole, 2 km from the plateau. The building itself, designed by Irish architects Heneghan Peng, is a minimalist masterpiece of limestone and glass whose main atrium frames the pyramids through a monumental window. The Tutankhamun gallery (mandatory timed slots) gathers for the first time the entire 5,400 objects discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter — funerary mask, sarcophagi, war chariots, furniture, jewellery. The grand gallery unfolds over 70 metres about fifty royal statues and monumental deities in chronological order, from Predynastic to Ptolemaic. The twelve permanent galleries cover the entire pharaonic history with scenography of remarkable international standard. Plan 4 hours minimum, 6-7 hours for enthusiasts.

In addition, the evening sound and light show (English on certain nights) offers kitsch but touching narration over the floodlit plateau for 60 minutes. Around €25-30. For a more intimate experience, several hotels (Marriott Mena House at the foot of the pyramids, Le Méridien Pyramids) offer terrace dinners with direct views of the plateau at sunset — one of the most memorable moments of any Egyptian trip. Finally, enthusiasts can extend a half-day to Saqqara (Djoser's Step Pyramid, 3rd dynasty, predecessor of the Giza pyramids) and Memphis (ancient capital of unified Egypt), 25 km south.