Giza Pyramids, Sphinx & Grand Egyptian Museum
Khufu's great pyramid
Giza Plateau
The Great Pyramid of Khufu…4,500 years old, the oldest and last remaining of the seven wonders of the ancient world…the tallest building on the planet for 3,800 years…and, according to Napoleon, utilised enough stone to build a 3 metre high wall around France…what more is there to say? The countless volumes dedicated to this monument cannot hope to prepare you for its jaw dropping magnificence – you’ll just have to see it for yourself!
As if that wasn’t enough, the plateau is also home to the pyramids of Khafre, (Khufu’s son) Menkaure, (grandson) their queens and the enigmatic Sphinx and the Solar Boat museum which houses one of the five boats buried beside Khufu’s pyramid that provided transport for the king in the afterlife.
*Additional ticket required
Other optional extras at Giza include: the interior of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, 2nd/3rd pyramid and camel/horse and cart ride.
The Grand Egyptian museum
Grand Egyptian Museum is an archaeological museum in Giza, Egypt, about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Giza pyramid complex. The Grand Egyptian Museum is the newest and largest archaeological museum in the world dedicated to ancient Egypt. It will showcase over 100,000 artifacts, including the complete collection of King Tutankhamun’s treasures. The museum combines modern architecture with Egypt’s rich history, offering a world-class cultural experience, then transfer to your hotel.
The real highlight though is the Tutankhamun exhibit: around 1700 items spread over several rooms display the stunning contents of this young and (until his burial site was discovered in 1922) insignificant king’s tomb. The huge gilded wooden shrines that fitted together like wooden dolls and housed the king’s sarcophagi, life-size statues, the king’s throne, jewellery, funerary couches, model ships, alabaster caskets and jars are mere appetizers for his wondrous death mask: 11kg of solid gold with eyes of obsidian and quartz and eyebrows drawn in lapis lazuli, this idealized portrait of the young king is worth the trip to Egypt alone. This room also houses the inner two of his three golden sarcophagi; the larger of the two is made of gilded wood while the smallest is cast in solid gold and decorated in the same style as his death mask. The boy king died at 19…what on earth did they place in the tombs of truly great pharaohs like Ramses II who reigned for 66 years?!