Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM): a guide for visitors

What the GEM is

The museum stands about 2 km (1.2 miles) from the Pyramids of Giza. Its twelve main galleries take you through ancient Egyptian history in order, from the earliest kings to the Greco-Roman period, arranged around three themes: society, kingship and beliefs.

Most visitors come for Tutankhamun. For the first time since his tomb was found in 1922, the whole collection is shown together in one place: more than 5,000 objects, including the gold funerary mask, his chariots, jewelry and furniture. His mummy is not here. It remains in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings, in Luxor.

Other things not to miss:

• The colossus of Ramesses II in the Grand Atrium, 11 meters (36 feet) tall and 83 tonnes, the first thing you see when you walk in.
• The Grand Staircase, six stories of royal statues and sculpture climbing to a view of the pyramids at the top. A moving walkway runs beside it, so you can ride up and walk down past the statues.
• King Khufu's boats. The 4,600-year-old boats buried beside the Great Pyramid have their own building behind the main museum, and the museum ticket covers it.
• The hanging obelisk at the entrance, raised off the ground so you can walk underneath it.

Opening date, hours and tickets

Opening. The GEM opened its main galleries to visitors in October 2024. It was officially inaugurated on 1 November 2025 and opened in full to the public, Tutankhamun galleries included, on 4 November 2025.

Hours. The galleries are open from 9am to 6pm on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and from 9am to 9pm on Wednesday and Saturday. Last entry is one hour before the galleries close. The grounds open at 8:30am and close an hour after the galleries. Hours can change during Ramadan.

Tickets for foreign visitors. From 1 November 2026, a ticket for a foreign adult costs EGP 1,830, about US$35, and for a foreign student or child EGP 920, according to the prices approved by the museum's board in October 2026. Under the rules published at the opening, children under six enter free. Tickets are sold online only, on the museum's official ticketing site, for a set date and entry time; the time sets when you go in, not how long you may stay. Tickets cannot be refunded or transferred, and the museum says it is not responsible for tickets bought anywhere else. Prices are set in Egyptian pounds and do change, so check the official site before you go.

On our tours you do not buy a ticket yourself: GEM entry, with a timed slot booked in advance, is included in every journey and day tour that visits the museum.

When to go. Fridays and Saturdays, Egypt's weekend, are the busiest days, with many Egyptian visitors. If your dates allow, go from Sunday to Thursday.

How long to spend at the Grand Egyptian Museum

Give it at least three hours, and half a day if you can. The museum's own suggested route through the Tutankhamun galleries takes about two hours, and the main galleries are large. A first visit that covers Tutankhamun, the Grand Staircase and a few of the main galleries takes three to four hours at a comfortable pace. Seeing everything properly takes more than one visit.

A private Egyptologist makes those hours count. Rather than reading every label, you go straight to the pieces that matter, in an order that makes sense, at your pace. For travelers who want depth, our Grand Egyptian Museum day tour is the museum on its own, with your own guide and time to see it properly, from $95 per person with the timed-entry ticket included.

Combining the GEM with the pyramids

The pyramids and the museum are neighbors, so most people see them on the same day. The order matters. The Giza plateau has very little shade, so see it in the morning while it is cooler, and spend the hot middle of the day indoors at the museum. That is how our Pyramids, Sphinx & Grand Egyptian Museum day runs, from $135 per person. It is a classic first day in Egypt, and a long one.

If you have two days in Cairo, split them: a morning at Giza on the first (the half-day tour starts from $60 per person), then the museum on its own on the second, when you are fresh. On a Wednesday or Saturday, when the galleries stay open until 9pm, you can also see the pyramids in the morning, rest at your hotel through the afternoon and go to the museum in the early evening.

Tips for your visit

• Photography. Phones and small cameras are fine for personal photos; flash, tripods and selfie sticks are not allowed. In the Tutankhamun galleries, only phone photography is allowed.
• Walking. The museum is very large and the floors are hard, so wear comfortable shoes. The building has ramps and elevators, and wheelchairs are available at the ticket office. Tell us if anyone in your group walks slowly, and we plan the visit around it.
• Bring a layer. The galleries are air-conditioned, which can feel cold after the plateau.
• Food. Outside food and drink are not allowed in. There is a food hall in the atrium and several cafés.
• Galleries first. The galleries close an hour before the grounds, so see them first and leave the shops and gardens for the end.
• Dress. There is no formal dress code, but covering shoulders and knees is the normal courtesy in Egypt's cities. Our history and culture guide covers customs worth knowing.

The GEM, the Egyptian Museum and the NMEC

Cairo has three big museums of ancient Egypt, and they are easy to confuse.

• The Grand Egyptian Museum, in Giza beside the pyramids: Tutankhamun and the great royal statues. The one to choose if you have time for only one.
• The Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, in downtown Cairo: the older museum, still open, and an easy pairing with the Khan el-Khalili bazaar. Our day tour of the two starts from $75 per person.
• The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC), in Fustat: home of the Royal Mummies Hall, where 22 royal mummies were moved in 2021. Our NMEC day tour starts from $75 per person.

Tours that include the Grand Egyptian Museum

The GEM is on most of our multi-day journeys. Every one is private, with your own Egyptologist and vehicle, and includes the museum ticket. Our Cairo and Giza guide covers the rest of the city, and our sample itineraries show how many days to give it on a longer trip.

Prefer a single day? See every Cairo and Giza day tour and its price.

Sources

Hours, ticket rules and prices change. These are the sources for this page, checked in November 2026; the museum's official sites have the final word.

• Grand Egyptian Museum, official website: gem.eg, and official ticketing site: tickets.gem.eg.
• Ticket prices from 1 November 2026: Egyptian Streets, “Grand Egyptian Museum Announces New Ticket Price Increase”, 27 October 2026.
• Hours, online-only timed tickets and ticket rules, as published on the museum's booking site: The Rio Times, “Grand Egyptian Museum Nears 4 Million Visits”, 2 November 2026.
• Opening dates, the Tutankhamun collection and the Grand Staircase: Wikipedia, “Grand Egyptian Museum”, and Khaleej Times, “The Grand Egyptian Museum: Things to know as you plan your visit”, updated 9 November 2025.
• Photography rules, Khufu's boats and visiting tips: Lonely Planet, “A guide to the Grand Egyptian Museum”.