Cairo and Giza
Grand Egyptian Museum: tickets, opening hours and what to see
In short: Grand Egyptian Museum tickets for foreign adults cost EGP 1,830 (roughly €30 to €37 at the current rate) since 1 November 2026, and a child aged 6 to 12 or a student pays EGP 920. The museum is open every day, with the galleries open 09:00 to 18:00 and until 21:00 on Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets are for a timed entry slot and are sold on the official site tickets.gem.eg, and the complete Tutankhamun collection is shown here. Below you find the prices, how booking works, what to see, how long to allow, how to get there and the rules on photography and bags, all checked on 13 November 2026.
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Tickets are timed, valid for one entry and sold on the official site tickets.gem.eg.
The Tutankhamun collection is shown together for the first time since the tomb was found in 1922.
The museum is open every day, and on Wednesday and Saturday the galleries stay open until 21:00.
Tickets and prices in 2026
Prices for foreign visitors went up on Sunday 1 November 2026. An adult ticket (over 24) now costs EGP 1,830, up from EGP 1,570 until 31 October 2026. A ticket for a child aged 6 to 12 or a student aged 13 to 24 with a student card costs EGP 920, up from EGP 790. Children under 6 go free, as do visitors with a disability (with proof) and ICOM members. These are the prices on the official booking site as checked on 13 November 2026. The site shows Egyptian pounds only, so a price in dollars that you see elsewhere is not an official one. One euro buys roughly 50 to 60 Egyptian pounds, and the rate moves, so check it shortly before you travel. Many websites and blogs still show old prices such as EGP 1,450, EGP 1,500 or EGP 1,590. Ignore those and go by the official site. A cheaper "Expatriate" category exists, but only for foreigners who live in Egypt.
How booking works
The museum sells tickets through one official site, tickets.gem.eg (visit-gem.com redirects there), and says it is not responsible for tickets bought on other platforms. A ticket is for a timed entry slot of about two hours, for example 08:30 to 11:00, 11:00 to 13:00, 13:00 to 15:00 and 15:00 to 17:00, plus 17:00 to 20:00 on Wednesday and Saturday. The slot is the time you enter, not a limit on how long you stay. A ticket is valid for one entry, cannot be transferred and cannot be refunded, and slots can sell out. Booking online has been the main route since 1 December 2025 and a daily limit on visitors applies, so book ahead. Whether tickets are also sold at the door is not clear: the museum’s terms mention ticket offices and machines, while many travel blogs say you cannot buy on the day. We could not confirm it, so book online in advance. Payment on the site is reported to be by bank card; we could not confirm whether cash or mobile wallets work.
What the ticket includes and what costs extra
The standard ticket covers the Tutankhamun galleries, the main galleries, the Grand Hall, the Grand Staircase, the museum of Khufu’s boats, the shopping area and the gardens. Not included are the children’s museum (for ages 6 to 12, open daily 10:00 to 17:00 and booked separately), the audio guide and the evening show Eternal Sun, a temporary programme that runs until the end of 2026 and not on Wednesday or Saturday. The audio guide costs EGP 250 and comes in Arabic, English, Japanese and German. The Discovery Challenge is another add-on at EGP 125. We could not confirm what the children’s museum costs for foreign visitors, so check the booking site. The museum also sells its own guided tour as a separate ticket type, not a supplement on the standard ticket: a tour with other visitors, in English or Arabic, at fixed start times, for EGP 2,330 per adult and EGP 1,170 per child or student.
What to see
The museum opened in stages: a soft opening in mid October 2024 with the Grand Staircase and the main galleries, the official opening by President al-Sisi on Saturday 1 November 2025, and full public access since Tuesday 4 November 2025, with the Tutankhamun galleries and the first boat of Khufu. The Tutankhamun collection is the main draw: for the first time since the tomb was found in 1922 it is shown together, more than 5,000 objects. In the hall stands a statue of Ramesses II in red granite, about 11 metres high, about 83 tonnes and about 3,200 years old. At the entrance hangs an obelisk of Ramesses II that you can walk underneath. The Grand Staircase rises six floors past statues and gives you a view of the pyramids at the top. Khufu’s first boat is on display, and the second boat has been reassembled in front of visitors since 23 December 2025, a job expected to take about four years. The site covers about 490,000 square metres, so decide beforehand what matters most to you.
How long to allow and when to go
There is no official figure for how long a visit takes. Visitor reports range from about four hours to a whole day. As our own estimate, allow 3 to 5 hours if you want the highlights rather than every gallery. The museum is reported to receive about 15,000 visitors a day on average. According to these reports the earliest entry slots are the quietest, the Tutankhamun galleries are the busiest part, and Fridays are busy with Egyptian families. If the Tutankhamun galleries are your priority, an early slot gives you the best chance of a calmer visit. How many days a Cairo trip needs, with the pyramids, the museum and the old city, is covered in how many days to spend in Egypt.
Getting there from the pyramids and from Cairo
The museum stands about 2 km by road from the pyramids of Giza and about 25 km from central Cairo, which is reported to be a drive of 30 to 40 minutes. There is no metro station yet; line 4 along the museum is planned for the first half of 2028. Reports mention a walkway and an electric shuttle between the museum and the pyramids plateau. We could not confirm that either is in use in 2026, so do not build your day around it and check before you rely on it.
Photography and bags
Photos and video for your own use are allowed with a phone or camera. Flash, tripods, selfie sticks, drones and livestreaming are not allowed, and in parts of the Tutankhamun galleries you may not photograph at all. Reports of a camera ban from April 2025 are out of date. Bags larger than 40 by 40 cm go to the cloakroom. You may not bring your own food and drink, although a small bottle of water is allowed into the galleries. Inside you find cafés, restaurants, a large shop and gardens with a view of the pyramids, and the museum has lifts and ramps.
How the museum fits into a tour with us
On our private tours the museum visit is planned with your private, English-speaking Egyptologist and your private driver. The entrance fees for the monuments and museums in the programme are included in the price, so you do not have to buy your own ticket (see what a trip to Egypt costs). Our 5-day Historic Cairo tour (from €1,195 per person sharing a double room, about $1,375 or £1,040) and our four Nile tours, starting with Egypt Highlights, all begin in Cairo. On each of them day 2 starts with the pyramids early in the morning and continues with the museum in the afternoon, and on day 1 you visit the NMEC, where the royal mummies are, arrival time permitting. With a guide you go straight to the galleries that interest you most, instead of walking the whole museum. If you are not sure yet what suits you, read about our private tours.
Compare museums
Which museum has what
Three Cairo museums are often mixed up. The Tutankhamun collection and the royal mummies are in different places.
| Museum | Where | What you see there |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Egyptian Museum | Giza, about 2 km from the pyramids | The Tutankhamun collection (more than 5,000 objects), the statue of Ramesses II, the Grand Staircase and Khufu’s boats |
| Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square | Tahrir Square, Cairo | The Tutankhamun hall has been closed since 20 October 2025. The rest is open, including the Narmer Palette and the gold and silver of Tanis |
| National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) | Fustat, Cairo | The 22 royal mummies, there since the Pharaohs’ Golden Parade of 3 April 2021 |
Checked on 13 November 2026. Displays can change, so confirm what a museum shows before you plan your day around it.
Opening hours
Grand Egyptian Museum opening hours
The museum has no closing day. The complex is the grounds of the museum and the galleries are the exhibition halls. Hours as shown by the museum and checked on 13 November 2026.
| Day | Museum complex | Galleries | Last entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday | 08:30 to 19:00 | 09:00 to 18:00 | 17:00 |
| Wednesday, Saturday | 08:30 to 22:00 | 09:00 to 21:00 | 20:00 |
Last entry is one hour before the galleries close. During Ramadan and on public holidays the hours can differ, and we have no confirmed times for 2027, so check the official site before you go.
Practical
Tickets
Adult EGP 1,830, child (6 to 12) or student EGP 920, under 6 free. These are the prices on the official booking site as checked on 13 November 2026, in force since 1 November 2026.
Opening hours
Galleries 09:00 to 18:00 on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 09:00 to 21:00 on Wednesday and Saturday. Last entry is one hour before the galleries close. There is no closing day.
Getting there
About 2 km by road from the pyramids of Giza and about 25 km from central Cairo. There is no metro station yet, so plan on a car or taxi.
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Frequently asked questions
How much are tickets for the Grand Egyptian Museum?
An adult ticket for foreign visitors costs EGP 1,830, and a ticket for a child aged 6 to 12 or a student costs EGP 920; children under 6 go free. These are the prices on the official booking site as checked on 13 November 2026, in force since 1 November 2026. Until 31 October 2026 an adult ticket cost EGP 1,570. A guided tour with other visitors is a separate ticket at EGP 2,330 for an adult and EGP 1,170 for a child or student.
What are the opening hours of the Grand Egyptian Museum?
The museum is open every day: the galleries are open 09:00 to 18:00 on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 09:00 to 21:00 on Wednesday and Saturday. The grounds open at 08:30 and close at 19:00, or at 22:00 on Wednesday and Saturday. Last entry is one hour before the galleries close, so at 17:00, or at 20:00 on Wednesday and Saturday.
Do you need to book Grand Egyptian Museum tickets in advance, or can you buy them at the door?
Yes, book in advance online at tickets.gem.eg, the only official ticket site. Tickets are for timed entry slots that can sell out, and a daily limit on visitors applies. Whether tickets are also sold at the door is not confirmed: the museum’s terms mention ticket offices and machines, while many travel blogs say you cannot buy on the day.
Is the Tutankhamun collection at the Grand Egyptian Museum?
Yes, the Tutankhamun collection is at the Grand Egyptian Museum, with more than 5,000 objects shown together for the first time since the tomb was found in 1922. The galleries have been open to the public since 4 November 2025 and are included in the standard ticket. The Tutankhamun hall of the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square has been closed since 20 October 2025.
Where is Tutankhamun’s mummy?
According to reports, Tutankhamun’s mummy still lies in his tomb in Luxor. The Grand Egyptian Museum shows his collection of objects instead.
How long do you need at the Grand Egyptian Museum?
As our own estimate, allow 3 to 5 hours for the highlights. There is no official figure, and visitor reports range from about four hours to a whole day. Your timed ticket fixes the moment you enter, not how long you can stay.
How far is the Grand Egyptian Museum from the pyramids?
It is about 2 km by road from the pyramids of Giza. Reports mention a walkway and electric shuttle between the museum and the pyramids plateau, but we could not confirm that it is in use, so do not count on it.
Can you take photos in the Grand Egyptian Museum?
Yes, photos and video for your own use are allowed with a phone or camera, but not with flash, tripods, selfie sticks or drones, and livestreaming is not allowed. In parts of the Tutankhamun galleries you may not photograph at all. Reports of a camera ban from April 2025 are out of date.
Where are the royal mummies?
The 22 royal mummies are in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Fustat, Cairo, where they have been since the Pharaohs’ Golden Parade of 3 April 2021. That is a different museum from the Grand Egyptian Museum. Our Cairo tours plan a visit to the NMEC on your first day, arrival time permitting.
Is the Grand Egyptian Museum open during Ramadan?
The museum has no closing day, but its hours can differ during Ramadan and on public holidays. We have no confirmed hours for Ramadan 2027, so check the official booking site at tickets.gem.eg before you plan your visit.
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