Top Things to do in Giza Governorate
Top Hotels in Giza Governorate
- 1. Crowne Plaza West Cairo Arkan
- 2. Hyatt Regency Cairo West
- 3. Best View Pyramids Hotel
- 4. Pyramids View Inn
- 5. Marriott Mena House, Cairo
- 6. Safir Hotel Cairo
- 7. Novotel Cairo 6th Of October
- 8. Pyramids Planet Hotel
- 9. Movenpick Hotel Cairo-Media City
- 10. Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at the First Residence
Top 10 Ancient Ruins in Giza Governorate, Giza Governorate
Discover the best top things to do in Giza Governorate, Egypt including Tomb of Idut, Great Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu), Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep's Mastaba, North Pyramid (Piramide Roja), Mastaba of Ptah-Hotep and Akhti-Hotep, Step Pyramid of Djoser, Pyramids of Dahshour, Serapeum, Mastaba of Mereruka, Menkaure Pyramid.
Restaurants in Giza Governorate
1. Tomb of Idut
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 10 reviews
Reviewed By Brun066 - Florence, Italy
I had already been - about fifteen years ago - in Saqqara, but I hadn't visited the painted tombs of the royal princes; so this visit was new to me. Princess Shesheshet Idut is one of the five daughters of Unas, traditionally considered the last pharaoh of the V dynasty (and who reigned around the middle of the 24th century BC). With Unas the dynasty would probably end because he had no male children who survived him. The pyramid of Unas, very deteriorated, is a few tens of meters west from this tomb.. The tomb isn't normally open. When we visited it, it was opened by a caretaker, upon payment of an additional entrance ticket. The tomb is made up of a succession of parallelepiped-shaped rooms, all the way to the final room, which ends with the "false door", a communication route between the world of the living and that of the dead. The walls of the rooms bear a memorable series of quite realistic depictions, carved in bas-relief and painted, relating to the sacrifices celebrated for the deceased, to the transport of offerings to the tomb, to scenes set along the Nile or its shores. Historians and archaeologists explain that in the tombs of the Old Kingdom, unlike in later ones, the number of objects of use is limited. On the other hand, many offers to be consumed are transported to the grave: animals still alive, quarters of beef, other foods. Among the scenes that struck me most: those - repeatedly depicted - relating to the bloody sacrifices of the calves: the unhappy animals, tied and still alive, had their legs truncated at the root before (or simultaneously with) the slaughter. Then the naturalistic depictions of the Nile (or even of other water bodies?), featuring different fish species, drawn in detail, and the rich fauna that populates the shores. Finally the dramatic scene - always set in the Nile - of a hippopotamus female about to give birth, while a crocodile, lurking behind her, the mouth wide open, is preparing to swallow the hippo puppy as soon as it comes out completely from the uterus: representation, to what it has been explained to us, of the idea of how faint the boundary between life and death is. To think that these striking and almost intact scenes - of which the Saqqara archaeological site is rich, unlike the Gizah one - date back almost four and a half millennia ago, gives a sort of vertigo, and authorizes me to say that the visit to the tombs painted by Saqqara (among which this one excels) is one of the strongest experiences on a trip to Egypt.
2. Great Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7,157 reviews
The largest and oldest of the Giza pyramids, this colossal structure stands nearly 500 feet tall.
Reviewed By raghu67 - Bengaluru, India
The Great Pyramid of Giza also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops once among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex. This pyramid was built as a tomb for the Fourth Dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu and was constructed over a period of 20-year period from 2575 -2566 BC. Khufu followed the design of Red Pyramid which was built by his father Sneferu. This Pyramid erected on a rocky plateau had all the elements like the burial chambers, mortuary temple and covered causeways connected to the banks of river Nile. Estimated to be built using around 2,300,000 lime stones weighing around 5.5 million tons , 8,000 tons of Aswan granite and 500,000 tons of mortar, its original height was around 480 feet. But due to erosion of the outer fine lime stone layer and damages caused due to earth quake, the height of this pyramid now stands at around 455 feet.
3. Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep's Mastaba
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 17 reviews
Reviewed By TravelGipsy - Naples, United States
Thanks to our wonderful guide Hend. We’ve been several times, but never we saw the wonderful places that most tours miss. That is the difference between a great guide!
4. North Pyramid (Piramide Roja)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 76 reviews
Reviewed By kaziy - Dhaka City, Bangladesh
The Red Pyramid or the North Pyramid was the third pyramid built by Old Kingdom Pharaoh Sneferu, the father of Khufu, who built the Great Pyramid at Giza. It is the largest of the three major pyramids located at the Dahshur necropolis in Cairo, Egypt. Named for the rusty reddish hue of its red limestone stones, it is also the third largest Egyptian pyramid, after those of Khufu and Khafra at Giza. The Red Pyramid was to be first successful attempt to construct a true pyramid, Much less crowded than Giza and one more thing is that you can enter inside the pyramid. There are three Chambers inside the Pyramid. First two chambers are at ground level, while a third chamber is higher, built within the masonry of the pyramid itself.
5. Mastaba of Ptah-Hotep and Akhti-Hotep
6. Step Pyramid of Djoser
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 585 reviews
Reviewed By ukienomad - Fleming Island, United States
Step Pyramid of King Zoser was built in the 27th century BC. and the beginning of Dynasty 3, possibly the first pyramid Constructed in Egypt. It’s more than 200 feet tall, and the oldest stone structure of its size in the world. The inside of the tombs have murals that provide insights into every day life in ancient Egypt. Be sure to peer into the serdab, a stone structure in front of the pyramid with two eye-holes that invites you to look deeper inside. When you do, you will discover a remarkably life-like painted limestone statue of Zoser looking back at you. An amazing experience to walk through ancient history.
7. Pyramids of Dahshour
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,501 reviews
This complex contains pyramids from the Fourth and Twelfth Dynasties including the Southern Pyramid, or Bent Pyramid due to its unorthodox outline, and the Red Pyramid.
Reviewed By chrissN1564LJ - Appleby Magna, United Kingdom
Red pyramid has three sound chambers with acoustic ceilings.... wonderful ‘Bent’ pyramid is actually 2 pyramids with one harmonic chamber on top of the other. Nothing bent about it - all intentional and built by a race that knew a lot more about everything than we do today...
8. Serapeum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 43 reviews
Located in Zoser’s funerary complex at Saqqara, this ancient burial chamber was for mummified bulls.
Reviewed By Addicted-to-trips - Cairo, Egypt
The Serapeum is a great tomb that contains so many coffins ⚰️ of animals that were used in ancient Egypt. Some of the coffins are made of granite and some of them are made of basalt. The coffins are so huge and one of them has the well known drawings of ancient Egypt along its wall.
9. Mastaba of Mereruka
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 44 reviews
Dating back to the 6th Dynasty (2323-2150 BC), this is the largeset tomb complex in Saqqara housing the remains of Mereruka (vizier to King Teti I), magnificent wall paintings, a stone ring for tethering sacrificial animals and a life-size statue of Mereruka walking forward from a false door.
Reviewed By DEK_29 - Brisbane, Australia
This mastaba is situated just outside and slightly down from the Step Pyramid of Djoser. Having 33 rooms, the painting on the walls feature everyday scenes that include, farming, harvesting, fishing and other common folk pursuits. Mereruka was an official in the Old Kingdom during the time of 6th Dynasty pharaoh Teti 1. He had numerous titles including vizier, hence why he mastaba is close to the Pyramid of Teti 1. Some of the original paint work has remained which provides a glimpse into the past of pharaonic Egypt.
10. Menkaure Pyramid
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 307 reviews
Reviewed By kaducarrasco - Sao Paulo, Brazil
King Menkaure died before the pyramid was finished. You can see around the bottom courses made of red granite facing that weren't smoothed (probably halted in mid-work due to the death of the pharaoh). During my stay in Giza in November and December 2020, we couldn't go inside the Menkaure (Mycerinus) pyramid, because it was closed. The others (Khafre and Khufu) were open for visitors (extra ticket for each). Upon entrance and before you leave the ticket office, check which pyramids are open or not on a big board. Remember that once you're inside you must bring your extra tickets with Remember that you should buy extra tickets to get into the pyramids. CURRENT PRICES (DECEMBER 2020) - Giza Plateau (general admission): EGP 200 - The Great Pyramid (Cheops or Khufu) - interior: EGP 400 - The pyramid of King Khafre - interior: EGP 100 I really enjoyed going inside both of them and I don't regret it. It's a pretty different experience. Questions? Send me a message. I’ll be more than happy to help you to make your trip to Egypt even better!
