Two daysيومان
Day 1 — Giza.
Grand Egyptian Museum at opening, three to four hours. Lunch nearby. Giza plateau from mid-afternoon: the three pyramids, the panorama point, the Sphinx enclosure last as the light drops. Optionally the Sound and Light show that evening.
Day 2 — Old Cairo.
The Citadel and Sultan Hassan in the morning. Lunch downtown. Al-Muizz Street on foot from mid-afternoon, ending at Khan el-Khalili and tea at El Fishawy. Al-Azhar Park at sunset if you have energy left.
Three daysثلاثة أيام
Insert this between the two above:
Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur.
Leave by 8am. Saqqara first — the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest large stone building anywhere, plus the mastaba tombs with their painted daily-life scenes. Memphis briefly for the recumbent Ramses II. Then Dahshur: the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid, which you can usually walk into with almost nobody else there.
This is the day most visitors skip and the one most Egyptologists would keep.
Making the timings workضبط التوقيت
| Leave early | 7–8am departures. Giza can be 45 minutes or two hours from downtown depending entirely on when you set off. |
|---|---|
| Friday mornings | The quietest traffic of the week. Use it for the longest transfer. |
| One major site per half-day | Two temple-scale sites in a day is how people end up exhausted and behind schedule. |
| Museum vs plateau order | Museum first in summer, when afternoon heat on the plateau is punishing. Plateau first in winter, when the light fades by five. |
| Book ahead | Grand Egyptian Museum tickets are timed; reserve in peak season. |
Common questionsأسئلة شائعة
Is 2 days enough for Cairo?
It covers Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum and a day of Islamic Cairo. You'll miss Saqqara and Dahshur, which are the best of the rest.
What should I do on my first day in Cairo?
Not much, if you landed that day — traffic and jet lag will beat you. If you're rested, the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Giza plateau make the strongest first full day.
Is Saqqara worth a day?
For anyone interested in the pyramids specifically, it's the best day in Cairo after Giza. The Step Pyramid is the oldest large stone building in the world, and Dahshur's pyramids are near-empty.
How early should I start in Cairo?
Seven or eight in the morning. Start times matter more than anything else you decide, both for traffic and for crowds at the sites.