24 hours at the Pyramids of Giza
The Pyramids of Giza. The last Ancient Wonder of the World. The oldest and only one still standing.
Constructed around 5000 years ago (2575-2465 B.C.) on the West Bank of the River Nile, the pyramids are incredible to behold. Built as royal tombs for three Pharaohs; Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, the structures rise out of the desert sands appearing to defy both gravity and logic. It is said that the pyramids took over 20 years to build and the strength of 100,000 men.
Near to the pyramids lies the Great Sphinx of Giza. Carved out of one huge piece of limestone rock, the Sphinx has the face of a king and the body of a lion. It is approximately 20 metres high and 75 metres long. Impressive on it’s own, but set against the backdrop of the pyramids creates a feeling of awe and bewilderment.
We didn’t have long here – with only two days off work to explore some of Giza and Cairo we decided to head straight to Giza from the airport (and our overnight flight). We’d booked a hotel for one night and went there with the intention of storing our bags for the day before heading out to explore.
The hotel said they would send a shuttle for us, which never arrived. After waiting 30 minutes outside Cairo airport – a place no person wants to linger due to all of the taxi-drivers, official and unofficial, touting for business – we decided we’d go to an official looking taxi rank and attempt to make our own way towards Giza.
30USD later we arrived at our hotel. Although miffed about the airport pick-up situation we soon forgot our worries as they let us check in early (very early, it was 7am!) and have breakfast for a small charge. We were taken up to the rooftop terrace immediately to enjoy the views, and my goodness were they incredible.
The view from the hotel terrace
Although we were starving we couldn’t tear our eyes away from the panoramic view of all three pyramids and the sphinx which were laid out in front of us. It was like something off a film set. It didn’t look real. I think it’s one of the only times in my life I’ve been truly lost for words (and if you know me, that’s a big thing!). We were given one of the best tables at the front of the terrace as it was fairly quiet that early in the morning and we watched the sun rise over the pyramids. Tears leapt into my eyes, I was that overwhelmed at the beauty of it all (and suffering from a severe lack of sleep…).
We checked into our room, the balcony room at the Hayat Pyramids View Hotel, and were absolutely blown away with the views. Not only could you see the chaos of the streets of Giza below – both fun and interesting to watch from afar – but there was an uninterrupted view of two of the pyramids and the sphinx.
The view from our hotel balcony
It was the best room in the hotel and so the most expensive, but only worked out at around £70 for the night. If you’re like us and make the most of any balcony, this way you can enjoy the free show at sunset and sunrise over the pyramids from your room.
As it turned out, the hotel we stayed at said they could organise a tour of the pyramids for us if we wished. Due to our lack of pre-planning and exhaustion, we felt this may be the best option for us. It may not have been the cheapest way to see the pyramids and sphinx up close, but it was certainly the easiest, most relaxing and least time-consuming option.
They organised a private tour with a driver and an Egyptologist guide that would accompany us around the UNESCO World Heritage site. We’d be able to stop when we wanted and take our time due to the tour being private. When I asked the hotel organiser how long the tour would last he said “However long you would like”. It cost $80 USD for both of us, approx. £62.
We set off around noon and it was hot and busy but not overpoweringly so on either count. Our driver was excellent – calm and kind, always opening the door for me when we arrived somewhere new. He also stopped at a shop and brought us cold water.
We entered the pyramids via the main gate where our guide got us to the front of the queue fairly quickly and we paid 700 EGP per person to enter (the guide and parking cost 60 EGP each which we also covered), so it cost us 1520 EGP, approx. £24. A fair price to see such wonderous sites.
So all in all we spent around £86 for the tour for two people – we thought this was a fair price for our experience and the hassle-free way it was organised. We were able to stop for a coffee break when we felt a little tired in the mid afternoon sun, as we still hadn’t had any sleep! And found the ability to ask questions and go at a pace that suited us worked best. Our guide was spectacular. He was very knowledgeable about the history, myths and legends of the site, as well as being a great photographer for us.
That evening we left the hotel in search of dinner and found a great roadside kebab-style restaurant that the locals were frequenting. Sandwiched next to expensive restaurants catering to tourists and amidst the chaos of the streets, we sat down to dinner on plastic chairs set on the pavement. At around £2 per meal we were satisfied and we watched the chef cook it fresh for us.
We headed back to the terrace at our hotel to watch the light show that takes place most evenings at 7.30pm. We weren’t sure what to expect, maybe one of those tacky laser shows that cities around the world promote as a sightseeing event (cough, cough, Hong Kong, we’re looking at you!).
But what we experienced that evening was a pleasant surprise. It was really an informative hour-long talk which told the stories of the pyramids, highlighting historic and mythical information, and was accompanied by music and lights. You can pay to see it up close (and hear it better) in the main pyramid complex, but we opted to enjoy it for free from the hotel terrace. We couldn’t hear everything but enjoyed it nonetheless.
We watched the light show from our hotel rooftop terrace
The next morning we woke early to watch the sun rise over the pyramids once more, but this time from the luxury of our balcony. Tom then went out for a run… crazy to be able to run right past the pyramids right?!
Tom running towards the pyramids
After a long drawn out breakfast on the rooftop terrace soaking in the views and enjoying the incredible service from the hotel staff we packed up our backpacks and booked an Uber to get to Cairo city centre where we’d be staying for the next few days. It cost us less than £3 to get there & took around 45 minutes – bargain!
TOP TIPS:
Stay at the Hayat Pyramids View Hotel and pay a little extra for the balcony room
If you’re short on time, consider organising a tour of the pyramids complex through your accommodation
Consider street food and places the locals are eating and drinking instead of the tourist traps around Giza
Embrace the chaos, don’t fight it, and you’ll enjoy your time here a lot more!
Use Uber or Bolt to get around, it cost us 30 USD to get from the airport to the hotel but less than £3 to get back to Cairo using Uber
This is an Arab country so make sure you cover up a bit - shoulders and knees covered is the general rule for women
Things to note:
Wifi in Egypt is unstable and sometimes non-existent, and the wifi at the Hotel we stayed in was no exception (don’t stay there if you need to get work done and you don’t have your own backup dongle for internet!)
Cash – it’s best to have a mixture of EGP and USD on you, some places will only accept one or the other and smaller places won’t take card (but the pyramids complex does take card for entry tickets)
