Cairo Travel, Luxury Hotels, the Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum

Arrive early at the Giza plateau, when the light is soft and the stone glows gold, then cross to the Grand Egyptian Museum. Visitors climb a monumental Grand Staircase lined with royal statues, meet a towering 3,200-year-old statue of Ramesses II in the atrium, and end in the Tutankhamun galleries, where more than 5,000 objects from the boy king's tomb are displayed by theme. A separate hall holds the boat of King Khufu, one of the oldest wooden vessels ever found.

Practical points: the galleries open daily from 9 am to 6 pm, with late opening until 9 pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Adult tickets for foreign visitors are about EGP 1,450 (approximately $30), sold online for a set date and time on the museum's official ticket site. Hours and prices change, so check before you go, and allow at least half a day. Our regional museums guide puts it in context.

Cairo's best evenings are often spent in the great hotels: the Four Seasons Nile Plaza and the Nile Ritz-Carlton each hold several serious restaurants, and the 139 Pavilion at Marriott Mena House serves dinner facing the Pyramids. On the Giza plateau itself, Khufu's has won wide praise for refined Egyptian cooking with a Pyramid view at lunch.

For classic Egyptian dishes in a stylish old-Cairo setting, Abou El Sid in Zamalek is a long-time favorite, and a pause at the Naguib Mahfouz Café in Khan el-Khalili is part of any visit to the old bazaar. See our guide to the finest restaurants in the region.

EgyptAir flies nonstop to Cairo from New York JFK, Newark and Washington Dulles, and added Los Angeles and Chicago in 2026, both three times a week on new Airbus A350s with a business cabin. Gulf and European carriers connect from many more US cities; our guide to the best airlines for first and business class compares them.

Private aviation can use Cairo International or Sphinx International Airport west of the city, the closest airport to Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum. See private jet charter in the region. From Cairo, Luxor and Aswan are about an hour by air, and Alexandria is about 2.5 hours by road.

Americans can buy an e-visa online or a visa on arrival at the airport (each about $30), each for up to 30 days; carry a passport valid for at least six months. Dress is relaxed in hotels, but covered shoulders and knees are respectful in the old city, and women carry a scarf for mosques. Alcohol is served in hotels and licensed restaurants. During Ramadan the city keeps late hours and hotels serve guests as usual; daytime eating in public is best kept discreet. Tipping is customary: keep small notes for drivers, guides and porters.