| Pyramids of Giza | |
 | |
Location  | |
| State | Egypt |
|---|---|
| Region | North Africa |
| Territory | Lower Egypt |
The Pyramids of Giza is an archaeological site ofEgypt.
To know
They are part of the Necropolis of Giza, a complex of ancient monuments of the Egyptian civilization located in the plain of Giza, on the outskirts of the Cairo. The Pyramid of Cheops or Great Pyramid is the only one among them Seven wonders of the ancient world that it has come down to the present day. Declared Heritage UNESCO since 1979.
How to get
Pyramids of Giza: full screen map.By plane
L'Cairo International Airport it is located on the north-eastern outskirts of the city about 22 km from the center.
On the train
The main railway line between Cairo is Luxor / Aswan runs through Giza, where many services stop, so you can travel along the Nile valley without backtracking through downtown Cairo. Indeed some seasonal sleeper trains depart from Giza rather than Cairo Ramses station.
By subway
Metro line 2 runs from central Cairo to central Giza (direction El-Moneib, returning towards Shobra). Get off at Station 1 Giza and exit the station to the right (west) to find transportation on Al-Haram Avenue. The Pyramids are 8km, a 20-minute journey west along that road. Your return transport may drop you at the next station, Omm el Misryeen or Giza suburbs, to avoid city center congestion; it will be the same trains and the same LE2 fares to return to the center. The metro usually operates from 6am to 11.30pm.
By bus
From the Giza metro station, frequent buses and microbuses head west to the Pyramids, for a fare of LE3. Hear the conductors shout "Haram!" or look for line numbers 355 or 357. Many of these buses, along with routes 900 and 997, depart from central Cairo - look for them around Midan Tahrir. A bus from downtown will be a slow and bumpy experience, as Giza's city traffic is just as congested as Cairo's.
By taxi
A taxi from the Giza metro station to the Pyramids shouldn't cost much over LE30. The taxi should be able to take you directly to the entrance gate of the pyramids at the end of the avenue, while buses and other vehicles must stop approximately 500m away. On the way back, taxis will wait around the exit gate near the Sphinx.
Permits / Rates
The complex is open every day from 8:00 to 17:00. Individual sites within the complex may close earlier. General admission to the complex is LE120. It is extra if you want to enter the interior of the Pyramid. The interior of the Great Pyramid is always open. There are a limited number of extra tickets available each day, so by mid-morning they are all gone; there is no booking system. No cameras are allowed in the Pyramids.
Climbing the Pyramids is dangerous and strictly illegal.
How to get around
What see
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- 1 Pyramid of Cheops. The oldest and largest in Egypt and the last surviving representative of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was originally 146 m (479 ft) high, but has now shrunk slightly but is still imposing: 137 m (449 ft). Over 2 million stone blocks were used to build it, all through manual labor. The entrance inside is on the north side.
- 2 Pyramid of Chefren. It is slightly smaller than the Great Pyramid (136m), but is set on higher ground, so it looks bigger. Some blocks of the original limestone cladding survive at its end; once all the Pyramids were completely enclosed in this way. The entrance inside is on the north side.
- 3 Pyramid of Menkaure. It is the smallest, at 62 m (203 ft) tall, originally 66.5 m. The entrance inside is on the north side.
- 4 Great Sphinx. It is a single block of sandstone 45 meters long and 22 meters wide, which carries the head of a man on the thighs of a lion. It was probably carved into the rock during the reign of Khafre and bore his likeness, and represented a guardian spirit of the necropolis. His original name is unknown but he has been variously nicknamed "Horus of the horizon" for the sun god or Abu el-Hol ("Father of terror"). It is known by its Greek name Sphinx, which can mean "strangler" (as a lion crushes the neck of its prey, or the fate of those who have not answered its riddles), or it can simply mean "carved in living rock". The broken royal beard is now in the British Museum.
- 5 Great Egyptian Museum (Grand Egyptian Museum).
It is planned to open gradually in stages from May 2018. It is under construction on the Giza desert plateau, 2km west of the Pyramids. He is the long-awaited primary replacement for the venerable "Midan Tahrir" Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
It is planned to open gradually in stages from May 2018. It is under construction on the Giza desert plateau, 2km west of the Pyramids. He is the long-awaited primary replacement for the venerable "Midan Tahrir" Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Pyramid of Cheops
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Pyramid of Chefren
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Pyramid of Menkaure
Great Sphinx
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What to do
- [link not working]Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids (Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids) (The entrance is from the gate of the Sphinx (i.e. the exit of the Pyramids)).
LE130 pp. From 19:00 every day. There are two shows every night, the first in English and the second in another European language - free translations for the headphones are available. In the busiest periods there is a third show. - Camel ride.
LE130 pp. Shopping
Where to eat
Western fast food options are located in front of the main gates of the Pyramids enclosure tickets, Pizza Hut and KFC included, so you can munch on a Tower burger and sip an air-conditioned Coke as you admire the more than 4000 years old of the Sphinx across the street.
Where stay
General accommodation options are somewhat limited within the Giza district, most visitors tend to stay in and around Cairo itself and go to the Pyramids for at least part of the day.
Drinking
Since Egypt is a Muslim country, alcohol is generally not allowed. Generally it will only be served in hotels.
- 1 El Mandara Coffee Shop (near the Pyramids). Local cafe with hookah and soft drinks, black tea and Egyptian coffee, popular with locals, inside and on the side of the LE3-10 road.
Safety
- Do not climb any of the Pyramids. It is officially prohibited, extremely dangerous and harms them.
- Like anywhere else in Egypt, especially in the warm months, take plenty of bottled water with you, wear a hat, and put on sunscreen - sunglasses are definitely a good idea too.
How to keep in touch
Around
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