Cairo 3-Day Itinerary: Pyramids, GEM and Islamic Cairo

What is the best 3-day itinerary for Cairo?

Day 1: the Giza plateau at its 07:00 opening, then the Grand Egyptian Museum in the afternoon. Day 2: the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, the metro to Coptic Cairo and the royal mummies at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. Day 3: the Citadel, Sultan Hasan, al-Muizz Street and Khan el-Khalili.

The plan gives each part of the city one day: the west bank’s Pyramids and new museum, the east bank’s older museums and Coptic quarter, and medieval Cairo. Nothing crosses the river twice in a day, which matters in a city where traffic, not distance, sets the pace.

Every hour and price below comes from Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, its ticket platform or the Grand Egyptian Museum’s ticket site, checked on 16 and 17 October 2026. We have not walked this route ourselves, so treat timings as a frame, not a promise.

Three days covers the headline sights at a brisk pace. It leaves out Saqqara, Dahshur and Alexandria; for those, and for a slower rhythm, use the Cairo 7-day itinerary. To pick a base, see where to stay in Cairo: a night in Giza before day 1 helps.

What does the three-day plan look like at a glance?

The table shows each day’s morning, afternoon and evening and the hours that set the order. Start day 1 on a Wednesday or Saturday if you can, when the Grand Egyptian Museum’s galleries stay open until 21:00, and put day 2 on a Friday to catch the civilisation museum’s evening session.

Hours come from the ministry’s pages for the Hanging Church, the Coptic Museum, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Sultan Hasan and al-Muizz Street, from the ticket platform for Giza, the Egyptian Museum and the Citadel, and from the Grand Egyptian Museum.

The platform asks visitors to arrive at least an hour before closing, and its tickets are dated and non-refundable (egymonuments.com FAQ). Build in that margin on every afternoon stop.

Day 1: How do you do the Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum in one day?

Be at the plateau for the 07:00 opening, before heat and coach groups, and give it until late morning. After lunch, move to the Grand Egyptian Museum for the Tutankhamun galleries and Khufu’s Boats Museum. On a Wednesday or Saturday its galleries stay open until 21:00, so the afternoon need not feel rushed.

The area ticket costs EGP 700 for foreign adults and EGP 350 for students, and covers the plateau but not the Great Pyramid, Khafre, Menkaure, the tomb of Meresankh III or the Workers’ Cemetery (MoTA). Going inside the Great Pyramid, the tomb of Khufu, who reigned around 2589–2566 BC, and originally 146.5 metres high, costs a further EGP 1,000 (MoTA). The ticket platform lists a 07:00 opening and 16:00 last entry (egymonuments.com); the ministry’s own page still shows 08:00, so check the evening before.

The Grand Egyptian Museum’s ticket site lists gallery hours of 09:00–18:00 on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and 09:00–21:00 on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with last entry an hour before the galleries close. The visit includes the Tutankhamun galleries and Khufu’s Boats Museum. The site did not show prices when we checked, so buy a dated ticket there before you go.

There is almost no shade on the plateau, so carry water and a hat even in winter. The FCDO warns that touts and scammers target foreign visitors in tourist areas: agree any camel, horse or guide price in full before you start. Our Pyramids of Giza verdict helps decide how long to stay.

Day 2: How do you combine Tahrir, Coptic Cairo and the royal mummies?

Start at the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square at 09:00, then ride Line 1 from Sadat to Mar Girgis for the Coptic Museum and the Hanging Church. End at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, where the royal mummies are displayed; its evening session runs from 18:00 to 21:00, which the ticket platform lists on Fridays.

The Egyptian Museum was inaugurated in 1902; foreign adults pay EGP 550, students EGP 275, and an audio tour costs EGP 75 (MoTA). The platform gives a 09:00 opening and 16:00 last entry (egymonuments.com). Cairo Metro lists Sadat for Tahrir and the museum and Mar Girgis for Coptic Cairo (Cairo Metro), so the afternoon move is a short ride.

The Coptic Museum opened in 1910 and, according to the ministry, holds the largest collection of Coptic artefacts in the world; it opens daily from 09:00, its ticket window closes at 16:00 and foreign adults pay EGP 280 (MoTA). Next door, the Hanging Church takes its name from being built over the ruins of a Roman fort and opens from 09:00 to 16:00 (MoTA). Cover shoulders and knees.

The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization opens from 09:00 to 17:00, with an evening session from 18:00 to 21:00, and charges foreign adults EGP 550; the ministry says the royal mummies are shown in a new interactive display. If today is not a Friday, see it after Coptic Cairo and use the evening for a felucca, which Experience Egypt recommends for sunset or the city lights.

Day 3: How should you spend your last day in medieval Cairo?

Begin at the Salah El-Din Citadel when it opens, at 08:00 in winter or 09:00 in summer, for the Mosque of Muhammad Ali and the views. Walk down to Sultan Hasan and al-Rifa’i, then take a taxi to al-Muizz Street in the afternoon and finish in Khan el-Khalili as the lamps come on.

The ministry says Salah al-Din ordered the fortress in 1176 but did not live to see it finished, and that the Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha now dominates it (MoTA). Foreign adults pay EGP 550; the platform lists 08:00 opening in winter and 09:00 in summer, with last entry at 16:00 (egymonuments.com).

The Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hasan, commissioned between 1356 and 1362, faces the 19th-century al-Rifa’i mosque across Salah al-Din Square; it opens from 09:00 to 17:00, and the EGP 220 foreign ticket also admits you to al-Rifa’i (MoTA). Al-Muizz Street, between Bab al-Futuh and Bab Zuwayla, has its own EGP 220 area ticket and the same hours (MoTA).

Mosques expect covered shoulders and legs, and women should carry a headscarf (Experience Egypt). Khan el-Khalili has no ticket or fixed hours; go after the monuments close, when the lanes are liveliest, and keep valuables in a zipped pocket in the crowds.

What should you book ahead for three days in Cairo?

Buy the Grand Egyptian Museum ticket on its official site, and the other tickets on Egypt’s platform once each day is fixed, because they are dated and non-refundable. Sort your visa first. A licensed guide is worth booking for Giza or the Citadel if you want context and someone to handle touts.

Egypt’s ticket platform sells dated, non-refundable tickets and asks visitors to arrive at least an hour before closing, while the Grand Egyptian Museum sells through its own site. Read the FCDO entry requirements and our Egypt visa on arrival guide before you buy flights.

Tour marketplaces list Giza and museum guides, Islamic Cairo walks and evening food tours. Compare the meeting point, group size, which entry tickets are included and the cancellation terms; our comparison of GetYourGuide, Viator and Klook explains the differences.

What will entry fees cost over three days?

Core tickets for this plan add up to EGP 3,070 for a foreign adult before the Grand Egyptian Museum, whose site did not show a price when we checked. Entering the Great Pyramid adds EGP 1,000. Students with valid ID pay roughly half at most sites, and children under six enter free.

The table lists adult foreign-visitor prices from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the ticket platform, checked on 16 and 17 October 2026. The platform lists free entry for children under six; student rates are about half the adult price, for example EGP 350 at Giza (egymonuments.com).

Budget separately for transport, guides, tips and drinks; those vary too much to quote. Card machines exist at some ticket offices, but carry cash for taxis and small purchases.

How do heat, winter mornings and Ramadan change the plan?

From June to September, keep Giza to the first hours after opening and spend midday in a museum; July averages 34.8°C. Winter dawns are near 10°C, so bring a layer. In Ramadan, expected from February 2027, last entry comes earlier: 15:30 at Giza and the Citadel, 15:00 at the Egyptian Museum.

The Egyptian Meteorological Authority’s 1981–2010 averages give Cairo highs of 34.8°C in July and 19.0°C in January, with January nights at 9.7°C and almost no rain all year (EMA via WMO). Rain is rare, but if it comes, our Cairo in the rain page reorders the days around covered sights.

During Ramadan, the platform moves Giza’s opening to 08:00 with last entry at 15:30 and brings the Egyptian Museum’s last entry to 15:00 (egymonuments.com); the civilisation museum keeps 09:00 to 16:00 (MoTA), and the Coptic Museum’s last entry is 14:00 (egymonuments.com). The metro runs until 02:00 (Cairo Metro). The FCDO says eating, drinking or smoking in public during daylight hours is culturally insensitive (FCDO).

For month-by-month figures, festival dates and the busiest weeks, see best time to visit Cairo and our Ramadan travel planning guide.

How do you get around Cairo in three days?

Use a car or ride-hailing app for day 1, because no metro reaches the plateau. On day 2 the metro does the work: Sadat to Mar Girgis on Line 1. Day 3 is a mix of short taxi rides and walking. Women travelling alone should follow the FCDO’s advice on taxis at night.

Cairo Metro runs from 05:00 to midnight and keeps women-only carriages in the middle of its trains (Cairo Metro; Cairo Metro). Experience Egypt says ride-hailing apps are widely used across Greater Cairo and that taxis are required by law to have a working meter.

The FCDO advises sharing your driver’s details and live location if you take a taxi alone, and avoiding large gatherings. For line maps and fares, see getting around Cairo.

What should you do with more time, or less?

With four or more days, switch to the seven-day plan, which adds Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur, a full museum day and Alexandria. With one day, choose Giza or the museums, not both. Luxor is an hour’s flight away and deserves at least three days of its own.

For a longer stay, use the Cairo 7-day itinerary; on a layover, read Cairo in one day. Families should see Cairo with kids, and things to do in Cairo covers honest skips and swaps.

Continuing south? Experience Egypt says a 60-minute domestic flight reaches most places in Egypt, and our Luxor 3-day itinerary picks up from there. The Cairo destination guide covers budgets and background.