If you’re planning 2 days in Cairo, you’re in for one of the most fascinating trips on earth.
Egypts capital is chaotic, historic and packed with once in a lifetime sights.
If you are visiting Egypt, you will surely be spending time in Cairo, and for good reason, with it being a hub for archaeological sites and Egyptian culture.
From the legendary Giza Pyramids to world class museums and ancient markets, this Cairo itinerary will help you see the sights efficiently and make the most of your time in this buzzing city.
As it’s a large city with seemingly endless sights on offer, it can be tough to choose what to see and where to start. This article will guide you on what to see and how to get around so that you make the most of your time in just a couple of days in this incredible, historical theme park.
Getting Around Cairo
Getting around Cairo can be one of the most challenging parts of visiting the city. While public transport exists, its not ideal for sightseeing if you only have 2 days in Cairo.
Taxis/Uber are options, but there is a culture of overcharging tourists where the drivers inflate the rates so that you end up paying 2 or 3 times more. Even when booking an Uber, once the driver arrived, we were often asked to cough up more money on top of the fixed rate on the app.
We recommend avoiding the hassle by booking a private tour, where you will have your own driver and guide to get you across town while providing valuable insight on the places you visit. Most hotels will also help to arrange transportation around the city and to and from the airport.
Day 1 in Cairo: Sunrise Pyramid Tour, Grand Egyptian Museum, and Market
Your 2-day Cairo itinerary begins with a sunrise camel ride overlooking the Giza Pyramid Complex, one of the most iconic landmarks in the world and home to the last remaining Wonder of the Ancient World.
Instead of arriving at the pyramids with the daytime crowds, you’ll be up before the city wakes and driven into the desert just outside of the Giza Pyramid Complex while it’s still dark.
From here, your camel ride takes you slowly across the sand dunes as the sun starts to rise.
After a short ride, your camels will be brought to a halt in time for you to gaze out and watch the sunrise. You’ll hop off and your guide will help you pose for photos with this glorious backdrop. We felt truly lucky to be observing the morning sun lighting up the sand dunes and the pyramids in the distance. Quite a way to start the day!
It’s worth mentioning that we visited in December when it was quite chilly in the mornings and evenings, so consider packing some extra layers if you’re planning your trip at this time of year.
Next, you will head into the Giza pyramid complex, often considered Egypt’s crown jewel, where the pyramids and Sphinx are among the most awe-inspiring sights you will see in Egypt.
The best part of this sunrise tour was that we arrived to the Giza Pyramid Complex right when they opened before the crows started flowing in. This gave us plenty of time for photos without crowds.
This vast necropolis features the three largest pyramids in the World (Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure), which everyone has seen in books or on TV, but standing before them is simply unbeatable. The complex is big, so you’ll need to get on the shuttle bus to make your way around parts of it.
You are free to walk around the pyramids as they are not roped off (surprisingly) but just don’t climb them. There are various smaller satellite pyramids and tombs, each with its own unique features inside and out. The last feature we saw here was the infamous Great Sphinx, and although you aren’t allowed to walk as close to it as you are to the pyramids, its brilliance can easily be appreciated from the designated walkways just a few meters away.
There are a few different companies offering the sunrise pyramid tour, but we booked the tour below from GetYourGuide as it had the best reviews. We booked the private tour as it was not that much more expensive and we loved having the flexibility.
We were dropped off at our hotel at around 11am. Since we had gotten up so early, we had a quick nap at our hotel before heading off to our next excursion: The Grand Egyptian Museum.
Before we started exploring all the gems inside the Grand Egyptian Museum, we grabbed a quick lunch at one of the restaurants inside the museum, Zooba.
Grand Egyptian Museum:
Your trip to Egypt would not be complete without visiting the largest museum telling the story of Egypt’s past with hundreds of thousands of amazing artefacts on display. The scale of the museum is apparent when gazing on it from the courtyard outside, and the building’s cool design struck us immediately with its triangular patterns paying homage to the pyramids. Once inside, we were immediately drawn to the large erect statue of Ramses II in the grand hall, which is the sister statue of that in Memphis.
We then retrieved our headsets and joined our tour group before making our way up the grand stairs, which are lined with statues depicting Kings and Gods. Our guide took us through several exhibits, teaching us all about different dynasties and important figures.
Khan el-Khalili Marketplace:
A great way to tap into Egyptian culture is to check out this bazaar that’s existed for hundreds of years, where you’ll find bustling vendors selling jewelry, spices, clothes, and a host of other items. We visited at night and were immediately struck by the lively atmosphere as we weaved through the narrow streets packed with cool stores. Whether you’re shopping or just fancy strolling around and soaking up the vibes, you will be glad you visited. A nice idea is to visit a coffee shop within the marketplace, sit outside, and have a drink as you watch the world move around you.
Day 2 in Cairo: Oldest Pyramid in the World, Museum of Civilizaition
Day two of your Cairo itinerary takes you beyond the city to Saqqara, home to the Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest pyramid in the world.
Saqqara: This ancient plateau contains the first pyramid ever built, among other fascinating structures. Our guide picked us up from our hotel at dawn and used the commute to teach us a little about what we would be seeing throughout the day. Once we reached Saqqara, the history lesson continued as we stood before the Pyramid of Djoser (also known as the Stepped Pyramid), which is made up of tiers that resemble a series of steps.
Although the passages and chambers can be accessed with special tours, seeing the pyramid from the outside with standard entry was awe-inspiring in its own right. Our guide even went above and beyond here by insisting he be our photographer for a few minutes and got some amazing shots of us with the pyramid in the background. Adjacent to the Stepped Pyramid is the Pyramid of Unas, which you will be able to enter with the standard entry fee to Saqqara. This pyramid has been eroded on the outside so that it has lost its traditional pyramid shape, but with some imagination, you can see what it once looked like. You will make your way down the narrow passageway before it opens up into a spacious burial chamber, which is comprised of three rooms. The infamous hieroglyphics are etched across all of the walls inside, which were just so breathtaking to see in person. Our guide waited for us above, allowing us to take our time and appreciate where we were stood and soak it all in.
Dahshur Pyramid Complex:
This was our next destination, which is home to an array of other pyramids, including the unmissable Red Pyramid. It is considered to be the first successful, smooth-sided pyramid built by the Egyptians, and its construction using red limestone gives it the iconic color. Our guide pretty much left us to explore this at our own leisure once we arrived. Another big attraction is that you can enter this pyramid (free of charge) and explore the fascinating spectacle within. The entrance was manned by a couple of men who offered to take our photos for us, but we recommend declining this offer as they expect a tip from you, in what is effectively a disguised entry fee. The passageway you make your way down is narrow, so you’ll need to crouch, but it opens up dramatically at the end with high ceilings inside. This interior was very different to what we saw in Saqqara, with three separate and distinct burial chambers to move through.
If I told you one of the nicest views of the pyramids For lunch, we recommend going to the Pizza Hut located just outside the Giza Pyramid complex. Pick up some slices and make your way to the third floor of the restaurant, where you can look out the window and enjoy another glorious view of the Pyramids with the Sphinx as you eat.
Memphis’ Statue of Ramses II: Once the capital city of ancient Egypt, Memphis played a pivotal role both culturally and politically, and numerous remnants from this period are available to visit today. In particular, the colossal statue of Ramses II is a must-see, and is housed in an open-air museum. Due to structural damage at its base, the statue is lying on its back today and you are free to walk the full way around the statue to view it from every angle. There is also a staircase within the enclosure so yo can appreciate it from above. Within the same complex, you’ll also be able to see some other remains from Memphis and its Temple of Ptah, such as the alabaster sphinx, a statue of Pharaoh Hatshepsut, and more.
National Museum of Egyptian Civilization:
Finish your trip at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC), famous for its Royal Mummies Hall.
You will feel spoiled for choice in Cairo as far as which museums to visit but this would be right at the top of the list in our opinion, with its Mummy Hall being worth the admission fee alone. Although relatively small in size, this museum is rich with artefacts that showcase Egyptian civilization from per-historic times all the way up to modern times. While the Grand Egyptian Museum focuses on Egypt’s most famous moments with a focus on monumental artefacts and treasures, the National Museum gives an intimate insight into how everyday Egyptian people lived across each time period through artefacts, paintings, models, antiquities and much more. The building itself is very modern, and the exhibits are spaciously laid out across a couple of floors. The bottom floor features the highlight of all its exhibits, the Mummy Hall, where 20 mummies of Kings and Queens across 4 dynasties are on display (including Hatshepsut and Ramses II!). No photos are permitted down here, and you will have no need for a guide as the signage and placards for each mummy is brilliantly informative.