Pyramids of Giza

The Workers Who Built Khufu’s Pyramid Got Paid in Beer

In 2013, a French archaeological team discovered a papyrus logbook at the Red Sea harbour of Wadi el-Jarf, the oldest papyri ever found. The author was an official named Merer, who supervised a team transporting Tura limestone to Giza during Khufu’s reign around 2560 BCE. His diary describes his workers receiving regular rations of poultry, fish, bread, fruit, cakes, and beer, along with gifts of textiles. The pyramid builders were not slaves. They were a state-organised workforce that received salaries, medical care, and proper burials when they died on the job. Their settlement, Heit el-Ghurab (now sometimes called the Lost City of the Pyramid Builders), was excavated from 1988 onwards by archaeologist Mark Lehner and can still be visited today, just southeast of the main complex. Almost no tour guide mentions it.

That context changes what you see when you stand at the base of the Great Pyramid. This was not a monument built by coercion alone. It was a national project, involving an estimated 20,000-30,000 workers over roughly 20 years, many of whom took pride in what they were doing. The Great Pyramid held the record as the tallest man-made structure on Earth for approximately 3,800 years, until Lincoln Cathedral was completed in England around 1311. The blocks average 2.5 tonnes each; some weigh over 80 tonnes. The precision of the original casing stones, most of which were stripped in the medieval period to build Cairo, was tight enough to not admit a sheet of paper.

What to See at the Plateau

The three main pyramids are those of Khufu (the Great Pyramid), Khafre (slightly smaller but sitting higher on the plateau, giving the illusion of size), and Menkaure (the smallest of the three, but with the most complete surviving mortuary complex). The Sphinx sits on Khafre’s causeway; it is 73 metres long and originally bore red and yellow paint, traces of which survive on the headdress.

General admission to the Giza plateau costs around EGP 1,200 (roughly USD 25) for foreign visitors. Entry to the interior chambers of Khufu’s pyramid requires a separate ticket purchased on-site in limited numbers each day; arrive early if that is a priority. Since 2025, a free shuttle service operates on four routes inside the complex, which matters considerably once the summer heat sets in.

Cash is no longer accepted at major Egyptian sites. Bring a contactless card or use one of the on-site card machines. This change came into force in late 2024 and catches many visitors off-guard.

The Grand Egyptian Museum

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which opened publicly in November 2025 after years of construction adjacent to the Giza plateau, is arguably as significant as the pyramids themselves. It houses over 100,000 artefacts, including the complete Tutankhamun collection (previously split between the old Cairo Museum and storage) and the reconstructed Khufu solar boat, a 43-metre cedarwood vessel buried alongside the pyramid around 2500 BCE and only rediscovered in 1954.

GEM tickets cost EGP 1,450 for foreign adults (about USD 30) and EGP 730 for students and children aged 6-12. Entry is timed: six 2-hour slots run from 9am to 9pm, and tickets must be booked online through the official GEM ticketing site. Walk-up admission is not available. Book at least a week ahead in high season.

The museum alone warrants a full day. Trying to combine it with a pyramid visit on the same day is ambitious unless you have significant stamina.

Getting Here from Cairo

The plateau is about 15 km from central Cairo. The easiest option is Uber or Careem (the regional equivalent), which offer fixed upfront fares and typically run around EGP 120-200 (under USD 4). Flagging a street taxi means haggling; start low and expect resistance.

The metro option works: take Line 2 to Giza station and then a local taxi for the remaining 8 km. Useful if you are staying near the metro network and want to avoid the ride-hailing surge pricing on busy mornings.

Tour buses start arriving from hotels across Cairo between 9am and 10am. Arriving at gate opening (7:30am in summer, 8am in winter) puts you on the plateau before the crowds consolidate. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are quieter than Fridays and weekends, when Egyptian families visit in numbers.

When to Go

November through March gives you temperatures in the 15-25°C range. June through August regularly exceeds 40°C on the open plateau, where there is no shade. If you visit in summer, aim to be done by 11am and return in the late afternoon. The sound and light show runs in the evenings year-round and provides a more atmospheric experience in cooler months.

October and November offer a good balance: manageable temperatures, decent light for photography, and fewer tourists than the December-January peak.

Where to Eat

The restaurants directly outside the Giza complex are almost universally overpriced and mediocre. Andrea Mariouteya, on the agricultural road south of the plateau, is an exception: large portions, a traditional Egyptian menu, and views of the pyramids from the terrace. It is popular with Cairene families, which is usually a reliable quality signal. Felfela in downtown Cairo has been feeding travellers since 1959 and remains a reliable option for ful medames, koshari, and grilled meats.

For something more casual, the Egyptian street breakfast of ful medames (slow-cooked fava beans) with tahini and a boiled egg, bought from a cart on any street in Giza at 7am, costs less than a dollar and is better than anything served in the tourist restaurants.

Where to Stay

The Marriott Mena House, adjacent to the complex, offers genuine pyramid views from the garden and higher floors. It is expensive but the location is unmatched for early morning access. The Four Seasons Nile Plaza is 25 minutes away in central Cairo, excellent in its own right but not a pyramid-view option. Budget travellers cluster in the Zamalek and downtown Cairo districts, with easy taxi access.

Book in advance for December through February. Cairo hotel prices are lower than comparable Western cities at most price points, so a midrange budget goes further here than it would in Europe.

One Practical Note

Visitors persistently photograph themselves appearing to touch or “hold” the tip of the pyramids using forced-perspective angles from the plateau. This is fine. Less fine: climbing on the stones. There are plainclothes and uniformed police on the plateau, and the fines for climbing are real. Don’t.