the Grand Egyptian Museum of the Pyramids

For years now there’s been a huge buzz about the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo – a museum several decades in the making, which, when finished, will be the largest archaeological museum in the world. It’ll be the permanent home for over 100,000 Ancient Egyptian artifacts, including the complete King Tut treasure collection, for the first time ever.

There’s some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the museum IS pretty much finished, but the bad news is that it’s not open to the public yet (or at least, the interior galleries and collections still aren’t open. You can see the Grand Hall, Grand Staircase, commercial area and outside gardens if you book a guided mini tour, but more about that below when we discuss the tours).

You can also buy a ticket to see the Tutankhamun Immersive Exhibition, which is very cool to see but keep in mind it's a digital exhibition and you won't see any of his real artifacts until GEM officially opens its doors and allows visitors to explore all its mind-blowing collections.

The Grand Egyptian Museum was scheduled to open in early 2024, but the opening dates have been punted many times so we'll keep you updated. Fingers crossed it's soon!

It’s predicted that once open, the Grand Egyptian Museum will receive 15,000 visits daily - 5 million a year, which is triple what the current Egyptian Museum of Antiquities (Cairo Museum in Tahrir Square) receives annually.

Can I Book A Grand Egyptian Museum Tour

Yes you can, but it will be a guided mini tour.

So first things first: we want to be super clear when we say that this guided mini tour is NOT a full museum tour; in fact, you won’t be seeing any proper Grand Egyptian Museum exhibitions or galleries at all. We just want that piece of information to be crystal clear so that people don’t have certain expectations and then be disappointed when they buy tickets for the mini tour and don’t get a full museum experience.

The guided mini tour is mainly to give visitors a sneak peek into the incredible architecture of the museum, to share history and context, and to give both tourists and locals alike a toe dip into what will soon be one of the most impressive museums in the world. The guides are incredibly well-versed in not only the history of the museum, but the history of Egypt as a whole. Not only will they explain clearly to you everything you’re looking at, but also will be able to answer any questions you may have.

Here’s the most important information about booking your tour:

• You can book and pay for a mini tour from the Grand Egyptian Museum’s booking site: www.visit-gem.com (don’t be weirded out if the website looks a little dated; it is in fact legit and safe to use)
• You can either buy a ticket for just the mini guided tour, or you can book a combo ticket for the mini guided tour and the Tutankhamun Immersive Exhibition (more about that below)
• There are four daily Grand Egyptian Museum guided tour slots a day: 10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm and 4 pm
• Each tour lasts about 45 minutes
• The guided tours are either in English or Arabic, and you select which language you prefer upon buying your ticket. If you would like a different language besides English or Arabic and you’re a big enough group, please contact: info@egyptholiday.eu
• You have to book your tour ticket online in advance, there are no ticket sales at the museum (we list the different ticket prices further down in this article)
• You won’t be able to gain access to the Grand Egyptian Museum’s parking lot without your ticket and QR code (which you’ll receive via email once you buy your ticket online)
• There’s free museum entry for children under 6 years old
• There’s a Children Museum Tour for kids ages 6-12, with its own programs and tickets (more info about this below)
• You’re not allowed to bring in food or drinks into the museum (you can purchase from the Grand Egyptian Museum’s restaurants and cafes, we listed the different restaurants they have below)
• You can only take pictures with your phone or small handheld camera, professional cameras, tripods, etc. are not allowed (and there are certain areas where you’re not allowed to take pictures at all, but a museum attendant will inform you of those places)

What will you see on the mini tour

You’ll meet your tour guide in the museum’s outer courtyard past the ticket gates. He or she will introduce themselves, and distribute headphones (free of charge) so that you can hear them clearly throughout the tour.

This is a summary of what you’ll see in the Grand Egyptian Museum:

The Grand Egyptian Museum’s outer gardens, where you can take in the beautiful architecture of the museum and its surrounding courtyard – including a hanging obelisk

The museum’s inner Grand Hall, where you will see a 3,200 year old statue of Ramses II, a column of King Merneptah, and two other Ancient Egyptian Ptolemac statues

The Grand Staircase and the ancient statues flanking both sides

You can get something to eat or drink at the Grand Museum’s food court/dining establishments

You can browse the gift shop and curated Egyptian goods stores, and buy everything from Egyptian cookbooks to souvenirs to locally made clothes and bags.

Tutankhamun Immersive Exhibition

Besides the guided tour, you can also book a ticket to see the Tutankhamun Immersive Exhibition at the Grand Egyptian Museum. It's an award-winning digital show created in collaboration with Madrid Artes Digitales.

This 360 degree audiovisual show takes you through the life of King Tut, the boy king, over 3,400 years ago in Ancient Egypt.

There's a show every 45 minutes, from 9 am to 7:30 pm.

You can book your tickets from the Grand Egyptian Museum's official website when you book your guided tour.