Cairo & Giza Map: Pyramids, Museums & Old Cairo

Greater Cairo is enormous, but the sights travellers actually come for cluster in a few areas on either side of the Nile. Picture those clusters and a day plans itself.

Giza — the west side

On the desert edge sit the Pyramids and the Great Sphinx, and right beside them the Grand Egyptian Museum, which since late 2025 holds Tutankhamun's complete treasure within sight of the pyramids. Most people give this side a full day. Browse Giza.

Islamic & Coptic Cairo — the historic core

Across the river, the medieval city layers the Citadel, the great mosques, and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar over the older churches and synagogue of Coptic Cairo. This is the Cairo of narrow lanes, minarets and copper workshops — best on foot. See what's on in Cairo.

Saqqara & Memphis — the older capital

Half an hour south of Giza, Saqqara has Djoser's Step Pyramid — the world's oldest large stone monument — and the ruins of Memphis, Egypt's first capital. It's quieter than Giza and pairs naturally with it on a longer pyramids day.

Downtown & the river

Between the two banks, downtown Cairo holds the historic Egyptian Museum, café-lined streets and the corniche. A felucca or dinner cruise on the Nile is the easy way to end a day.

How long to give it

Two to three days is right: a day for Giza (and maybe Saqqara), a day for Islamic and Coptic Cairo, and time to wander. Everything's close on the map — it's the traffic, not the distance, that eats the hours.

🗺️ See how it fits together: Open the interactive map and place the pyramids, the museum and old Cairo before you go.