Visiting the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt

This is a family friendly guide for families who are visiting the pyramids of Giza in Egypt with their young children. We visited in April with our 3 year old toddler and absolutely loved the experience. I have seen a lot of sources that say that visiting the pyramids is not for children and respectfully, I beg to differ.

Where are the Pyramids?

Contrary to popular belief, the pyramids are not in Cairo but in Giza. It is worth mentioning that Giza is not actually in Cairo. The best way to explain this is that Giza is west of the Nile and Cairo is east of the Nile. However the best way to get to the pyramids is to fly into Cairo.

We flew from London to Cairo on British Airways and the flight was just under 5 hours. There are options to fly from other parts of Egypt to Cairo but this was our route. 

What time does the Pyramids Complex open?

The Pyramids complex opens from 7 am and closes at 4pm. I had read that the ticket masters don’t start selling until 7.30am but I noticed (from my hotel window lol) that people were in the complex from 7am. It costs 700 Egyptian pounds* per person and kids under 6 go free; yet another reason to take your littles. 

How to pay for tickets at the Pyramids

At the pyramids, we paid our entrance fee by card. I really loved this system and it is the same around Egypt. Every tourist centre we visited, we had to pay by our bank cards so there was no stress at all.

We get to the gate, ticket master asks how many people, we mention 2 adults, 1 three year old child. They input the fee and collect our card, pass the machine to us to input our pin number; tickets are issued. It’s all very simple, efficient and transparent. 

Do you need a guide to visit the Pyramids?

The very simple answer is Yes. Visiting the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt means that you want to leave there with as much information as possible. There are so many advantages to having a guide with you in Egypt and I will go into them. A guide literally doubles as your history teacher and body guard too. They will help chase unwarranted sellers away, negotiate prices for you and most importantly, give the history of the place you are visiting.

There is absolutely no way we could have visited Egypt and had the best time without our guide, Sam and his team, Egypt Eye Tours. Sam was with us in Giza and Cairo, Nesreen in Aswan and Micheal in Luxor. I cannot rate them highly enough and I will forever be grateful to them for the patience and kindness they showed our daughter.

How to get to the Pyramids

We opted to stay in Giza itself because we knew we were going to have an early start. We stayed in Guardian Guest house which is literally 1 minute walk from the 2nd gate to the Pyramids complex (more on this later).

Other hotels we checked out included: Marriott Mena Hotel which we visited for lunch and Giza Pyramids Hotel (another inexpensive option) but we picked Guardian Guest house because it was inexpensive and I had seen that it was great for families. The view from room 103 and the rooftop were the icing on the cake.

Visiting the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt allows you the opportunity to stay in Giza. However, if you are not staying in Giza and choose to stay in Cairo, that’s ok too.

Visiting the pyramids of Giza in Egypt – The Pyramids Complex

There are 2 entrances to the Pyramids.

Entrance 1

One is the main entrance which is accessible by car and this is usually where your tour guide will start the tour from. I genuinely recommend to start here as there is a mini museum just after the gates where you learn some history about what you are about to see. 

Entrance 2

The 2nd entrance is only accessible by foot and it’s the one from the inner street that leads you to the Sphinx first. Staying in Guardian Guest House meant that we were a minute walk away and could see when people started to arrive to this entrance. 

We used the main entrance when we went because we started our trip quite early anyway. We were picked up by our guide, Sam. There is actually an organised system in place. Once we got to the main entrance, the check in is military style with sniffing dogs and a quick search of the boot. Sam drove in and parked his car in the massive car park. Then we bought tickets and walked into the building. There is a museum at the entrance which gives some history lessons on what you are about to see. Next, we hopped on the bus shuttle to the pyramids which was our first stop. 

There are bus shuttles that take you all around the complex from the Pyramids to the Sphinx and even the panoramic point. So you don’t have to worry about walking everywhere. It is kind of a hop off, hop on system which is very efficient. 

When is the best time to visit the Pyramids?

We went in April and it was perfect. Yes, there was sunshine but it was not too harsh. The best time to visit the pyramids is between October and April, these are typically the cooler months. Peak period is between November and February so March and April are my preferred months to visit Egypt in general.

The weekdays are also less busy than the weekends. The pyramids are really popular even for Egyptians and you will find them visiting over the weekend.

What to wear to the pyramids

I wore a midi-length sleeveless cotton dress and had my light linen shirt with me as well. My trusty Birkenstocks were my sandalS of choice. Mr E wore linen trousers and a t-shirt.

For my 3 year old daughter, she wore a linen set (shorts and short-sleeved shirt). She also wore trainers because she is not a fan of sand on her feet (except she’s on the beach). On her head was a hat, with a long tail to cover her neck and sunglasses to protect her eyes (this is important as it is very dusty too)

Egypt is a Muslim country so dressing is modest. However, it is also a country that sees millions of tourists yearly. I covered up mostly due to my dressing being somewhat conservative anyway and I did not want to burn from the sun. However, there were people in shorts and crop tops, mini dresses and all. Exposed shoulders, exposed knees and just generally casual outfits were very popular. Nobody batted an eye or told them off. My recommendation is to go in what you are most comfortable in mainly due to the harsh weather. I always carry a shawl/scarf with me so if I feel exposed in anyway, it’s on hand to cover up.

A hat is useful (I did not have one and I was ok) but it helps protect your face from the sun. I will admit that maybe I should have worn closed-toe shoes because by the end of the visit, my toes were dusty.

How to get around the pyramids complex

As mentioned above, there are bus shuttles. These shuttles took us around from pyramid to pyramid, start to stop. I think people could drive around before; but now, there is a more organised system where cars are not allowed within the complex.

Tips for visiting the pyramids of Giza in Egypt with a baby or a toddler

1. timing matters

You have to go early to enjoy the Pyramids with fewer people and better weather. As you can imagine, this is all desert and open space so the sun can be pretty harsh.

Another option is to go around 2.30pm. By this time, the tour buses would have left and most visitors are at their end time. Since it closes at 4pm, you have 1hr 30 mins to explore which is ok when travelling with kids. However, in peak summer months, the sun is very harsh at this time so it is worth considering. 

2. sunscreen

Visiting the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt means you will be outside the whole time. Sunscreen is essential. I cannot overestimate this enough; especially for our littles. I made sure to reapply sunscreen from time to time so that my daughter does not have any burns. 

3. potty training

If your little one is potty training, take your “carry potty” with you. Once you get to the pyramids, there is no toilet around. Take some tissues and wipes too just in case.

4. staying hydrated

Water is very important as you will get dehydrated a lot as you walk around. There are people selling drinks but it is all over priced. We spotted a Ladurée as well as a restaurant on site too. So if you don’t have your water and drinks before you go, don’t panic!

5. stroller or baby carrier?

The complex is not particularly stroller friendly but I did see a lot of families with strollers. I had our toddler carrier with us and when her little legs got tired, I just put her in it and carried her. My recommendation will be a baby carrier over a stroller but a stroller is very much “doable”

The Pyramids Sound and Light Show

Did you know that there was a sound and light show at the Giza pyramids? It happens at 7pm from October to April and at 7.30pm from May to September. However, during Ramadan, it starts at 8.30pm. The show is broadcast in English; however depending on the demand, there is usually another show in other European languages (French, German, Spanish, Italian etc)

Is a visit to the pyramids in Giza worth it?

I genuinely don’t think a visit to Egypt is complete without visiting the pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Seeing the Pyramids and Sphinx is just incredible. We have all read about the 7 ancient wonders of the world. The Pyramids are the last standing of those 7 so it is one of the most fulfilling trips you will ever do.

I am a strong advocate for travelling with your kids and showing them the world. So yes, if you can, take them to Egypt. Don’t just stop at Giza, go to Aswan and Luxor and show them the Temples; let them see the history for themselves and learn that way too. 

Bisous, 

Bugo, an advocate for travelling with kids x 

*cost at the time of writing this post.