Giza

Introduction

Pyramids, Giza

© glenn765

Giza is the home of the Great Pyramid and the Great Sphinx, two of Egypt's most famous attractions. Situated on the Giza Plateau, the last-remaining of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World were built to overlook the ancient city of Memphis. Today, Giza is located just 20 kilometres from central Cairo, on the banks of the Nile River.

Sights and Activities

Giza Pyramids

Giza's three pyramids, known collectively as the Giza Necropolis, are found about 8 kilometres outside of Giza. The Necropolis consists of the Pyramid of Khufu (Great Pyramid), the Pyramid of Khafre and the Pyramid of Menkaure. For more information read the article: Pyramids of Giza.

Giza Pyramids

© porz

The Great Sphinx

The Great Sphinx is at the eastern end of the Giza Necropolis, near the pyramids. It was probably built in the 3rd millennium BC, although who built it is a matter of dispute among scholars.

Getting There

By Taxi

Black and white taxi

© davecallan

From Cairo, you can take the train to Giza Station and then catch a taxi to the Giza Necropolis. If you are catching one of the black and white taxis, make sure that you negotiate the price before you get in the cab. It should usually cost between 15-20 Egyptian pounds. Also be sure to insist that you only want to go to the Necropolis, as some taxi drivers will try to take you to local shops as well.

Alternatively, you can catch the yellow taxis, which are generally more reliable, and are metered.

By Bus

It is also possible to take an air-conditioned bus from Cairo, using the 355 and 357 routes. Catch it from Abdel Menem Riyad Station in Midan Tahrir, which is located next to the Egyptian Museum.

Eat

There are quite a few western fast food restaurants in Giza, but if you feel like a slightly more authentic experience, there are also local food sellers.

Drink

Tap water is drinkable but heavily chlorinated. You can purchase bottled water from small shops.

Sleep

Due to the area's great popularity amongst tourists, there are many upscale resorts in Giza. For more information, also check the long list of accommodation options in nearby Cairo.

Upscale

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet access is easy to find and cheap. Most cities, such as Greater Cairo and Luxor, and even smaller tourist sites, such as Edfu, boast a plethora of small internet cafés. The price per hour is usually EGP 2-10 depending on the location/speed. In addition, an increasing number of coffee shops, restaurants, hotel lobbies and other locations now provide free wireless internet access. Free wi-fi (Mobilnil) is also available at modern coffee shops such as Cilantro and Costa Coffee, where you obtain access by getting a 2-hour "promotional" card from the waiter, and if you go into almost any McDonald's, you will have access to a free WiFi connection.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The international telephone code for Egypt is 20.

Egypt has a reasonably modern telephone service including three GSM mobile service providers. The three mobile phone providers are Mobinil, Vodafone and Etisalat. Principal centers are located at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah, Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta. Roaming services are provided, although you should check with your service provider. Be aware that using your home SIM card can be very expensive, especially when using internet services but also calling is much more expensive. Try to get a local SIM card for your cell phone instead. Also, it is possible to purchase tourist mobile phone lines for the duration of your stay, which usually costs around EGP 30.

Post

Egypt Post is the national postal service in Egypt. Services are generally reliable, affordable though pretty slow, even if you send post domestically. International letters and postcards take days, if not weeks if send to the US or Australia. They do have express mail services though, but these are relatively expensive. Opening hours of post officies are mostly from 8:30am to 2:00pm or 3:00pm daily except Friday, when all of them are closed. The central ones might keep longer hours, generally until 8:00pm. You can buy stamps here, or at certain newspaper kiosks. In touristic areas, these are available at many shops as well. For parcels, it's much better to use international courier services such as DHL, TNT, FedEx or UPS.