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Top 10 · Sights
The ten best museums in Cairo are the Grand Egyptian Museum, the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation, the Coptic Museum, the Museum of Islamic Art, Manial Palace, the Gayer-Anderson Museum, the Royal Carriages Museum, the Military Museum at the Citadel and the Imhotep Museum at Saqqara. The first three hold ancient Egypt. The rest cover Christian, Islamic and royal Cairo. If you have one day, see the GEM. With two, add the NMEC.
We picked museums run by Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, so each one has an official page we could check. Every fact here comes from those pages or from our own museum guides.
The first three are the big ancient Egypt museums, and most visitors should start there. The other seven show the Christian, Islamic and royal sides of Cairo. The last one sits at Saqqara, just outside the city.
We left out ticket prices and opening hours, because they change. The ministry's site, egymonuments.gov.eg, lists both for each museum.
The GEM stands at Giza, about two kilometres from the pyramids. It shows the complete find from Tutankhamun's tomb, about 5,000 objects, together for the first time.
A granite statue of Ramesses II, about 11 metres tall, fills the atrium. The Khufu boat, more than 40 metres long and buried beside the Great Pyramid, has its own hall. Give it at least half a day.
The red building on Tahrir Square opened in 1902. The ministry calls it the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East. Many people still call it the Cairo Museum.
Tutankhamun has moved to the GEM, but a great deal remains. See the Narmer Palette, the treasures of Tanis and statues of the three pyramid builders. It is quieter now, and good for browsing.
The NMEC, at Fustat in Old Cairo, holds the royal mummies. Twenty-two of them were moved here from Tahrir in a grand parade on 3 April 2021. They lie in a dark, quiet hall of their own.
The main galleries tell Egypt's story from prehistory to today. The ministry also lists evening opening hours, which makes it easy to fit in after a day of sights.
The Coptic Museum opened in 1910 inside the old walls of Coptic Cairo. The ministry says it holds the largest collection of Coptic art in the world. Marcus Simaika Pasha, a Coptic leader, founded it.
Look for painted icons, carved wood, old manuscripts and wall paintings taken from early monasteries. The Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue are a few steps away, so plan two or three hours for the whole quarter.
This museum opened in 1903 and holds one of the largest collections of Islamic art anywhere. Its galleries cover ceramics, carved wood, rare manuscripts, astronomy and medicine.
Two highlights are a Mamluk key to the Ka'ba in Mecca and a textile with the oldest known Kufic writing. A bomb aimed at the building opposite damaged it in 2014. It was restored and reopened in 2017.
Prince Muhammad Ali Tawfik built this palace between 1900 and 1929. He mixed Persian, Mamluk, Moroccan, Andalusian and Ottoman styles in one place.
Walk through the throne hall, the golden hall, a mosque and a hunting museum, all set in a large garden. It is a calm break from the busy city.
Two Ottoman-era houses, from 1545 and 1631, were joined into one. A British army doctor, R.G. Gayer-Anderson, lived here from 1935 to 1942 and filled it with art. He left the house and collection to Egypt.
It is one of the best places to see what a grand old Cairo home looked like inside. Bond fans may know it from The Spy Who Loved Me.
This museum in Boulaq began as the royal stables of Khedive Ismail in the 1800s. It shows the carriages, harnesses and uniforms of Egypt's royal family.
The star is the Alay carriage. Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie gave it to Khedive Ismail for the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.
The Military Museum fills al-Haram Palace, built by Muhammad Ali inside the Cairo Citadel. It traces Egypt's armies from ancient times to the modern day with models, weapons and uniforms.
Outside, real tanks and aircraft from the October 1973 war stand on display. It is an easy add-on to a Citadel visit.
The Imhotep Museum stands at the entrance to Saqqara, about 30 km south of central Cairo. It honours Imhotep, architect of the Step Pyramid. Six halls show statues, coffins and finds from the site.
One hall rebuilds a tomb with a mummy and its coffin. Another remembers Jean-Philippe Lauer, who spent his life restoring Djoser's pyramid complex. Visit it before you walk out to the pyramid.
The Grand Egyptian Museum, for most visitors. It has the full Tutankhamun treasure and plenty of space. If you have a second day, add the NMEC for the royal mummies.
Yes, if ancient Egypt is your passion. It still holds the Narmer Palette, the Tanis treasures and the statues of the pyramid builders. Our Cairo Museum guide explains what stayed and what moved.
At the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation in Fustat. They moved from Tahrir in April 2021. Tutankhamun's own mummy is the exception. It stays in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings.
Two, comfortably. The GEM alone deserves half a day. Pair it with the pyramids, or with the NMEC in the evening. The Coptic Museum fits into a morning in Coptic Cairo.
Yes. The ministry's ticket site, egymonuments.com, sells tickets for its museums and sites. The GEM has its own ticket system, covered on our GEM tickets page.
The Cairo Pass covers sites in Greater Cairo, but the pass document does not name each one. Confirm at the counter before you pay. Our Luxor Pass and Cairo Pass guide has the details.
The GEM, for its space and the Tutankhamun gold. The Military Museum's tanks and planes are a hit with many children. Our Cairo with kids page suggests a family plan.
Entry rules, opening hours, security advice and exchange rates all move. Check them at the source, not here.
Written and checked by the Nile Trip Guide editorial team · Last reviewed . Entry rules, prices and opening hours change — check anything critical against the official sources linked on this page.
Plan this trip
A real itinerary with real prices, usually within 24 hours. Nothing is booked and nothing is charged until you say yes.
5 days · Short break
Five days in Cairo and nowhere else: Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum, the Egyptian Museum, the Citadel, Coptic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili. Four nights in one hotel, and every sightseeing day run privately.
from US$935 / per person
10 days · Classic Egypt
Five nights in Cairo either side of a four-night sail from Luxor to Aswan. The Cairo days are private, just your party and a guide; the sightseeing off the boat is shared with a small group.
from US$2,635 / per person
16 days · Classic Egypt
Sixteen days and very little left out: Cairo, a flight to Aswan, three nights sailing down to Luxor, two more days of Luxor on land, three nights on the Red Sea, then back to Cairo for Saqqara and Dahshur.
from US$3,910 / per person
