Booking choice: The Giza, Saqqara and Memphis full day, from $155 per person. Check dates Tour details
Saqqara is about 20 to 25 km south of Giza, and Memphis, the old capital at Mit Rahina, a few kilometres further. With a car and an early start, all three fit into one day of 8 to 10 hours, which is exactly how the Viator day tours run it.
The catch is the clock: Saqqara closes at 16:00, and you need a driver for the whole day. Here is the route, a sample timeline, every ticket in one table, and the choice between an all-inclusive tour and a guide-only one.
The quick answer
Yes, Giza, Saqqara and Memphis fit into one day of 8 to 10 hours with a car. Tickets come to about 1,500 EGP (about $27) for the three sites, plus 280 EGP for Djoser's pyramid and 340 EGP for the Serapeum if you go in. Start at Giza at opening, keep Memphis short, and be at Saqqara well before it closes at 16:00. The $155 all-inclusive tour covers entry, lunch and a camel ride; the $50 guide-only tour leaves the tickets to you.
Can you do Giza, Saqqara and Memphis in one day?
Yes. With a private car it takes 8 to 10 hours: about four at Giza, two to three at Saqqara and under an hour at Memphis, plus the driving.
Both full-day tours on this site do exactly this. The VIP Giza, Saqqara and Memphis day runs about 10 hours; the Mr Egypt Tours day with an Egyptologist about 8. Either way you are out from early morning to late afternoon.
It is a lot of walking in the sun. In summer, when Cairo averages 35 C, one guest called the heat "brutal (103+ degrees)" and still rated the day 5 stars. From October to April it is far easier. If you only have half a day, do Giza alone and keep Saqqara for another morning.
How far is Saqqara from Giza, and how do you get there?
About 20 to 25 km south of Giza, through farmland along the Nile. There is no practical public transport, so you need a tour, a hired car or a taxi that waits.
A private tour is the simple answer: the car waits at each site and moves you on. Doing it with ride-hailing apps works for the outward trip, but getting a car back from Saqqara in the late afternoon is the hard part, so agree a waiting driver for the day if you go independently.
Memphis sits between the two, a few kilometres from Saqqara at Mit Rahina. Dahshur, if you add it, is further south. The road out of Giza is slow in the morning rush; leave early.
How much are the tickets for Giza, Saqqara and Memphis?
About 1,500 EGP (about $27) for the three site tickets: Giza 700, Saqqara 600 and Memphis about 200. Interiors and special tombs cost extra.
Foreign adult prices from the Ministry's Saqqara page and its Giza page, October 2026:
| Ticket | Foreign adult | Student | In USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giza plateau | 700 EGP | 350 EGP | About $13 |
| Great Pyramid, inside | 1,500 EGP | About 750 EGP | About $27 |
| Saqqara site, incl. Imhotep Museum | 600 EGP | 300 EGP | About $11 |
| Saqqara inclusive ticket: site, Imhotep Museum, Nobles' and New Kingdom tombs, Mereruka, Mehu | 1,400 EGP | 700 EGP | About $25 |
| Pyramid of Djoser, inside | 280 EGP | 140 EGP | About $5 |
| Serapeum | 340 EGP | 170 EGP | About $6 |
| Tomb of Mereruka | 200 EGP | 100 EGP | About $4 |
| Memphis open-air museum, Mit Rahina | About 200 EGP | About $4 | |
| Dahshur, Bent and Red Pyramids | 200 EGP | 100 EGP | About $4 |
Note what the 1,400 EGP inclusive ticket leaves out: Djoser's pyramid and the Serapeum are separate. The Serapeum's own monument page still shows an older price; the Saqqara page's 340 EGP is the current one. All gates are card only.
A private Egyptologist for Giza, Saqqara and Memphis; you pay about 1,500 EGP of gate tickets on the day.
Check dates for the Giza and Saqqara day with an EgyptologistWhat should you see at Saqqara?
Djoser's Step Pyramid and its enclosure, a decorated tomb such as Mereruka's, the Imhotep Museum and, if time allows, the Serapeum.
- The Step Pyramid of Djoser: the first large stone pyramid, built about a century before the Great Pyramid. Walk in through the colonnaded entrance; the interior is 280 EGP.
- The tombs of the nobles: this is where Saqqara beats Giza. The Old Kingdom tomb walls are carved with cattle, boats, geese and daily life, often still painted. Mereruka's tomb is the largest.
- The Imhotep Museum: at the entrance, included in the site ticket, open until 17:00.
- The Serapeum: long underground galleries with giant granite boxes for the sacred Apis bulls. Worth the 340 EGP if you have energy left.
Two to three hours is right. The tour listings budget three.
What is there to see at Memphis?
A small open-air museum in a palm garden, built around a colossal statue of Ramesses II lying on its back in a covered hall. Forty-five minutes is enough.
Memphis was Egypt's capital for much of its ancient history, but little of the city survives above the fields. What you visit at Mit Rahina is a garden of statues and fragments, with the fallen colossus as its centrepiece: you look down on it from a gallery, close enough to see the carving on the belt and the face.
The listings allow up to two hours here. Most people need far less, which makes Memphis the stop to trim if the day runs late.
Giza, the Step Pyramid and the Ramesses colossus with your own Egyptologist and car. Rated 5.0.
Explore the Giza and Saqqara day with an Egyptologist Tour detailsWhat does a Giza, Saqqara and Memphis day look like?
Giza at opening, Memphis on the way south, Saqqara before its 16:00 close, then a late lunch and back to your hotel around 17:30.
A sample day from central Cairo. Tours shuffle the order, but Saqqara's closing time sets the limits:
| Time | Stop | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 07:30 | Hotel pickup | Drive to the Giza visitor centre, 40 to 60 minutes |
| 08:15 to 11:30 | Giza plateau | Panorama, the Great Pyramid (inside if you want it), Khafre, the Sphinx, by shuttle |
| 11:30 to 12:15 | Drive south | Through farmland towards Mit Rahina |
| 12:15 to 13:00 | Memphis | The Ramesses II colossus and the garden |
| 13:15 to 15:45 | Saqqara | Djoser's complex, a nobles' tomb, the Imhotep Museum, the Serapeum if time |
| 16:00 | Late lunch | Many tours stop at a restaurant near Saqqara or Giza |
| 17:30 | Back at the hotel | Traffic permitting |
Good guides adjust on the day. On the Mr Egypt Tours day, one guest said they "ended up changing the order of things a little bit to make sure we made it to saqqara before the entrance to the pyramid closed." That is the right instinct: Giza's last entry is 16:00 too, but Saqqara is the one you can't squeeze.
All-inclusive or guide-only: which day tour should you book?
The $155 VIP day if you want every entry, lunch and a camel ride paid upfront. The $50 Egyptologist day if you'd rather pay the gates yourself, which brings it to about $77 plus lunch.
Side by side, per person:
- VIP Giza, Saqqara, Memphis, $155, 4.8 from 3,770 reviews: entry to Giza, Saqqara and Memphis, lunch overlooking the pyramids, a 30-minute camel ride and an Egyptologist. Extra: the Great Pyramid (1,500 EGP) and tips. It lists the "third pyramid", Menkaure, which is closed; ask whether you get Khafre.
- Giza, Saqqara, Memphis with an Egyptologist, $50, 5.0 from 160 reviews: private car, guide and water. Extra: about 1,500 EGP of site tickets unless you book its All Inclusive option.
- A1 Egypt also sells a "Giza & Saqqara" option if you'd rather skip Memphis.
Ask about shops before you book. Several full-day reviews describe unscheduled stops; one guest on the VIP day listed a "cotton shop, perfume shop, souvenir shop, papyrus shop, spices shop and carpet shop." On a private tour you can say no, and you should say it at pickup.
Every entry fee, lunch and a 30-minute camel ride in the price: Giza, Saqqara and Memphis in one private day.
Explore the Giza, Saqqara and Memphis full day Tour detailsCan you add Dahshur to the day?
Yes, by swapping it for Memphis or making the day longer. Dahshur's Bent and Red Pyramids cost 200 EGP and the site is open 08:00 to 17:00.
Dahshur lies south of Saqqara and is far quieter than Giza. Its two big pyramids, the Bent Pyramid with its change of angle halfway up and the Red Pyramid, show the experiments that led to the Great Pyramid. The official Dahshur page lists 200 EGP for foreign adults and an 08:00 to 17:00 day, an hour longer than Saqqara.
Neither full-day tour here includes Dahshur as standard. On a private tour, ask the operator before booking whether they'll swap it for Memphis; the extra driving usually means a supplement. Starting Saqqara at opening and finishing at Dahshur uses its later closing time well.
Your own driver and Egyptologist for the whole day, so the order can bend around closing times.
Check dates for the Giza and Saqqara day with an EgyptologistFrequently asked questions
Is Saqqara worth visiting after Giza?
Yes. Giza has the scale; Saqqara has the carved and painted tombs, the first stone pyramid and far fewer people. Many visitors rate it the better half of the day.
What closes first, Giza or Saqqara?
Both have their last entry around 16:00 (Giza 16:00 last entry, Saqqara open 08:00 to 16:00), so plan to arrive at Saqqara by early afternoon. Dahshur stays open until 17:00.
Is lunch included on the day tours?
On the $155 VIP day, yes, at a restaurant overlooking the pyramids. On the $50 Egyptologist day, only in its All Inclusive option.
Does the Cairo Pass cover Saqqara?
Yes. The five-day Cairo Pass (US$130, students $70, paid in cash) covers the Giza plateau, Saqqara and Dahshur, but not the Grand Egyptian Museum.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Full-Day Giza, Saqqara and Memphis VIP Tour
- Entry to the Giza plateau, Saqqara and Memphis
- Egyptologist guide, private car, hotel pickup
- Lunch and a 30-minute camel ride
Giza, Saqqara and Memphis with an Egyptologist
A private full day with an Egyptologist; about 1,500 EGP of tickets on top
Private Giza Tour with Inside-Pyramid Options
- Egyptologist guide and air-conditioned car
- Hotel pickup in Cairo or Giza
- Tickets, camel and lunch only in the all-inclusive options
