Drive times between Giza, Saqqara and Memphis, without traffic

Without traffic, the drives between the three sites are short: from the Great Sphinx at Giza to Saqqara is 18.3 km, about 27 minutes, and from Saqqara to Memphis 6.3 km, about 14 minutes. The longest legs are the ones to and from your hotel. These figures come from map routing on our Pyramids, Memphis and Saqqara tour, so read them as minimums, not forecasts.

Leg by leg

The tour runs Giza first, then Saqqara, then Memphis, the ancient capital, with lunch at a local restaurant between Giza and Saqqara. From a Downtown or Zamalek hotel:

The Valley Temple stands beside the Sphinx, so it adds no drive.

The hotel legs, by area

Where you sleep changes the first and last legs more than anything between the sites:

A hotel near the pyramids makes the morning leg very short, but Memphis is still 24.5 km away at the end of the day. More on pickup by area is in How hotel pickup works for Cairo day tours.

The Dahshur route: Saqqara and Memphis without Giza

Our newer Saqqara, Dahshur and Memphis tour leaves Giza out and starts at the south end: the Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur, then the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, then the Memphis open-air museum. Its program follows how the market runs the day and is confirmed with your quote; lunch is optional, not included. From a Downtown or Zamalek hotel:

From a Giza hotel near the pyramids the first leg is 37 km (about 35 min), and from New Cairo 52.8 km (about 49 min); the drive back from Memphis is the same as on the Giza route.

Opening hours along the route

Drive times matter because each site stops letting visitors in at a set time. Hours from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, checked in August 2026:

The two official sources for Giza differ on the opening hour; both give 4 p.m. as the end of entry. The Ministry advises arriving at least one hour before a site closes. With Memphis last on the route, the short Saqqara-to-Memphis leg is what keeps it in the day; in Ramadan, Memphis takes its last visitors at 3 p.m.

The wider pyramid field

Giza, Saqqara and Memphis belong to one UNESCO World Heritage property, inscribed in 1979 as Memphis and its Necropolis, the pyramid fields from Giza to Dahshur. UNESCO describes the necropolis, or burial ground, as holding more than thirty-eight pyramids. Dahshur, at its southern end, is the first stop of the Saqqara, Dahshur and Memphis tour above.

If you are deciding which of the sites to see first, read Giza pyramids or Saqqara: which day trip first?