- Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple and Abu Simbel open at 6 a.m.
- Philae and the Unfinished Obelisk in Aswan take their last visitors at 3 p.m., the earliest on our tours.
- Giza opens at 7 a.m. on the Ministry's ticketing portal but 8 a.m. on its Giza page; last entry is 4 p.m.
- The Grand Egyptian Museum takes last entry at 5 p.m., or 8 p.m. on Saturday and Wednesday.
- The Ministry advises arriving at least one hour before a site's closing time.
Most sites on our tours open between 6 and 9 a.m. and take their last visitors between 3 and 5 p.m. The Luxor and Aswan temples open earliest, at 6 or 7 a.m., the museums at 9 a.m. Luxor Temple, Kom Ombo, Qaitbay in summer and the Grand Egyptian Museum on Saturday and Wednesday stay open later. Hours are from the Ministry's ticketing portal, checked August 2026.
How to read these hours
The ticketing portal of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities gives each site an opening time and a last entry, the latest time the gate lets visitors in, for a summer season, a winter season and Ramadan. Our checked facts do not record which months each season covers; summer and winter differ at only five of the sites below. The Ministry's site pages give a closing time instead, often an hour after the portal's last entry: Karnak's page says 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., the portal a last entry of 4 p.m. The Ministry advises arriving at least one hour before closing. Ramadan hours are in day tours during Ramadan.
Cairo and Giza
| Site | Opens | Last entry |
|---|---|---|
| Giza pyramids | 7 a.m. on the portal; 8 a.m. on the Ministry's Giza page | 4 p.m. (closes 4 p.m. on the Giza page) |
| Grand Egyptian Museum | Galleries 9 a.m. | 5 p.m.; 8 p.m. on Saturday and Wednesday |
| Saqqara | 8 a.m. | 4 p.m. |
| Memphis | 8 a.m. | 4 p.m. |
| Dahshur | 8 a.m. | 4 p.m. |
| Egyptian Museum, Tahrir | 9 a.m. | 4 p.m. |
| Citadel | 9 a.m. summer, 8 a.m. winter | 4 p.m. |
| Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan | 9 a.m. | 4 p.m. |
| Al-Muizz Street | 9 a.m. | 4 p.m. |
| National Museum of Egyptian Civilization | 9 a.m. | Last ticket 4 p.m.; closes 5 p.m. |
The two official Giza sources disagree on the opening, so plan on 8 a.m. unless you confirm 7 a.m.; neither opens the plateau at dawn. Going inside the Great Pyramid, an optional extra on 12 of our tours, runs 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Ministry's page. At the Grand Egyptian Museum the complex opens at 8:30 a.m., and all tickets are booked online in advance with a timed entry slot.
