Until the Grand Egyptian Museum opened, the salmon-pink building on Tahrir Square was simply the Egyptian Museum: a 1902 palace packed to the rafters with more than a century of discoveries. Tutankhamun’s treasures have now moved to Giza and the royal mummies to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, but the old museum remains open and is being gradually refurbished.
What is left is still astonishing, and with fewer visitors it is easier to enjoy. For anyone who has just been to Giza, the ground-floor Old Kingdom galleries are the draw: this is where sculpture made for the pyramid builders has traditionally been shown, including masterpieces found on the plateau itself. Displays are being reorganised and individual pieces do move, so treat any list as a guide rather than a guarantee.
What to see and do at Egyptian Museum, Tahrir
Look for the sculpture of the pyramid age
The museum’s Old Kingdom collection has long included the diorite statue of Khafre with the Horus falcon, the slate triads of Menkaure, the painted limestone pair of Rahotep and Nofret and the tiny ivory figure that is the only certain portrait of Khufu.
See the treasures of Tanis
Gold masks, silver coffins and jewellery from royal tombs of the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Dynasties, found intact in 1939 and overshadowed only because the world was at war.
Visit Yuya and Tjuyu
The gilded coffins, masks and furniture of Tutankhamun’s great-grandparents, from one of the best-preserved non-royal burials ever found in the Valley of the Kings.
Enjoy the building itself
High ceilings, wooden cases, hand-typed labels and a garden of statues outside: a museum of the old school, and part of the pleasure.
How to get to Egyptian Museum, Tahrir
- From Giza: 30–60 minutes by taxi or ride-hailing, depending on traffic.
- By metro: Sadat station (Lines 1 and 2) is beneath Tahrir Square, a few minutes’ walk away.
- On a tour: usually combined with the Citadel and Old Cairo — see our tour ranking.
Insider tips
- Tickets are sold by card at the gate and online. Hours are typically 09:00 to 17:00; confirm before you go.
- Allow two hours. A guide is especially useful here, as labelling is sparse.
- If you have time for only one museum, make it the Grand Egyptian Museum; if you have time for two, this is the one with soul.
Best tours & tickets for Egyptian Museum, Tahrir
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to see Egyptian Museum, Tahrir:
Guided tour from €32 Cairo: Egyptian Museum, Citadel, and Old Cairo Guided Tour
The rest of Cairo in a day: the grand old museum downtown, the hilltop Citadel with its city views and the ancient Christian quarter. Flexible options let you choose how many stops to include.
- The Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square
- Saladin’s Citadel and the Mohamed Ali Mosque
- Churches and lanes of Coptic Old Cairo
Guided tour from €54 Cairo: Female-Guided Pyramids, Sphinx & Museum City Tour
A full day at the pyramids and a museum with a woman guide — a thoughtful option for solo women travellers, and just as popular with couples and families for the quality of its guides.
- Led by a female Egyptologist guide
- Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Valley Temple
- Museum visit and Cairo highlights
