The Great Pyramid was built as the tomb of King Khufu (Cheops to the Greeks), second ruler of the Fourth Dynasty, and finished in about 2560 BC. Roughly 2.3 million blocks of limestone and granite went into it. It originally rose to 146.6 metres — about 138.5 metres survive now that the capstone and the smooth outer casing are gone — on a base some 230 metres square, levelled and oriented to the cardinal points with an accuracy that is still startling. No taller building was raised anywhere on Earth for close to four thousand years.
It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one still standing. What you see today is the stepped core; the gleaming white Tura limestone that once sheathed it was stripped in the Middle Ages to build Cairo. Standing at its foot, where a single block comes up to your chest, remains one of the great experiences of travel — and, on a separate ticket, you can go inside.
What to see and do at Great Pyramid of Khufu
Climb the Grand Gallery to the King’s Chamber
Visitors enter by the “Robbers’ Tunnel”, cut on the orders of the caliph al-Ma’mun in the ninth century, a little below the original entrance. A low, steep passage where you must stoop leads up to the Grand Gallery, an extraordinary corbelled hall nearly nine metres high and almost fifty metres long. At the top, a short crawl-height passage opens into the King’s Chamber, built entirely of red granite from Aswan, with Khufu’s lidless sarcophagus at one end.
Walk the base and feel the scale
Follow the north and east sides on foot. Near the entrance you can see the huge gabled blocks above the original doorway; at the foot of the north face a few of the original casing stones survive, their joints still knife-thin.
Find the boat pits and the queens’ pyramids
On the east side are the foundations of Khufu’s mortuary temple, long empty boat-shaped pits and the three queens’ pyramids. On the south side stood the museum that housed Khufu’s cedar solar boat until 2021, when the 43-metre vessel was moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum.
Know what stays closed
The so-called Queen’s Chamber and the unfinished subterranean chamber deep in the bedrock are normally closed to visitors, as are the narrow shafts and the hidden voids detected by modern scanning. The interior you can visit is bare of decoration: the wonder is the architecture.
How to get to Great Pyramid of Khufu
- By electric bus: the Great Pyramid is a stop on the hop-on, hop-off loop that starts at the visitor centre at the Great Gate. See getting here.
- On foot: it is an easy 10-minute walk from the pyramid of Khafre and about 15 minutes downhill to the Sphinx.
- On a tour: every plateau tour stops here; choose one that includes interior entry if you want to go inside without worrying about tickets.
Insider tips
- Interior tickets are separate from general admission, cost considerably more and are limited in number each day. Buy yours first thing or book a tour that includes it.
- The climb is steep, hot and humid, with low ceilings. Do not attempt it if you suffer from claustrophobia, asthma, heart trouble or bad knees or back.
- Go inside as early as you can. By late morning there is a queue and the air in the chamber is heavy.
- Wear shoes with grip, carry water and leave bulky bags behind. Phone photography is generally permitted; check the current rule at the entrance.
- Guides are not allowed to lecture inside, so get the explanation before you go in.
- Climbing the outside of the pyramid is illegal and dangerous.
Best tours & tickets for Great Pyramid of Khufu
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to see Great Pyramid of Khufu:
Guided tour from €75 Giza Pyramids Tour With Entry To Khufu Pyramid From Cairo
A half-day tour built around the one thing that is awkward to arrange yourself: the limited-allocation ticket into the Great Pyramid. Your guide explains the interior beforehand, as guides do not go in with you.
- Entry inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu
- Climb the Grand Gallery to the King’s Chamber
- Guided tour of the plateau and the Sphinx
Private tour from €48 Cairo: Pyramids & Great Sphinx Private Tour with Camel Ride
The most-reviewed Giza tour on GetYourGuide, and deservedly. A private guide collects you from your hotel, walks you through the plateau at your own pace, sorts out the camel ride and keeps the vendors at bay. Longer options add extra sights.
- Your own Egyptologist guide and air-conditioned car
- The three pyramids, the panoramic viewpoint and the Sphinx
- Short camel ride arranged for you
Entry ticket from €15 Cairo: Giza Pyramids QR Code Entry Ticket
The general admission ticket for the plateau, delivered as a QR code so you can go straight to the gate. It does not include going inside any pyramid — buy that on site if you want it.
- General admission to the Giza Pyramids area
- QR code sent to your phone
- No waiting at the ticket windows
