While visiting friends in Cairo a few weeks ago we took a “relatively” short drive, depending on the often horrible traffic, through Cairo to the Giza Pyramids. As soon as we arrived and parked on the street outside we were met by the first of many sellers of tours, horse and camel rides.
Entry for non-Egyptians was 60 Egyptian Pounds, about 10 U.S. Dollars at the current exchange rate. After passing through a metal detector we started the walk up the hill to the pyramids. Along the way we were stopped again and again by no less than a dozen people selling cheap trinkets or offering camel or horse rides. You can tell that tourism is slow and these people are desperate for customers, but I didn’t realize how desperate.
Surprisingly, you are free to sit or walk on the pyramids. Although you can buy a second ticket to go inside the pyramids, there isn’t much to see as all of the artifacts are instead at the Cairo Museum.
Cameras are not allowed in the Cairo Museum so I only have a few photos of the outside of the building. Inside you can see a large number of artifacts including King Tutankhamun’s golden sarcophagus and other items. Adjacent to the Cairo Museum is a burned hotel with the new Ritz Carlton being built next door. We charted a boat for an hour for 50 Egyptian Pounds (about 9 USD) and went on a Nile tour and took some snaps of the rest of the city.
It was a very enjoyable trip and the protesters at Tahrir Square were civil and orderly with no problems during my stay. The food was excellent. I enjoyed stuffed pidgeon, fūl, kofta, shawerma, oxtail soup and tons of seafood. I’d go back again just for the culinary adventure.
