Going inside, the camel sellers, where the famous photograph is taken from, and how long you really need.
The Giza plateau sits at the edge of Cairo rather than out in open desert — the city comes right up to the fence, which surprises almost everyone on arrival.
Going inside
The interior ticket for the Great Pyramid is separate and limited daily. Be honest with yourself first: it is a steep, low, airless climb up a passage where you move bent double, and the chamber at the top is a bare granite room. People with claustrophobia or bad knees genuinely should not. The smaller pyramid of Khafre is cheaper, quieter and almost as interesting inside.
The camels and the touts
Anyone who offers to take your photograph, hands you a headscarf, or tells you a viewpoint is closed is selling something. None of it is dangerous — it is persistent commerce. Agree a price before anything begins, in writing on a phone screen if you can, and be clear that it covers everyone in your group and both directions of the ride.
Agree a price before anything begins, in writing on a phone screen if you can, and be clear that it covers everyone in your group and both directions of the ride.
The panorama point on the desert road behind the plateau is where the postcard shot of all three pyramids is taken. Most guided trips stop there for ten minutes; if yours does not, ask.
