Visiting the Egyptian Museum: a practical guide

Tickets

Entry is sold by the museum itself, which comes under Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The ministry's page lists the current prices for foreign and Egyptian visitors, reduced student rates and an audio guide, and it also lists who gets in free. The ministry has described ticket machines at this museum that issue QR-code tickets for scanning at smart gates. Prices change, so check the page before you go rather than relying on an old figure. GetYourGuide listed no entry-only ticket for the museum on 8 November 2026.

Opening pattern

The ministry's page shows the museum open every day of the week from morning to late afternoon. The last tickets are sold an hour before closing, and during Ramadan the museum closes earlier. Holidays can bring changes too. Look up the hours for your exact date on the ministry's page before you set out.

Time to set aside

Two to three hours lets you see the highlights without hurrying: the Narmer Palette, the large sculpture on the ground floor, the treasures of Psusennes I and the burial of Yuya and Thuya upstairs, and the garden on your way out. Specialists could spend days here. The guided tour on this site spends about an hour and a half inside, within about four hours door to door.

With a guide or on your own

Going alone suits people who like to read labels and wander. The ministry lists an audio guide among its ticket options. A guide helps most with the older galleries, where labels are thinner and the order is not always obvious. The private tour on this site, run by a Cairo tour company, picks you up from your hotel by car, includes entrance tickets and bottled water, and offers guides in German, Arabic, English, Spanish, French, Japanese and Italian. Tips are not included. It has free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start.

What to bring

Comfortable shoes matter: the museum is big, with long marble floors and stairs between the two levels. Bring water, especially in summer, and a small bag rather than a large one. Wikipedia notes that flash photography is not allowed, to protect the colours of the objects; rules on cameras have changed over the years, so ask at the entrance if you plan to take photos.

Accessibility

The museum is an old building on two main floors, and this guide could not find a current statement from the ministry on step-free access to every gallery. The guided tour on this site is listed as wheelchair accessible. If anyone in your party uses a wheelchair, contact the museum or your tour provider before your visit to check the route.

Getting there

The museum stands on the northern side of Tahrir Square. Sadat metro station, where Lines 1 and 2 meet, is under the square, and a taxi or ride-hailing app reaches it from anywhere in the city. Say Tahrir clearly, so you are not taken to the Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza. From downtown hotels and the Nile corniche it is a short walk.

Read next: How to get to the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square

Combining the three museums

The Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, the Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat each sell their own tickets. Tutankhamun is at GEM, the royal mummies at the civilisation museum, and the Narmer Palette and the treasures of Tanis here. Give each its own morning or afternoon, and pair Tahrir with a day in downtown, Islamic or Coptic Cairo.