Saqqara and Dahshur: why do serious travellers go beyond Giza?

Why go

The Giza pyramids are the climax of 150 years of experiment. The experiments are 20–40 km south. At Saqqara, around 2650 BC, the architect Imhotep stacked six mastabas into the first pyramid. At Dahshur, Sneferu built a pyramid that changed angle halfway up when the structure began to fail, then built another, the first true pyramid, in red limestone next door. His son Khufu went to Giza with the lessons.

Seeing them in order, Saqqara, then Dahshur, then Giza, is the single best thing a private guide can do for your understanding of Egypt. Most tours do it backwards or not at all.

The second reason is simpler. On a morning when Giza receives thousands of visitors, Dahshur may receive a few dozen.

Saqqara: what is open in 2026

Saqqara is the necropolis of Memphis, Egypt's Old Kingdom capital, and stretches for several kilometres. Excavation is continuous; the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announces new finds and newly opened tombs several times a year, so what you can enter changes. As of 2026 the core is:

• The Step Pyramid of Djoser and its enclosure. The interior reopened in 2020 after restoration and can be entered with a separate ticket. The surrounding complex, with its colonnade and the Heb-Sed court, is the earliest monumental stone architecture anywhere.
• The Pyramid of Unas. Modest outside; inside, the burial chamber walls carry the oldest religious texts in the world, the Pyramid Texts, in crisp blue-painted hieroglyphs. Usually included in the general ticket.
• The mastabas of Mereruka, Kagemni and Ti. Sixth- and fifth-dynasty tombs of high officials whose walls show daily life in relief: fishing, fowling, metalworking, dwarves walking pet dogs. Mereruka, with 32 rooms, is the largest private tomb at Saqqara.
• The Serapeum. A rock-cut gallery, reopened in 2012 after years of closure, holding 24 granite sarcophagi of the Apis bulls, each weighing around 70 tonnes. A separate ticket, well worth it.
• The Imhotep Museum at the entrance, with recent finds and a good model of the site.
• The New Kingdom tombs south of the causeway (Horemheb, Maya) and the Teti pyramid with its own Pyramid Texts open on a rotating basis. Ask what is open the week you visit.

Tickets, as of 2026: general site roughly EGP 450–500, Step Pyramid interior about EGP 150 extra, Serapeum about EGP 200 extra. Hours are typically 8am to 5pm, closing earlier in Ramadan. Check current rates at the official ticketing site.

Dahshur: what is open in 2026

Dahshur is 25 minutes further south and was a military zone until 1996, which is why it is still quiet.

• The Red Pyramid. The first true pyramid and the third largest in Egypt. The interior is open: a 60-metre descent down a low sloping passage, then two corbelled antechambers and the burial chamber. Hot, airless and worth it for those who can crouch.
• The Bent Pyramid. Its interior reopened in July 2019 for the first time since 1965. A long narrow tunnel leads to two chambers. Much of its original Tura limestone casing survives, which is why it is the most photogenic pyramid in Egypt.
• The Black Pyramid of Amenemhat III, a mud-brick ruin seen from the road.

A single ticket of roughly EGP 200 covers both pyramids as of 2026. Hours are about 8am to 5pm in winter, 7am to 6pm in summer.

Memphis

Between the two, the open-air museum at Mit Rahina holds the colossal fallen statue of Ramses II and an alabaster sphinx. Twenty minutes is enough, and it is a pleasant stop between the sites.

How the day runs

With a private guide and vehicle the order can flip: Dahshur first while it is coolest, which also puts the three pyramids in chronological order with Giza the next morning.

Mobility notes

Saqqara's surface is sand and uneven rock. The tombs of Mereruka and Ti are short and nearly level; the Serapeum is a long gentle ramp. The pyramid interiors at Unas, Djoser, the Red and the Bent all involve crouching down steep passages and are hot inside. Choose one, or none; the experience of the pyramids is from outside, and the reliefs are the reason to come.

Why a private guide matters here

Saqqara is spread out, poorly signed, and the guardians at each tomb expect a word and a small note. Which tombs are open changes month to month. An Egyptologist who was here last week knows which doors are unlocked, which newly opened tomb is worth the detour and which reliefs to stand in front of. We also ask ahead: where a recently excavated tomb can be seen privately, we arrange it, where available.

FAQ

Is Saqqara better than Giza? Different. Giza has the scale; Saqqara has the origins, the finest Old Kingdom reliefs and the Serapeum, with far fewer visitors. Serious travellers see both, ideally Saqqara and Dahshur first and Giza last.

Can you go inside the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid? Yes. The Red Pyramid interior has been open for years; the Bent Pyramid reopened in July 2019 after being closed since 1965. Both involve a long, low, steep descent and are hot inside. One Dahshur ticket covers both.

How much does Saqqara cost to visit in 2026? Typically EGP 450–500 for the general site, about EGP 150 extra for the Step Pyramid interior and about EGP 200 for the Serapeum, as of 2026. Dahshur is roughly EGP 200. Confirm at the official ticketing portal.