Saqqara tour: what to see at Saqqara and Dahshur

Saqqara and Dahshur at a glance

Reasons to see these pyramids

The Step Pyramid, the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid are older than the Great Pyramid of Giza. They show how the Egyptians learned to build a pyramid.

1. The Step Pyramid of Djoser, at Saqqara. It was the first Egyptian pyramid. Builders made it in the 27th century BC, for King Djoser. It has six steps.
2. The Bent Pyramid, at Dahshur. King Sneferu built it. Its sides start at an angle of approximately 54 degrees. Above approximately 47 m, the angle changes to 43 degrees.
3. The Red Pyramid, at Dahshur. Sneferu built it after the Bent Pyramid, with smooth sides at 43 degrees. It is the third largest Egyptian pyramid, after the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre at Giza.

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities says that Saqqara and Dahshur were cemeteries of Memphis, the capital of ancient Egypt. A travel blog reports that Dahshur has fewer people than Giza.

What to see at Saqqara

Saqqara is a large area of pyramids and tombs. Your site entry ticket lets you into the area. Some monuments inside the area need an extra ticket.

• The Step Pyramid complex. A limestone wall surrounds the pyramid, with halls and courts. In March 2020, the pyramid opened again to visitors after a 14-year restoration.
• Inside the Pyramid of Djoser. This needs an extra ticket.
• The Southern Tomb in the Djoser complex. This needs an extra ticket.
• The Serapeum of Saqqara. These are underground galleries for the burials of the Apis bulls. People saw each Apis bull as a form of the god Ptah. The Serapeum needs an extra ticket.
• The Tomb of Mereruka. This is a decorated tomb of the Old Kingdom. It needs an extra ticket.
• The Noble Tombs and the New Kingdom Tombs. The Ministry says that the New Kingdom tombs include the tomb that General Horemheb made before he became king. These tombs need an extra ticket.
• The Imhotep Museum. It shows objects from the full history of Saqqara. The Ministry says that the site entry ticket includes it.

The Ministry says that the Pyramid of Unas has the oldest pyramid burial chamber with texts on its walls. We could not confirm on an official page that the inside of this pyramid is open to visitors in November 2026.

Saqqara tickets: which ones to buy

You have two options:

1. Site entry plus extra tickets. Buy the site entry ticket. Then add a ticket for each monument that you want to see.
2. The all-inclusive ticket. It includes the site, the Imhotep Museum, the Noble Tombs, the New Kingdom Tombs and the tombs of Mereruka and Mehu.

The Ministry list for the all-inclusive ticket does not include the inside of the Pyramid of Djoser, the Serapeum or the Southern Tomb. If you want to go into them, add a ticket for each one.

Compare the two totals before you buy. If you want only the Step Pyramid area and the inside of the Pyramid of Djoser, option 1 costs less.

Children below 6 enter free. To get the student price, students must be age 24 or less and show a valid student ID. Photos with a mobile phone are free.

What to see at Dahshur

Dahshur has one entry ticket, EGP 200 for a foreign adult. The official booking page sells no extra tickets for the pyramids. The travel blog, last updated in December 2025, describes visits inside the Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid with this one ticket. A visitor report from May 2026 also describes visits inside both pyramids.

• The Red Pyramid. It is approximately 104 m high. The travel blog says that you get to it first after the entrance. The Ministry says that visitors can enter it from the north side. To go in, you walk down a long, steep tunnel to the chambers.
• The Bent Pyramid. It is approximately 1 km south of the Red Pyramid. In July 2019, Egypt opened it to tourists for the first time since 1965. Its tunnel is approximately 79 m long. The travel blog says that this tunnel is longer and narrower than the tunnel of the Red Pyramid.
• The Black Pyramid of Amenemhat III. You can see it from a distance. The Ministry says that it is in poor condition.

For the rules and risks inside a pyramid, see Can you go inside the pyramids?.

Memphis on the same trip

Many tours also stop at Memphis (Mit Rahina), east of Saqqara and Dahshur. It was the site of the ancient capital. Today it is an open-air museum. A foreign adult pays EGP 200. The travel blog gives 45 minutes to 1 hour for a visit.

Opening hours

These times are from the Ministry e-ticket site, egymonuments.com. Some pages on the other Ministry website, egymonuments.gov.eg, show different times. Plan to arrive well before the last entry.

The Ministry tells visitors to arrive at least one hour before the site closes. Keep your ticket with you during the full visit.

An example day plan

This plan comes from the travel blog. It is an example only. Traffic and the time at each site change the plan.

To add Giza on the same day, arrive at the plateau before the last entry. You can enter the Giza plateau from 07:00, last entry 16:00. For the time that you need at the plateau, see How long to see the pyramids.

How to get there

You can go with a tour or with a driver for the day. We did not find an official public transport route to Saqqara or Dahshur. The sites are spread out, so you need a car to go between them.

The official booking pages also sell parking tickets for cars, microbuses and buses. If you go with a driver, ask who pays for parking. For the drive from central Cairo to Giza, see How to get to the pyramids from Cairo.

Questions to ask before you book a Saqqara tour

Tour prices and what a tour includes are different at each company. Ask each company these questions before you pay:

1. Does the price include the entry tickets? Which tickets?
2. Does the price include the inside of the Pyramid of Djoser and the Serapeum?
3. Does the tour go inside the Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid?
4. Does the tour stop at Memphis? Does it also visit Giza?
5. Does a licensed guide go into each site with you?
6. Does the tour stop at shops? Can you refuse these stops?
7. What is the total price for your group, in which currency?

For tour cost questions, see Pyramids of Giza tour cost. For tour types from Cairo, see Cairo day tours.