This Pyramids, Saqqara and Dahshur tour from Port Said is a private shore excursion to Egypt’s three great pyramid fields in one day. You see the Giza Pyramids and the Great Sphinx, the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, the Bent and Red Pyramids at Dahshur, and a stop at Memphis, from $120 per person.
Together they tell the whole story of pyramid building, from Djoser’s stepped design around 2670 BCE to the first true smooth-sided pyramid at Dahshur, and they are far quieter than Giza. Port Said sits at the Mediterranean entrance of the Suez Canal, about 220 km from Giza, so the drive to the Pyramids takes around 3 hours each way. Your guide meets you outside the cruise terminal with a name sign, and we plan the day backwards from your all-aboard time.
We guarantee you will be back at Port Said at least 2 hours before your ship departs. If we ever miss that, Egypt Day Tours takes full responsibility and pays for your hotel and your flight to the ship’s next port of call, so you can rejoin your cruise.
Prefer the Grand Egyptian Museum? Take the Cairo day tour from Port Said. See all our Port Said shore excursions.
Your Egypt Day Tours guide will be waiting for you outside the Port Said cruise terminal. They will be holding a sign showing your name. It will be quite easy for you to identify them. Then you will proceed to your vehicle and start your tour. Your guide will talk to you not only about the history of Ancient Egypt, but also about modern Egypt, Life, religion, politics and all aspects of Life in the country. It takes 3 hours approx to reach Cairo from the port. visit The Pyramids of Giza, Cheops, Chephren and Mykerinus.
Then visit The Great Sphinx which is The head of Pharaoh with a lion’s body Then drive to panorama area to take memorable photos of the three pyramids together, the tour also includes a visit to the valley temple, relish a fine lunch at local restaurant then Continue to Sakkara, visit the step Pyramid of Djoser, the world’s oldest major stone structure. Next, drive a short way south to Dahshur to see the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid of King Sneferu, then move to explore Khan El Khalili Bazaar, at the end of your tour to Sakkara Pyramid and Dahshur Pyramid, drive back to your Cruise Ship in Port Said.
The drive. Port Said sits at the northern entrance of the Suez Canal, and the road to Cairo takes about three hours each way. Your guide uses the journey to introduce Egypt past and present, and the timing of the whole day is planned around your ship’s all-aboard time.
Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx. The Great Pyramid of Khufu, built around 2560 BCE, is the last surviving wonder of the ancient world and was the tallest building on Earth for almost 4,000 years. Next to it stand the pyramids of his son Khafre and of Menkaure. Below them, the Great Sphinx guards the causeway to Khafre’s Valley Temple, built from huge blocks of red granite where the king’s funeral rites began.
Saqqara. A short drive south, Saqqara was the main burial ground of Memphis, Egypt’s first capital. Its centrepiece is the Step Pyramid of Djoser, designed by the architect Imhotep around 2670 BCE: six stone steps that mark the moment Egyptians moved from mud-brick tombs to monumental stone, a century before the Giza pyramids.
Dahshur. About 10 kilometres south of Saqqara, the royal cemetery of Dahshur holds two pyramids built by King Sneferu, father of Khufu, around 2600 BCE. The Bent Pyramid changes angle partway up, a sign of the builders learning as they went, and still keeps much of its smooth outer casing. The Red Pyramid, named for the colour of its stone, was Egypt’s first true smooth-sided pyramid, and visitors can usually walk down its long passage into the burial chambers. Dahshur sees far fewer visitors than Giza, so you often have these pyramids almost to yourself.
Khan El Khalili. To finish, walk through the lanes of Cairo’s most famous market, trading since the 14th century, for spices, lanterns, silver and a mint tea before the drive back to Port Said.
Good to know. Your cruise line arranges the visa for its passengers, so no separate visa is needed. It is a long day with a lot of walking on sand and uneven ground: bring comfortable shoes, a hat, sunscreen and some Egyptian pounds for the bazaar.
