So you’ve just arrived in Egypt and want to check out some ancient Egyptian artefacts? What better place to start than at a museum.
But wait, there’s more than one.
First you’ve got the Egyptian Museum in downtown Cairo, which has been the country’s main archeological museum for the past century.
Then you’ve got the brand, spankin’ new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), Egypt’s ambitious plan to create the largest archeological museum in the world, the museum of museums, which officially opened on the 4th November 2025.
You might be wondering: are they both the same? Is it worth visiting both? Or perhaps you’ve only got the time (or the budget, or the interest) to visit one?
Having visited both in 2025, I’m here to help you decide and give you everything you need to know before visiting Egypt’s 2 best museums.
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The Egyptian Museum
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities (often called the Egyptian Museum or Cairo Museum) has been Egypt’s premier museum for the past century, and, as the largest museum in Africa, it houses the most extensive collection of Egyptian artefacts in the world.
From its construction in 1902 until the opening of the GEM in 2024, this museum was THE place in Egypt to see ancient artefacts. Its collection of artefacts spans the full range of ancient Egyptian history, from the first dynastic period to the Greek and Roman eras.
Despite the opening of the new Grand Egyptian Museum, this older museum will remain open and continue to exhibit its impressive collection of artefacts.
Where is the Egyptian Museum?
The 📍Egyptian Museum is located in Tahrir Square, in downtown Cairo, making it easy to reach.
If you’re staying in Cairo city centre, you likely won’t be far from the museum. If you’re staying in Giza, it’s about a 20-30min taxi ride away.
Entrance Fee & Opening Hours
The Egyptian Museum is open from 9am to 4pm, 7 days a week. If you’d like to arrive early and try to beat the crowds, the ticket office opens at 8:30am.
The entrance fee for the Egyptian Museum is EGP550 (275 if you’re a student) for foreigners, and EGP30 (20 for students) if you’re an Egyptian or Arab national.
What to expect
If you follow the intended path around this rustic 2-story building, you’ll be taken on a journey through time, beginning with Egypt’s first dynastic period and ending in its Greco-Roman era, covering over 4500 years of history.
Along the way you’ll see some of the best ancient artefacts that Egypt has to offer including countless statues, sarcophagi, and mummies.
With the official opening of the new Grand Egyptian Museum, some of this old museum’s best exhibits, such as the Tutenkhamen Exhibit, has been relocated.
The building may be old compared to the new GEM building, but if you ask me this simply adds to its charm, taking you back to the golden era of ancient Egyptian discoveries in the early 20th century.
Planning to visit Egypt soon?
🛏 Booking hotels: Trip.com and Booking.com are the best resources for finding and booking hotels in Egypt.
🏄 Booking tours: Get Your Guide is the best resources for finding guided tours to Egypt’s historical sites.
🚅 Booking trains: Omio is the best online resource for booking long train journeys across Egypt.
🏥 Travel insurance: Heymondo covers medical, theft, cancellations and more in Egypt.
The Grand Egyptian Museum
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is Egypt’s new pride and joy, and a project that’s been in the works for over 20 years.
The GEM was first announced in 2002, an ambitious project to create the largest archeological museum in the world. The project was marred by a mix of financial, political and environmental issues that kept pushing its opening date further and further.
As of October 2024, the museum opened to the public – albeit in a limited capacity. It operated for a year to test to ‘test site readiness and visitor experience’.
After repeated delays, the GEM finally held its Grand Opening ceremony on the 1st November 2025, and is now fully open.
Where is the Grand Egyptian Museum?
The 📍Grand Egyptian Museum is located in Giza, about 2km north of the pyramids complex.
This may not seem far, but given the chaotic Cairo streets it’s probably further than you’d care to walk.
You can easily fit in both the Giza Pyramids and the GEM on the same day, but I suggest catching a taxi if travelling between the two.
Entry Fee & Opening Hours
The Grand Egyptian Museum is open from 9am to 6pm, with the exception of Wednesdays and Saturdays when it stays open until 9pm.
The entrance fee to the Grand Egyptian Museum is EGP1270 for foreign nationals – which is quite expensive by Egyptian standards. As usual, discounts apply for students, children and seniors.
While I endeavour to keep this website up to date, you can check for any updates to these details on the GEM website.
What to expect
So what do you get for the pricey entrance ticket?
From its partial open in October ’24, most of the best artefacts were still held in the older Egyptian Museum. However, since its full opening in November ’25, the GEM now holds the most extensive collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts anywhere in the world.
The Grand Hall and Staircase is the first part of the museum you’ll pass through on your way up to the Galleries. Here you’ll find you’ll find the GEM’s largest artefacts, including several pillars, statues and sarcophagi found in various tombs across Egypt.
The Main Galleries will take you on a journey through time beginning with the oldest Egyptian artefacts from the Old Kingdom all the way through to the Greco-Roman era. You’ll see a broad range of artefacts along the way, from tiny pieces of ancient jewelry, to large sarcophagi.
Perhaps its most proud exhibit, completed for the full opening, is the Tutankhamun gallery. Previously, the older Egyptian Museum held most of the artefacts relating to the famed pharaoh, but now the entire contents of Tutankhamun’s collection have their own space in the GEM. Here you can see Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus, throne and chariot and golden mask.
If you have children, there’s also the Children’s Museum where, for an additional ticket price of 750EGP, they can learn about ancient Egypt through kid-friendly, interactive exhibits.
Verdict: which is better?
So, you’ve only got the time (or interest) to visit one of the two museums and want to know which offers the better value?
The Egyptian Museum may be older and smaller, but it still holds an extensive collection ancient Egyptian artefacts. Meanwhile the GEM offers a massive, modern complex and now boasts the complete Tutankhamun collection.
When this article was first written, the older Egyptian Museum was the obvious choice, offering more for half the cost.
But with the recent official opening, the GEM is now fully operational and arguably lives up to Egypt’s goal of creating the ‘museum of museums‘. It’s also now home to many artefacts which were, up until recently, held in the old museum. With all this considered, the choice is clear.
If you’ve only got time for one, visit the Grand Egyptian Museum.
If you’d rather not deal with taxis, ticket lines, or figuring everything out on your own, a guided tour is usually the easiest option. These tours include transport, tickets, a guide, and more:
Planning your trip to Egypt
Now that you have all the information on visiting Cairo’s museums, it’s time to start planning your trip to Egypt. Here are some resources to help you get started:
✈ Flights: Trip.com and Skyscanner are the best resources for finding cheap flights to Egypt.
🏨 Accommodation: Booking.com is the best resource for finding amazing hotels in Egypt, while Hostelworld is the best for finding hostels.
🏥 Travel Insurance: Heymondo covers all the essentials in Egypt, including theft, medical and cancellations.
🚘 Car Rental: DiscoverCars is the best online resources to find rental cars.
🛜 Internet: To stay connected in Egypt, I use Airalo. They offer an eSIM, meaning all you need is a smartphone and and the app.
🌐 VPN: To stay connected and access service that may not be available in Egypt, use NordVPN.
🏄 Tours & Day Trips: GetYourGuide and Viator are the top platforms for tours and activities in Egypt.
🚢 Nile Cruises: Tour Radar is the best resource for finding Nile cruises in Egypt.
🎟 Tickets: Tickets to most historical sites in Egypt can be purchased from Egypt Monuments, the official government ticketing platform.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
Further reading on Egypt
Here are more guides on Egypt to help you plan your trip:
⬤ If you’re going to Egypt, you’re probably interested in visiting some pyramids, so check out my Travel Guide to Pyramids in Egypt.
⬤ For a guide to the last ancient wonder of the world, check out my Giza Pyramids Travel Guide.
⬤ To see the world’s first ‘true’ pyramids, check out my guide to the Red and Bent Pyramids of Dahshur.
⬤ If you’re interested in visiting the world’s oldest pyramid, check out my Travel Guide to the Saqqara Necropolis.
⬤ If you’re in Aswan, be sure to visit the world famous temple built by Ramesses the Great with this Complete Guide to Abu Simbel.
⬤ Buried in sand for over a thousand years, the best preserved ancient Egyptian temple can be found at Edfu. Plan your visit with this guide: Complete Travel Guide to Edfu Temple.
⬤ For more travel guides, visit my Destinations page.
