Egypt in 2026: the base tickets have held in euros, the extras have not
- Published
- 2 September 2026
- Reading
- 4 min read
- Where
- Cairo and Luxor, Egypt
- Prices checked
- 14. Sep 2026.
Headlines about tickets that have tripled are counting in pounds. In euros the base tickets have barely moved since 2023, the extras have — and that is where the one saving decision lies.
When people say Egypt's tickets have tripled, they are counting in pounds. In euros the Giza plateau and the Valley of the Kings cost almost the same today as after the June 2023 increase, because in March 2024 the pound was floated and lost more than a third of its value overnight. The real rise is in the extras: going inside the Great Pyramid, and the tomb of Seti I.
Pounds against euros
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities sets foreigner prices in pounds. Since June 2023 the plateau has gone from 360 to 700 pounds, nearly double — but over the same stretch the euro went from about 33 to about 60 pounds. The same amounts, divided by the rate on the day they applied:
In euros — base tickets almost unchanged, the Great Pyramid nearly half as much again. First two tickets: price from June 2023, at about 33 pounds to the euro. Great Pyramid: price until the end of 2024, at about 52. On the right, today's price.
Where it really went up
Going inside the Great Pyramid rose by two thirds in pounds on 1 January 2025, and the rate has moved far less since. The tomb of Seti I is not covered by the Valley of the Kings ticket: it is a separate ticket of €34, more than twice the general ticket for three tombs of your choice. Together those two extras cost more than the plateau and the Valley of the Kings twice over.
Which is why the one decision that saves anything on tickets is made here, not in choosing sites. You enter the Great Pyramid through a narrow ascending passage you walk stooped, then up the Grand Gallery to the King's Chamber, where an empty granite sarcophagus stands. If tight spaces are not for you, skip it — the plateau ticket covers it from outside. Seti I is the opposite case: the tomb is painted along its whole length, and if you go to the Valley of the Kings for the painted walls, the extra is the reason for going and the three tombs on the general ticket are the add-on.
Egypt, in brief
What now
If this sounds like your trip, start here.
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What to eat in Cairo
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Egypt
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Giza without the hassle: the plateau after the new gate and the electric buses
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Cairo, Luxor and Alexandria from this story
See which of them suits you, then pin what you have already done.
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