Giza without the hassle: the plateau after the new gate and the electric buses
- Published
- 21 August 2026
- Reading
- 3 min read
- Where
- Giza, Egypt
What made Giza tiring was getting between the pyramids, and that had to be negotiated. Since the new gate and the buses it no longer does — and the order of the visit is chosen differently.
The hassle at Giza was never the pyramids but the distance between them: the plateau is a loop of several kilometres of sand and stone, and if you did not want to walk it, you negotiated for a camel, a horse or a cart. Since 2025 the plateau itself solves that — you enter from the south, through the Great Gate on the Fayoum road, and an electric bus included in the ticket runs between the pyramids.
Where your driver drops you
The old entrance by the Mena House hotel, on the city side, is no longer the main one. Private cars and tour coaches are not allowed onto the plateau, so your driver or Uber drops you at the Great Gate, where the visitor centre has security and ticket machines, and waits outside. So the address to give a driver is the Great Gate, south side, not just 'the pyramids'.
A bus instead of a camel
The bus runs a loop and stops at the panorama point, where all three pyramids line up, at Menkaure, Khafre, Khufu and the Sphinx; you get on and off as often as you like. That turns the camel and the horse from transport into a choice — and the only hassle left is the one you choose. If you do take a camel, agree the price clearly before you mount, for the whole ride.
The sun sets the order, not the gate
From the south the panorama and Menkaure are nearest the gate, Khufu and the Sphinx furthest — the reverse of the old Mena House entrance. The bus evens that out, so the order of the visit is no longer set by the gate but by the sun. The Sphinx faces east and its face is lit in the morning; the panorama looks at the pyramids from the south-west, and the sun is behind you there only after midday. Arrive in the morning and take the bus to the Sphinx first, leaving the panorama for last.
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