Dahshur Pyramids

Tickets and tours: all the options

One ticket bought at the entrance covers the whole site, including the interiors of the Red and Bent Pyramids. It costs far less than Giza, and students with an international card pay about half. Payment is often by card only at Egyptian sites, so carry a bank card as well as cash for tips. There is no timed entry and you rarely need to queue.

The practical question is transport, because no public bus or train serves the pyramids. Almost every product sold online is a day trip from Cairo or Giza by car with a driver and guide, usually combined with Saqqara and the open-air museum at Memphis, and sometimes with Giza as well. Entry tickets are often extra; lunch may be included. Private tours dominate here and cost little more than small groups. A cheaper option is to hire a taxi or ride-hailing car for the day and pay entry yourself, though drivers may not wait without agreement.

For most visitors the sensible choice is a private or small-group trip that combines Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur, with a guide who knows which tombs are open. If you have already seen Saqqara, a half-day trip to Dahshur alone is enough.

A short history

Dahshur belongs to the necropolis of Memphis, the old royal capital. Sneferu, first king of the 4th Dynasty and father of Khufu, moved here from Meidum and built two great pyramids between about 2613 and 2589 BC. The Bent Pyramid's change of angle shows the builders correcting a failing design, and the Red Pyramid applied the lessons as the first true pyramid. Kings of the 12th Dynasty returned around 1900 BC, building the White and Black Pyramids and the pyramid of Senusret III, near which jewellery of royal women was found. The area was a military zone until 1996. It is part of the UNESCO site of Memphis and its necropolis, listed in 1979.

Getting there

Dahshur lies about 40 km south of central Cairo and about 10 km south of Saqqara, at the edge of the desert above the village of Manshiyyat Dahshur. There is no public transport to the site, so you need a car: a tour, a taxi hired for the day, or a ride-hailing car booked both ways. The drive from downtown Cairo takes an hour to 90 minutes depending on traffic, and from Giza about 45 minutes. Cairo airport is about 60 km away. Inside the gate you drive along a tarmac road between the pyramids and park beside each one, so the walking is short.

Rules and what to bring

Climbing on the outside of the pyramids is forbidden, and drones are not allowed without permission. Inside, the passages are about one metre high, so expect to walk bent double down steep ramps; skip the interiors if you have back or knee problems, claustrophobia or asthma. Bring water, a hat and sunscreen, as there is no shade, no café and only basic toilets near the ticket office. Guards may offer to show you around for a tip.

When to go

The best time to come is the first hours after opening, when the desert is cool and the light is low on the stone. Most day tours do Saqqara first and reach Dahshur in early afternoon, so arriving early gives you the interiors of both pyramids almost to yourself. Inside, the air is warm and humid at any time of year.

October to April is the most pleasant season, with clear, mild days, though winter mornings can be hazy. From May to September the plateau is extremely hot by late morning, often over 35 degrees, and the walk up the Red Pyramid's stair in full sun is tiring. Spring can bring sandstorms, which close the view. Friday is a local day out and slightly busier. Allow about 45 minutes for each pyramid with its interior, and add travel time from Cairo of two to three hours there and back.