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Overview
The Grand Egyptian Museum
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) at Giza is the largest archaeological museum in the world, officially opened on 1 November 2025 after about two decades of construction, and positioned at the foot of the Giza plateau with direct sightlines to the pyramids visible through its massive glass facade. Designed by the Irish architectural firm Heneghan Peng on a site covering 50 hectares, the museum provides a permanent home for Egypt’s most significant ancient treasures at a scale and quality no previous facility could accommodate — with over 100,000 square meters of total area, 43 galleries, and a capacity for over 5 million visitors per year.
The museum’s flagship display is the complete Tutankhamun collection — over 5,000 objects from the intact 1922 discovery now exhibited together in their entirety for the first time since excavation, including the famous solid gold death mask, the gilded coffins, the ceremonial chariots, ritual furniture, weapons, jewelry, and personal objects of the young king. The Tutankhamun Royal Halls occupy 7,000 square meters of dedicated gallery space and represent the single most significant display of New Kingdom royal burial equipment ever assembled.
Beyond Tutankhamun, GEM’s permanent collection spans all periods of ancient Egyptian history from the Predynastic through the Roman era, organized into thematic and chronological galleries that use state-of-the-art lighting, audiovisual interpretation, and conservation technology. A grand staircase gallery rising the full height of the building is lined with monumental statuary — including a colossal quartzite statue of Ramesses II over 11 meters tall at the top of the main entrance stairs.
Photo Gallery
Interesting Facts
The Grand Egyptian Museum is the largest archaeological museum in the world by floor area — 100,000 square meters across 43 galleries on a 50-hectare site at the foot of the Giza pyramids
GEM displays the complete Tutankhamun collection of over 5,000 objects together for the first time since the 1922 discovery — including the solid gold death mask and the gilded coffins
A colossal granite statue of Ramesses II, about 11 metres tall, greets visitors in the Grand Hall; it stood in Cairo's Ramses Square from 1955 until it was moved to the museum site in 2006
The museum was designed by the Irish firm Heneghan Peng Architects, selected in a 2002 international competition, and took over 20 years to complete before its official opening on 1 November 2025
The Giza pyramids are visible through the museum's main glass facade — a deliberate design feature positioning the ancient monuments as the permanent backdrop to their own cultural artifacts
History & Significance
The project to build a major new national museum adjacent to the Giza pyramids was announced in 1992 and the international architectural competition was won by Heneghan Peng Architects of Dublin in 2002. Construction began in 2002 and proceeded in phases over the following two decades, with partial openings beginning in 2021 before the formal inauguration in November 2023.
The museum’s location was chosen to bring the great treasures of Egyptian antiquity into direct physical proximity with the monuments they illuminate — particularly the Giza pyramids, which are visible from the museum’s main galleries through a glass wall designed to provide a constant reference to the landscape of ancient Egypt. The site also allowed for the construction of conservation laboratories, research facilities, children’s museums, restaurants, and commercial areas within the broader complex.
The transfer of the Tutankhamun collection from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir — where individual pieces had been displayed since 1922 but the complete assemblage had never been shown together — to the new GEM galleries was the culmination of a logistics operation spanning several years and involving detailed conservation assessment of every object in the collection. The complete display represents a fundamental advancement in public access to the world’s most famous archaeological discovery.
What to See
Tutankhamun Royal Halls
7,000 square meters of dedicated galleries displaying all 5,000+ objects from Tutankhamun's intact tomb — gold death mask, gilded coffins, chariots, ritual furniture, and personal objects — complete for the first time.
Grand Staircase Gallery
A monumental atrium staircase rising the full building height, lined with colossal ancient Egyptian statuary including the 11-meter Ramesses II quartzite colossus at the summit.
Pyramid View Galleries
Multiple gallery levels facing the Giza plateau give direct sightlines to the three pyramids and the Sphinx — the only museum in the world where visitors can see the Giza monuments while viewing objects found there.
Chronological Egypt Galleries
Comprehensive galleries organized from Predynastic through Roman Egypt, with state-of-the-art lighting, conservation displays, and audiovisual interpretation at a scale impossible in any previous Egyptian museum.
Conservation and Research Facilities
The museum complex includes public-facing conservation laboratories where visitors can observe ongoing conservation work on ancient objects — a transparency in museum practice unique in Egypt.
Grand Egyptian Museum Tickets (2026)
Tickets for foreign visitors are sold online for a set date and time on the museum's official website, visit-gem.com, which the museum describes as the only official place to buy them. Book a few days ahead in the busy season, and keep your booking on your phone for the entrance.
- Price: 2026 guides put the adult ticket for foreign visitors at about EGP 1,450 to 1,700, with reduced prices for students and children. Prices have changed several times since the opening, so check the official site when you book.
- Free entry for children under six; a valid ID is needed for any discount.
- Guided tours inside the museum are booked through the same site, or come with your own Egyptologist on a tour.
Avoid websites that sell "GEM tickets" at a mark-up: the official site is enough, or book a tour that includes the ticket, such as our Giza Pyramids and Grand Egyptian Museum tour.
Opening Hours
| Days | Galleries | Museum complex |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday | 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM | 8:30 AM – 7:00 PM |
| Wednesday and Saturday | 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM | 8:30 AM – 10:00 PM |
Last entry is one hour before the galleries close. Wednesday and Saturday evenings are the quietest time to see the Tutankhamun galleries; mornings are busiest, when the tour groups combine the museum with the pyramids.
What to See
- The Grand Hall: the colossal granite statue of Ramesses II, about 11 metres tall, which stood in a Cairo square for more than 50 years before it was moved here in 2006.
- The Grand Staircase: six storeys of royal statues, sarcophagi and columns, rising to a window that frames the pyramids of Giza.
- The Tutankhamun galleries: for the first time, the whole tomb collection of the boy king is shown together, including the gold mask, the coffins, his chariots and his throne.
- The main galleries: Egyptian history from prehistory to the Roman period, arranged by era and theme.
- The Khufu boat: the 4,500-year-old cedar boat found beside the Great Pyramid, now in its own building at the museum.
How to Get There and How Long You Need
The museum stands on the Cairo–Alexandria desert road, about 2 km from the Giza pyramids and 30 to 60 minutes from central Cairo by car, depending on traffic. Sphinx International Airport is about 40 minutes away.
Allow at least three to four hours: about two for the Tutankhamun galleries and the Grand Staircase, and more for the main galleries. A full day is not too much for anyone who loves ancient Egypt. Many visitors see the Giza Pyramids in the morning and the museum in the afternoon; on Wednesdays and Saturdays you can stay into the evening.
See also the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, which still holds the Old Kingdom masterpieces and the treasures of Tanis, and our Cairo and Giza tours.
Grand Egyptian Museum: Common Questions
How do I buy Grand Egyptian Museum tickets?
Online, for a set date and time, on the official website visit-gem.com, or as part of a guided tour that includes the ticket.
Is Tutankhamun's gold mask at the Grand Egyptian Museum?
Yes. The gold mask and the complete Tutankhamun collection are now at the Grand Egyptian Museum, not in the old museum in Tahrir.
How long do you need at the Grand Egyptian Museum?
At least three to four hours for the highlights; a full day for the whole museum.
Can you see the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum in one day?
Yes. They are about 2 km apart. See the pyramids early in the morning, then spend the afternoon in the museum.
When is the Grand Egyptian Museum open late?
On Wednesdays and Saturdays the galleries stay open until 9:00 PM, with last entry at 8:00 PM.
Grand Egyptian Museum Tours
Our Grand Egyptian Museum tours are guided by an Egyptologist through the Tutankhamun galleries and the Grand Staircase, and most pair the museum with the pyramids next door on our Giza Pyramids & Grand Egyptian Museum Tour.
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