Saqqara, Memphis & Dahshur Day Tour: Three Pyramid Sites

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/40

Duration6h–7h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Stand before the oldest pyramid ever built, then trace how Egyptian architects perfected the form

This day tour from Cairo visits Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur over six to seven hours with a private Egyptologist guide, air-conditioned vehicle and bottled water. You see the Step Pyramid of Djoser—the first pyramid, built around 2700 BCE—along with tombs carved with wall paintings older than those at Giza, then move to Memphis to view the 65-ton Colossus of Ramses II and an open-air museum, and finish at Dahshur to walk among the Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid, which show the architectural leap from stepped to smooth-sided forms. Entry fees are included in some options; lunch is available on the All Inclusive plan.

6h–7h

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Saqqara, Memphis, and Dahshur

Explore Saqqara pyramids and tombs
Visit Memphis open-air museum
See Dahshur Bent and Red Pyramids

The Experience

The Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara is where Egyptian pyramid building began. Built around 2700 BCE, it stands as the oldest stone structure of its scale anywhere on earth, and the site holds tombs decorated with vivid wall carvings that predate the famous paintings at Giza. Because Saqqara draws fewer crowds than the pyramids near Cairo, the complex has a quieter atmosphere—you move through the courtyards and past multiple smaller pyramids from the 5th and 6th dynasties without the press of tour groups. The oldest full ceremonial complex of King Djoser is here, along with the pyramids of Userkaf, Unas and Teti, each marking a stage in how the Egyptians refined their craft.

Memphis, the first capital of unified Egypt founded around 3100 BCE, shifts the focus from architecture to sculpture and statecraft. The open-air museum holds the colossal statue of Ramses II—a limestone figure weighing 65 tons—alongside the Alabaster Sphinx and other royal statuary. Walking among these pieces gives a sense of the political and religious power that Memphis held before the capital moved to Thebes. The Colossus alone, carved from a single block, shows the scale of resources the pharaohs commanded.

Dahshur, 40 kilometers south of Cairo, is where you see the turning point in pyramid design. The Bent Pyramid, built by Sneferu, has a distinctive angled shape—the angle changes partway up the sides, a visible record of a mid-construction decision. The Red Pyramid, also Sneferu's work, is Egypt's first true smooth-sided pyramid, the form that led directly to the Great Pyramid of Giza. The Black Pyramid, built by Amenemhat III, stands mostly in ruins, a reminder that later builders sometimes cut corners on materials. Together, the three pyramids at Dahshur tell the story of how Egyptian architects moved from the stepped form to the geometric perfection that defined the pyramid age.

What’s included

Private Egyptologist guide in English or Spanish.
air-conditioned vehicle transport.
bottled water.
entry fees to Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur (on selected options).
lunch (on the All Inclusive plan).
all taxes and service fees.

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by Mego Tours

Is this one for you?Pick Car + Guide + Entry Fees to access all three pyramid complexes; choose Car + Guide Only if you want to explore exteriors without entering; add All Inclusive for lunch that breaks up the six-to-seven-hour day.