Two to three days cover the essentials. Spend one day on the pyramid plateau and the Sphinx, another at the Grand Egyptian Museum, and a third at Saqqara's step pyramid to the south. Cairo sits just across the river, close enough to explore from a base in Giza.

Yes. Giza is its own city and the capital of Giza Governorate, on the Nile's west bank opposite central Cairo. The two have grown together into the Greater Cairo metropolis and share a metro system, so many visitors cross between them without noticing where one ends.

Yes, with a separate ticket on top of plateau entry, and daily visitor numbers can be limited. Inside, a low, narrow passage climbs to the Grand Gallery and on to the granite King's Chamber, where Khufu's empty sarcophagus still sits. The climb is steep and warm, and best for people at ease in tight spaces.