Race or watch the Pyramids Half Marathon in December

Mena House began as a hunting lodge for Khedive Ismail and opened as a hotel in 1886, and it still stands near the pyramids. The Marriott-run garden wing is the part operating now, while the historic palace wing has been closed for refurbishment. Treat it as a heritage stay rather than a bargain, and confirm the room…

Sham el-Nessim is a spring holiday that falls the day after Coptic Easter, so it lands on a Monday and the date moves each year. Families of all faiths head to public gardens, the Nile bank and the beach for picnics with salted fish, green onions and colored eggs. Join in at a public garden, bring your own food and go…

The Giza Plateau closes in the late afternoon, with last entry earlier still, so the classic sunset shot from inside the site is not realistic. Plan your pyramid photos for early morning instead, when the light is best and the site is quieter. Sunrise views are also possible from a cafe terrace or hostel roof near the…

The electric bus route inside the plateau has a Panorama stop soon after the Visitor Center, and it is the place for a wide frame that holds the pyramids together instead of shooting each one up close. Get off there early in the day, when the light is better and the site is calmer. Keep your ticket handy for the bus…

Dahshur, south of Giza, is far less crowded than the plateau, and the site ticket already covers the Red Pyramid interior, so you do not need to pay the man at the tunnel entrance just for access. Climb the outside stairway, then walk down the sloping tunnel; skip it if tight spaces bother you. The Bent Pyramid also…

Housed in an early 20th-century palace on Kafour Street in Dokki, the museum holds mainly French art collected before 1928, with works by Monet, Renoir, Gauguin and Rodin. It is a quiet counterpart to the pyramids and makes a good two-hour stop. Enter through the garden court facing the palace facade. Confirm the…

The Giza Plateau is now entered through the Visitor Center gates on Cairo-Fayoum Road, and the old route through the Mena House grounds is closed. Give your driver the Visitor Center on Fayoum Road as the destination. Buy tickets at the machines or through official ministry channels, never from people outside the gate…

Handlers around the pyramids sometimes quote a low price for a short ride or photo, then ask for much more once you are in the saddle. Settle the whole price, the route, the return leg and the number of riders before you mount, and pay only at the end. Animal operators have been moved into designated areas on the…