Grand Egyptian Museum, Egyptian Museum or NMEC?

The Tutankhamun galleries are at the Grand Egyptian Museum, near the Giza pyramids. The Royal Mummies are at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Fustat, not at the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square. If you have one museum day, choose the Grand Egyptian Museum; with two, add NMEC.

Key Takeaways

• The Grand Egyptian Museum's standard admission includes the Tutankhamun Galleries, and all tickets must be booked online in advance with a timed entry slot.
• The Royal Mummies Gallery at NMEC displays 17 kings and 3 queens, 20 mummies in all.
• The Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square is open daily from 09:00 to 17:00. Our tour page describes it as home to over 160,000 artifacts.
• NMEC also opens in the evening, from 18:00 to 21:00, with last tickets at 20:00; it is not part of the Cairo Pass.
• The Grand Egyptian Museum stays open until 22:00 on Saturdays and Wednesdays.

The three museums side by side

Which one to choose

• One museum, first visit: the Grand Egyptian Museum. The Grand Museum and Pyramids Tour pairs it with the pyramids, the Sphinx and the Valley Temple.
• The classic old museum: the Trip to Giza Pyramids and Egyptian Museum puts the Giza Plateau in the morning and the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square after lunch.
• The royal mummies: NMEC. The 5 Days Egypt Pyramid Tour Package from the USA spends its fourth day at NMEC, the Citadel and Khan El Khalili, after two days that cover Giza, Saqqara and both big museums.
• Staying outside Cairo: the Grand Egyptian Museum Tour from Alexandria drives from Alexandria to the Grand Egyptian Museum for the complete Tutankhamun treasure and the Grand Hall, and the Cairo Trip from Sharm El Sheikh by Flight starts at the museum before the pyramids.

Read more on the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Egyptian Museum of Cairo, and compare the other day options in our guide to Cairo day trips.

How our tour pages describe them

The Grand Egyptian Museum is described as Egypt's newest and most ambitious cultural project, with galleries that are new and generously laid out, so a visit never feels like a scramble. The Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square is described as older and denser, with statues, sarcophagi and royal treasures spanning more than 5,000 years. NMEC is described as the place where the royal mummies are displayed in a purpose-built gallery. Seeing both big museums on one trip, as the 5 Days Egypt Pyramid Tour Package from the USA does, gives you the contrast between a new museum built to be walked through and an old one packed with a hundred years of finds.

Practical notes

Booking the timed slot first is the only step the Grand Egyptian Museum insists on, so choose the slot before you fix the rest of the day. If you want a late visit, Saturday and Wednesday are the long days: the museum complex stays open until 22:00. During Ramadan, NMEC runs reduced hours of 09:00 to 16:00. These are the official hours at the time of writing; check them again before you travel. Browse the whole list under Cairo day tours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are the Royal Mummies? At NMEC in Fustat, in the Royal Mummies Gallery: 17 kings and 3 queens.

Where is Tutankhamun's collection? In the Tutankhamun Galleries at the Grand Egyptian Museum, included in standard admission.

Do I need to book the Grand Egyptian Museum? Yes. Tickets are sold online in advance with a timed entry slot.

Is NMEC open in the evening? Yes, from 18:00 to 21:00 with last tickets at 20:00, including Friday evenings.

Can I use the Cairo Pass at NMEC? No. NMEC is not part of the Cairo Pass.