When we first visited Cairo’s museums, we wrote about the experience in our article “A Tale of Three Museums.” At the time, the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum was only partially open. The monumental entrance hall and grand staircase were accessible, but the main galleries remained closed.

During our latest visit to Cairo in January, we returned to the GEM to see the museum in its completed form. The result is truly extraordinary.

Located beside the Giza Pyramid Complex, the museum finally provides a modern home worthy of Egypt’s ancient civilisation — and transforms a museum visit into a journey through more than 5,000 years of history.

Ascending the Grand Staircase

The visit begins in the vast entrance hall dominated by the colossal statue of Ramesses II.

From here, a long escalator carries visitors upward past a sequence of monumental statues. The ascent itself feels ceremonial, with ancient rulers and deities lining the route. At the top, the museum opens into two directions:

The chronological galleries on the left
The Tutankhamun exhibition on the right

We recommend starting with the galleries first.

The Main Galleries

The Grand Egyptian Museum contains twelve galleries arranged chronologically, guiding visitors through the development of Egyptian civilisation across several millennia.

Rather than overwhelming visitors with artefacts, the museum focuses on storytelling and context.

Some highlights include:

Sculptures and ceremonial objects from Egypt’s earliest dynasties
Statues from the Old Kingdom, the era of the pyramid builders
Elegant Middle Kingdom works showing the refinement of Egyptian art
Monumental pieces from the New Kingdom, Egypt’s imperial golden age
Everyday objects revealing daily life along the Nile

One unexpected section displays artefacts recovered from underwater excavations, discovered near ancient Mediterranean ports. It feels almost like a hidden gallery and adds an unusual dimension to the collection.

The Tutankhamun Exhibition

After exploring the main galleries, we returned to the staircase and headed to the museum’s other major highlight: the treasures of Tutankhamun.

Previously, many of these artefacts were displayed in crowded rooms inside the historic Egyptian Museum Cairo. At the GEM they finally have the space they deserve.

The exhibition contains thousands of objects from the tomb, including many items that were never previously displayed.

What makes the experience particularly impressive is the way the artefacts are organised. The exhibition follows the sequence in which the tomb was discovered, allowing visitors to experience the same sense of discovery that Howard Carter felt when he first entered the burial chamber in 1922.

The result is both visually spectacular and narratively powerful.

The Khufu Solar Boat

A short distance from the Grand Egyptian Museum, visitors can also see one of the most remarkable objects ever discovered in Egypt: the reconstructed solar boat of Khufu, the ruler who built the Great Pyramid of Giza.

The vessel was discovered in 1954 in a sealed pit beside the pyramid, dismantled into more than a thousand wooden pieces. Archaeologists painstakingly reconstructed the ship over many years, revealing a beautifully preserved cedar vessel measuring more than 40 metres in length.

The boat was likely intended to carry the pharaoh on his symbolic journey with the sun god Ra in the afterlife. Today it is displayed in a dedicated gallery next to the Grand Egyptian Museum (no additional charge if you visit the GEM), and seeing the full scale of the vessel offers a remarkable glimpse into the engineering sophistication of ancient Egypt.

A Museum Worth a Full Day

The Grand Egyptian Museum is enormous and rewards visitors who take their time.

Between the monumental staircase, the twelve historical galleries and the vast Tutankhamun exhibition, it is easy to spend an entire day exploring the museum.

Few museums in the world present an ancient civilisation on such a grand scale — and with the pyramids visible outside, the setting could hardly be more fitting.

Visiting Egypt with Expeditioner Travel

At Expeditioner Travel, we specialise in culturally immersive journeys that go far beyond standard sightseeing.

Thanks to our deep familiarity with Egypt — including Marc’s ability to speak Egyptian Arabic — we can help travellers experience Cairo and the rest of the country in a richer and more authentic way.

We organise bespoke itineraries including:

Private expert guides at the Grand Egyptian Museum
Curated cultural experiences in Cairo
Visits to Egypt’s most important archaeological sites
Tailor-made journeys along the Nile and across the country

With the Grand Egyptian Museum now fully open, there has never been a better time to rediscover Egypt.

Return to Cairo: Inside the Fully Opened Grand Egyptian Museum