The Grand Egyptian Museum on a Day Trip from Hurghada
Does a Cairo day trip from Hurghada include the Grand Egyptian Museum or the old Egyptian Museum? Tickets (EGP 1,830 from 1 Nov 2026), hours, Tutankhamun, and how long you get.
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) has been fully open since 4 November 2025, it holds the complete Tutankhamun collection, and most of the popular Cairo day trips from Hurghada now let you choose it, or the old Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, when you book. A foreign adult ticket is EGP 1,830 from 1 November 2026 (it was EGP 1,570), and entry is by a timed slot booked online. On a day trip whose price includes the museum, the ticket and the slot are handled for you. The bus trip we would pick for it is Hurghada to Cairo: Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum by Bus, from $49 a person in current promotion (usually $62), rated 4.9 from 1,321 reviews (checked October 2026).
The Grand Egyptian Museum or the Egyptian Museum?
They are two different museums, about 16 km apart.
| Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) | Egyptian Museum, Tahrir | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Next to the Giza pyramids, about 2 km from the plateau | Tahrir Square, Downtown Cairo |
| Opened | Fully open since 4 November 2025 | 1902 |
| Tutankhamun | The full collection in its own galleries | The Tutankhamun hall closed on 20 October 2025 as the last pieces moved to the GEM |
| Foreign adult ticket | EGP 1,830 from 1 November 2026 (EGP 1,570 before) | EGP 550 |
| Booking | Online, with a timed entry slot; not refundable | At the door |
| On a day trip | Short drive from Giza: more time in the museum | Across Cairo: time lost in traffic |
Ticket prices: the GEM’s November 2026 increase as reported by Egypt Independent and Ahram Online on 18 and 19 October 2026; the Egyptian Museum from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities’ site, checked October 2026.
For a day tripper the GEM is the better museum: it sits beside the pyramids, so the day loses less time to Cairo’s traffic, and it is where Tutankhamun is now. The old museum in Tahrir still has an enormous collection and is worth a visit on an overnight trip.
Is Tutankhamun in the Grand Egyptian Museum?
Yes. The Tutankhamun galleries opened with the museum and are included in the standard ticket, with the golden mask and the coffins. The one thing that stayed in Luxor is the king’s mummy, which remains in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings. The royal mummies of other pharaohs, Ramesses II among them, are at a third museum, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (EGP 550 for a foreign adult); the GEM bus trip below offers it as the alternative to the GEM.
Do you need to buy tickets in advance?
Yes if you go on your own: the GEM sells tickets online for a chosen date and entry time, and the tickets are not refundable. On a day trip that includes the museum, the operator books the slot and the guide hands out the tickets. If your trip lists the museum entrance as an extra, ask the operator how the ticket is bought before the day.
How long does it take to go around the Grand Egyptian Museum?
A thorough visit takes most of a day. On a Cairo day trip from Hurghada you get about two hours (the bus listings allow two), which is enough for the Grand Hall with the colossal statue of Ramesses II, the Grand Staircase lined with statues, and the Tutankhamun galleries. Let the guide choose the route; the galleries are large and a free wander uses the time badly.
Opening hours
The galleries open at 9 a.m. They close at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and at 9 p.m. on Wednesday and Saturday, with last entry an hour before closing (the museum’s ticketing site, checked October 2026). Day trips arrive in the late morning or early afternoon, inside those hours any day of the week.
Which day trips include the Grand Egyptian Museum?
Check the listing’s own wording: “Grand Egyptian Museum” or “GEM” is the new museum, “Egyptian Museum” alone usually means Tahrir. Of the most reviewed trips from Hurghada:
Book whichever fits your day:
Pyramids and Grand Egyptian Museum by Bus
The pyramids, the Sphinx, lunch and the new museum, by big bus from Hurghada.
Check dates →Cairo Day Trip by Flight
Two short flights, the GEM or the old museum, lunch facing the pyramids.
See the flight trip →Prices, ratings and review counts as listed on GetYourGuide in October 2026, not a quote.
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Other Trips from Hurghada
Not set on Cairo, or want a second day out? GetYourGuide's other excursions from the Red Sea, with their dates and prices.
Check dates and book
The Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum by Bus
Book Tour Egypt's bus trip pairs Giza and the Sphinx with the Grand Egyptian Museum, or the royal mummies museum if you prefer, plus lunch, for about a fifth of the price of the flight trips. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check Bus Trip Dates