Seeing the Pyramids from a cruise ship: Port Said or Alexandria?

The Pyramids of Giza are the reason many travellers book an Eastern Mediterranean cruise. Neither Port Said nor Alexandria is next door to Giza, but both work well for a day trip if your ship stays long enough. Here is how they compare.

Drive times

From either port, allow roughly 3 hours each way by private vehicle. From Port Said the road follows the Suez Canal south before turning west; from Alexandria it is the desert road straight to Giza. Cairo traffic is the main variable, so we always plan conservative return times.

How much time ashore do you need?

• Pyramids and Sphinx only: our most compact Giza day, needing about 11 hours between arrival and all-aboard from Port Said.
• Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum: around 12.5 hours.
• Pyramids plus historic Cairo (the Citadel and Khan el-Khalili): around 13.5 hours.

These figures include a margin for the return. You can check any itinerary against your own ship times on the shore excursions page.

What you see at Giza

Your Egyptologist guides you around the Great Pyramid of Khufu, up to the panoramic viewpoint over all three pyramids, and down to the Great Sphinx and the Valley Temple. Vehicles reach the main viewpoints, which keeps walking on sand to a minimum.

Going inside a pyramid needs a separate ticket and involves steep, narrow passages. Mention it in your enquiry and we will confirm availability and whether it suits you.

Adding the Grand Egyptian Museum

The Grand Egyptian Museum stands at the edge of the Giza plateau and holds the Tutankhamun collection. Seeing the monuments first and the objects found in them afterwards gives the day a clear thread. Museum time is flexible, and it is the first thing we shorten if traffic delays the day.

So which port?

If your voyage calls at both, many guests choose Giza from Port Said and spend the Alexandria day in the city itself, so they see both. If only one is on your itinerary, either works: the deciding factor is your time ashore. See the options from Port Said and from Alexandria.