What it is
The Giza plateau holds the three main pyramids and the Sphinx, on the western edge of the built-up city rather than out in open desert; the suburbs run right up to the fence. In Cairo itself, the Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza now displays the Tutankhamun material, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat holds the royal mummies, and the older Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square still has a large collection. Islamic Cairo, Coptic Cairo and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar are separate half-days. Saqqara and the Step Pyramid are about 30 km south.
Why go
It is the only place you can stand next to the Great Pyramid and then, the same day, look at the objects taken out of tombs a few hundred kilometres upriver. Three nights is the minimum that does not feel like a sprint.
When to go
October to April. Cairo in July and August is 35-38°C with heavy humidity and poor air. Go to Giza at opening time; by 10am the plateau is hot and full. Friday mornings are quiet in the city, and many Islamic sites close to visitors around midday prayers.
Most people stay 3 nights.