Should you combine Saqqara with Dahshur and Memphis?
Absolutely. The three archaeological sites are located very close to one another and almost every tour combines them into a single half-day excursion.
Each one offers something different.
Saqqara is where you’ll discover the Step Pyramid of Djoser and some of Egypt’s best-preserved tombs.
Dahshur is where I recommend entering a pyramid for the first time.
Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt, is a short stop that completes the historical picture, even if it isn’t as impressive as the other two.
Together they offer one of the best archaeological days you can have in Egypt.
How much time do you need for Saqqara, Dahshur and Memphis?
A half-day is ideal. Most tours leave Cairo early in the morning and return around lunchtime or early afternoon.
The drive itself takes roughly 45 minutes, and you’ll spend the rest of the morning moving between the three archaeological sites.
You can return to Cairo for lunch, visit the Grand Egyptian Museum if you haven’t already, or simply enjoy a slower afternoon after several busy sightseeing days.
Compared with a full-day trip to Luxor, this excursion feels surprisingly relaxed.
How to get to Saqqara
Although you can technically reach Saqqara with Uber, I wouldn’t recommend it.
The archaeological site is much further from central Cairo than the Pyramids of Giza, so transport costs quickly increase. You would also need to organise separate transport between Saqqara, Dahshur and Memphis, making the day unnecessarily complicated.
The easiest option is to book a small-group tour.
Many excellent tours include transportation, entrance tickets, an Egyptologist guide and visits to all three archaeological sites.
Prices are surprisingly reasonable considering everything that’s included, and for around $50 per person, you can enjoy a full morning without worrying about logistics.
This is the tour I joined, and I honestly couldn’t recommend it more. The group was small, the guide was outstanding and everything was organised exceptionally well.
Should you hire a guide?
Yes. If I strongly recommend hiring a guide at Giza, I think it’s even more important in Saqqara. The reason is simple. Giza is visually spectacular on its own. Saqqara isn’t.
Without context, many visitors simply see old stone buildings and decorated tombs without understanding why they’re so important.
With an Egyptologist, everything suddenly makes sense.
You’ll learn why the Step Pyramid completely changed Egyptian architecture, how mastabas evolved into pyramids, why certain tombs are decorated differently from others and how burial practices changed over thousands of years.
There are fewer information panels here than at many major tourist attractions, so having someone explain what you’re looking at transforms the experience.
For me, this isn’t the kind of place where you simply walk around taking photos.
It’s where Ancient Egypt starts making sense.
What is actually worth seeing in Saqqara?
One thing surprised me more than anything else. I expected to visit one pyramid. Instead, I found what feels like a summary of Ancient Egypt.
The obvious highlight is the Step Pyramid of Djoser, widely considered the world’s oldest large stone pyramid and one of the most important buildings ever constructed.
Even today it looks remarkably modern considering it was built more than 4,600 years ago. But the pyramid is only the beginning.
As you walk around the complex you’ll pass enormous ceremonial courtyards, long stone colonnades and some of the earliest examples of monumental Egyptian architecture.
Unlike Giza, where the pyramids dominate everything else, Saqqara constantly surprises you with smaller discoveries.
One moment you’re walking between towering limestone walls.
The next you’re entering beautifully decorated tombs covered in hieroglyphics that still preserve astonishing detail after thousands of years.
If it’s open during your visit, don’t miss the Tomb of Mahu. For me, it’s one of the highlights of the entire site. The wall paintings are incredibly well preserved and give you a much better idea of everyday life in Ancient Egypt than many larger monuments.
One thing I loved about Saqqara is that you don’t have to wait until Luxor to experience decorated tombs.
You don’t have to wait until Giza to see pyramids.
You don’t have to wait until Karnak to walk between monumental columns.
You experience a little bit of everything here.
That’s what makes Saqqara so special.
Is it worth entering the pyramids in Dahshur?
Yes. In fact, this is where I would recommend entering a pyramid instead of doing it at Giza.
Many visitors assume the Great Pyramid offers the ultimate interior experience. Personally, I disagree.
At Giza, entering a pyramid requires buying an additional ticket, waiting in long queues and squeezing through narrow passages while surrounded by dozens of other tourists. It’s hot, crowded and surprisingly stressful. Dahshur is completely different.
Your entrance ticket already includes access to the pyramids, there are far fewer visitors and you can explore at your own pace without feeling rushed by the crowd behind you.
The experience is still physically demanding. You’ll spend much of the time walking through tunnels that are only around 1.3 metres high, so expect to remain bent over for several minutes.
Bring water, wear comfortable clothes and avoid it if you’re claustrophobic or have knee or back problems.
You don’t need to enter both pyramids. The Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid offer very similar experiences inside. Choose one, enjoy it properly and spend the rest of your time exploring the site instead of repeating almost the same experience twice.
What should you wear?
The advice here is very similar to Giza.
Bring plenty of water.
Wear lightweight clothing.
Choose comfortable shoes with good grip.
Most of the visit takes place outdoors, often with very little shade, and you’ll be walking on sand, uneven stone paths and ancient staircases.
If you plan to enter one of the pyramids in Dahshur, I’d also recommend wearing clothes that you don’t mind rubbing against rough stone walls.
The interior passages are narrow, and your shoulders, knees and backpack will almost certainly brush against the limestone as you move through them.
It’s not dangerous.
It’s simply part of the experience.
A hat or cap is also highly recommended, especially if you’re visiting between late spring and early autumn.
The Egyptian sun is much stronger than many first-time visitors expect.
Is Memphis worth visiting?
This is probably the easiest question in this guide.
Not really. Or, to be more precise, I wouldn’t visit Memphis as a destination on its own.
The city was once the capital of Ancient Egypt and one of the most important cities in the ancient world. Unfortunately, very little of that city remains today.
Most tours stop here because it’s conveniently located between Saqqara and Dahshur, not because it’s one of Egypt’s must-see archaeological sites.
The main attraction is the Colossal Statue of Ramesses II, an enormous limestone sculpture displayed inside a purpose-built museum. Seeing it from above gives you a real appreciation of its scale, and it’s undoubtedly an impressive piece of ancient engineering.
You’ll also find the Alabaster Sphinx, which is worth a few minutes, but beyond these highlights there isn’t a great deal to explore.
If I had to remove one stop from the itinerary, it would be Memphis.
Saqqara teaches you how Ancient Egypt evolved.
Dahshur gives you one of the country’s best pyramid experiences.
Memphis, by comparison, feels more like a short historical stop than somewhere you’ll remember years later.
Fortunately, most tours only spend around 30 to 45 minutes here, which is exactly the right amount of time.
Final thoughts: Is Saqqara worth visiting?
Absolutely. In fact, I think Saqqara is one of the most underrated archaeological sites in Egypt. People often compare it with the Pyramids of Giza, but I don’t think that’s the right comparison.
Giza is where you go to see one of the greatest monuments ever built.
Saqqara is where you begin to understand how Ancient Egypt became one of the world’s greatest civilizations.
What makes this place so special isn’t a single monument. It’s the variety. You see pyramids. You walk through monumental colonnades. You enter beautifully decorated tombs. You admire hieroglyphics that have survived for thousands of years. You stand beside ancient courtyards that once hosted royal ceremonies.
And if you continue to Dahshur, you can even experience the inside of a pyramid without the crowds that define Giza.
It’s probably the closest thing you’ll find to a complete introduction to Ancient Egyptian architecture in a single archaeological site.
If it’s your first trip to Egypt, I would still put the Pyramids of Giza first. They’re iconic for a reason. But if you have one extra morning in Cairo, I wouldn’t hesitate to choose Saqqara.
