Twenty years of planning and construction. A billion-dollar budget. Nearly 50,000 artifacts spanning more than 5,000 years. The numbers behind the new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) are staggering, and yet somehow don’t capture the scope of what might be the country’s most ambitious undertaking since the Pyramids of Giza.
Entering the museum, visitors stand face-to-face with a 3,200-year-old, 36-foot-tall statue of King Ramses II that towers over the sun-drenched atrium. Throughout the 12 galleries that are currently open, numbered paths trace Egypt’s story chronologically, from its pre-dynastic roots, through the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms, to its Roman-era decline. There are also thematic trails that explore ancient societies and spiritual beliefs through video installations, soundscapes, and displays of relics that include papyrus scrolls, mummy beds, and carved deities.
Chris Schalkx
A gallery devoted to King Tutankhamen, slated to open at the end of the year, will reunite more than 6,000 artifacts (including alabaster vessels, jewelry, and a golden funerary mask) for the first time since their 1922 discovery in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings. In another wing debuting this winter, a climate-controlled pavilion will house two of King Khufu’s reconstructed solar boats—meant to ferry the pharaoh to the afterlife with the sun god Ra.
“Egypt has always been a special place, but the GEM has further reinforced Cairo’s position as one of the world’s capitals of cultural tourism,” says Philomena Schurer Merckoll, a hotelier and cofounder of travel collective Egypt Beyond, which can arrange expert tours of the museum. “A visit to the GEM is the perfect primer to the temples and treasures you’ll see elsewhere in the country.”
Chris Schalkx
Beyond its ancient offerings, the museum offers plenty of other reasons to linger. A gift shop sells capsule collections by local designers, such as Egyptian cotton by Malaika Linens and mother-of-pearl accessories by Naïa. A boutique by Kahhal Looms carries gorgeous handwoven rugs, and the café Zooba, which serves Egyptian classics, is a great spot for lunch.
+ 3 Cairo Hot Spots
On the upper floors of the Immobilia building—Cairo’s first skyscraper, built in the 1930s—is the new Immobilia Cairo. Its rooms and residences blend the building’s Art Deco aesthetic (terrazzo floors, crystal chandeliers) with modern comforts. A private butler and driver are included, along with a little black book of shopping, dining, and gallery-hopping tips from Cairo tastemakers.
Chris Schalkx
There may be no better spot for front-row Pyramid views than a table at Khufu’s, a breezy restaurant on the Giza Plateau. Chef Mostafa Seif, who started his culinary career at his parents’ street-food cart, delivers local flavors through a global lens. Koshari, a local staple made with pasta, rice, and chickpeas, comes reimagined as a salad, while jammy eggs wrapped in falafel dough are reminiscent of Scotch eggs.
From basket weavers to glassblowers, Egypt’s artisan heritage runs deep. For Anūt, a boutique in the leafy Zamalek district, designer Goya Gallagher works with craftspeople from around the country to create hand-embroidered table linens, speckled drinking glasses, and polychrome bowls and plates.
A version of this story first appeared in the October 2025 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline “Instant Classic.”
