9 Museums in Cairo You Have to Visit at Least Once

If we're going to be honest, if you have limited time in Cairo, then run don't walk straight to the Grand Egyptian Museum at the foot of the Great Pyramids of Giza. That's the must-see. However if you have more time on your hands in Cairo, or are a local or expat looking to indulge in Egypt's vast and fascinating history, then you're in luck because Cairo has a plethora of eclectic museums for all interests.

1. Grand Egyptian Museum

Type of museum: Ancient Egyptian history

Location: Giza, next to the Great Pyramids

The largest archaeological museum in the world, need we say more? It’ll be the permanent home for over 100,000 Ancient Egyptian artifacts, including the complete King Tut treasure collection, for the first time ever. It's truly spectacular in both its sheer size as well overall experience.

You can currently see the Grand Hall, the massive 6 storey Grand Staircase with 60+ statues, the stunning 12 main galleries, the commercial area and outside gardens, but the long-awaited King Tut Galleries are still closed to the public.

Visitors to the GEM have two options: they can either purchase an admission ticket to explore the open galleries themselves, or they can book a 90 minute guided tour (which includes the admission ticket price).

Read more: Grand Egyptian Museum - A Local's Guide To Everything You Need To Know

2. National Museum of Egyptian Civilization

Type of museum: historical

Location: Fustat, Old Cairo

This large museum hosts over 50,000 artefacts from all eras of Egyptian civilization, from prehistoric times, through the pharaonic era up until now - and good news, because it's been recently renovated, all displays have clearly stated information, so no guide needed!

The museum is divided into two sections: chronological and thematic. The chronological runs through Archaic, Pharaonic, Greco-Roman, Coptic, Medieval, Islamic, modern and contemporary Egyptian eras, and the thematic covers Dawn of Civilization, The Nile, Writing, State and Society, Material Culture, Beliefs and Thinking and the Gallery of Royal Mummies.

The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization is also touted as the first museum of civilization in the Arab world.

The gallery of the Royal Mummies is definitely one of the highlights of this museum - in this quiet, tomb-like space, you can see 20 royal mummies that are thousands of years old, including some of the most famous pharaohs of all time like Ramses II.

For more info, here's their website.

3. Egyptian Museum Cairo

Type of museum: Egyptian history

Location: Tahrir Square, Downtown

Once the most well-known museum in Egypt and the Middle East for the past century: the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, built in 1902. Home to over 170,000 ancient Egyptian artifacts, the Egyptian Museum has relocated many of its never-before-seen collections to the newer Grand Egyptian Museum and National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, but still remains impressive and worth a visit.

It’s currently here where you can see the infamous King Tutankhamun collection before they move it permanently to the Grand Egyptian Museum, complete with his sarcophagus and gold burial mask.

Photo credit: Khaled Desouki - AFP/Getty Images

Local tip: it’s worth going with a guide (there are also relatively knowledgeable touts there who will offer to work as a guide for a negotiable fee), because many of the exhibits don’t have descriptions.

4. Museum of Islamic Art

Type of museum: Islamic art heritage

Location: Old Cairo

This art museum holds over 100,000 pieces of Islamic heritage from not only Egypt but also Arab and non-Arab countries alike.

Many of the pieces were gathered from the first Islamic capitals of Egypt (Fustat and Askar), prior to the rise of Cairo. Pieces were also selected from the Delta, Fayoum, Luxor and Aswan.

As for displays from outside of Egypt, the Museum of Islamic art is known for its Persian and Turkish pottery as well as some amazing Arabian carpets.

Other collections of note: their wooden collection, which has some of the most beautiful and intricate woodwork from the days of early Islam, as well as beautiful ceramics and lamps.

5. Coptic Museum

Type of museum: Coptic Christian heritage

Location: Coptic Cairo

Known as the best place to learn about Coptic history in Egypt, this museum hosts over 1,600 pieces, dating back to the early days of Coptic Christianity in the 3rd and 4th century AD.

This museum is known for its bibles written in the 11th and 13th centuries in both Arabic and the Coptic language on deerskin, as well as Christian writings on papyrus dating back to the 6th century.

Photo credit: Egyptian Tourism Authority

Other collections of note: its icon display, as well as pottery, glass, metal, wooden and textile collections.

Local tip: the museum is located in an area of Old Cairo called Coptic Cairo, walking distance from some very worth-seeing churches such as the Hanging Church and Mar Girgis church.

Read: Coptic Cairo - A Detailed Local's Guide

6. Gayer-Anderson Museum

Type of museum: art and Islamic architecture

Location: Old Cairo

The Gayer-Anderson Museum is found in a beautiful historical house in Old Cairo, built in 1631. It’s a great remnant of Islamic architecture at the time.

The house belonged to several different wealthy families over the years, but gained its name during its stint as home of British officer Gayer Anderson in 1935. He amassed a stunning collection of art, furniture, carpets and Egyptian handicrafts that remain in the house until present day.

After he left Egypt due to illness, the house became a museum for visitors to appreciate the beauty of the Islamic architecture and the house’s treasures, as well as added collections. It’s also known for its original ‘sabil’, an Islamic water feature with the purpose of providing fresh drinking water to the public. This is rare in a private residential home, more commonly found in mosques.

7. Abdeen Palace

Type of museum: historical

Location: Old Cairo

This palace turned museum was first built by Khedive Ismail in 1863, with the function of being governmental headquarters as well as the designated venue for official events and ceremonies. It was later a royal residence until the monarchy was abolished in 1952.

The museum today is divided into the upper floors, which used to be the living quarters of the royal family, and are now only open for visiting foreign dignitaries.

Photo credit: Egypt Today

The lower floors hold the main sections of the museum: the Silver Museum, the Arms Museum, the Royal Family Museum, the Presidential Gifts Museum and the Historical Documents Museum.

8. Manial Palace & Museum

Type of museum: art and history

Location: Manial

This palace was built by Prince Mohamed Ali Tawfik, the first cousin of King Farouk, in 1875 and completed in 1929. The Islamic architectural style is a mix of Ottoman, Persian and Moorish, while the inner design is a marriage between European Nouveau and Rococo.

The palace is home to the prince’s extensive collection of art, furniture, clothing, silver and Medieval manuscripts from the Middle Ages. The ceramic tilework in the mosque and entrance was done by an Armenian ceramist.

Today the palace and its historical gardens as well as King Farouk’s hunting lodge are all part of a public museum.

9. Oum Kalthoum Museum

Type of museum: biographical

Location: Manial

If you’re a fan of Oum Kalthoum (if you’re not familiar with the singer, look her up -- she’s probably the most famous and beloved Egyptian and Arab artist of all time), then this little museum is for you.

Found on the outskirts of Manasterly Palace in Manial, this museum holds not only relics of the Arab icon’s life and body of work, but also airs a short documentary of her life to really bring the experience full circle.

Photo credit: Yahya Shatila

Because the museum is so small, it’ll only take about 30-45 minutes to check out all the displays and watch the documentary.

Local tip: close by is the Nilometer, which is also worth checking out.

You might also like: Grand Egyptian Museum: A Local's Guide To Everything You Need To Know