The sole survivor of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Pyramids of Giza still live up to more than 4,000 years of hype. Their extraordinary shape, geometry and age render them somehow alien constructions; they seem to rise out of the desert and pose the ever-fascinating question, 'How were we built, and why?' The oldest and biggest pyramid is that of Cheops, and you can go inside this one if you don't suffer from claustrophobia. Once they were covered in smooth white marble but that was taken for temples over the centuries, but you can imagine how even more impressive they would have been then. Climbing on the pyramids is strictly banned.
It can be a bit of a shock to visit the Giza Plateau and realize that the sandy mound that's home to the pyramids is actually plonked in the middle of the congested city suburb of Giza.
Guided tour or private car and guide who can take you from place to place on the large site are the easiest ways to see the pyramids. Alternately you can get there by bus from Heliopolis via Midan Tahrir (the Egyptian Museum). There are currently two entrances: the main entrance is via a continuation of Pyramids Road (Sharia al-Haram) at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Cheops, and the secondary entrance is via the village of Nazlet as-Samaan, below the Sphinx. Most independent visitors enter from Sharia al-Haram; that's where the bus and minibus from Downtown stop. Follow the road up from the roundabout towards the pyramids.
