The day has finally arrived! After soft openings, full openings and temporary dignitary closures The Grand Egyptian Museum (The GEM) is finally open fully, permanently, for all the public. After many delays, on Tuesday 4th November 2025, it finally happened, the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza opened.
The Grand Egyptian Museum opening ceremony was quite something to behold. As the opening of The GEM signifies a moment in time where Egypt’s past, present and future can collide to build something quite unique and evidently incredible.
The full opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum on 4th November was after a temporary two week closure, allowing the introductions of the final collections from the old museum. Then a grand opening on the 1st November 2025 with a level of pomp and ceremony not seen before, lasting 3 days! Entrance for this special period was reserved for VIP guests and dignitaries only. Then, from 4th November, The GEM opened, permanently, for everyone… including YOU!
The opening ceremony was quite something. Have a look at the hour long video above for a good quality, in-depth delve into the proceedings. One of our favourite highlights was the 5000 drone light show. Incredible!
Grand Egyptian Musuem Highlights:
Visitors can expect:
• The full Tutankhamun collection, displayed together for the first time.
• Massive artefact halls, including the colossal statue of Ramses II at the entrance.
• Interactive and digital exhibits, featuring augmented reality and virtual reconstructions of ancient Egyptian sites.
• Panoramic views of the Pyramids, making it a visually stunning experience.
• New ‘Grand Promenade’ enabling easier travel from Pyramids to GEM.
Also to be enjoyed is the amazing ‘Grand Promenade’ that is connecting the GEM with the foot of the pyramids! Egypt unveiled the long-awaited GEM walkway, a pedestrian and shuttle route that now connects the Grand Egyptian Museum with the iconic Giza Pyramids. The project has been designed as an architectural statement blending modern infrastructure with timeless grandeur. The new corridor promises to transform how millions of visitors experience one of the world’s most enduring wonders, offering a seamless journey from museum galleries to the shadow of the Great Pyramid.
At the recent (early November 2025) World Travel Market (WTM 2025) in London, one of the most popular attractions was the fantastic tribute to the Grand Egyptian Museum put on by the Egyptian Tourist Board. This included a VERY small collection of replicas that you will find at The GEM in Cairo to whet your appetite.
The GEM Opening Hours:
GEM Complex & Galleries: 9AM – 6PM
Last ticket purchase: 4PM
Extended Wednesday and Saturday: 9AM – 10PM
Last ticket purchase: 730PM
Grand Egyptian Museum Ticket Prices:
For UK passport holders and other foreign visitors (non-residents), the adult admission fee is LE1700 or £27.49, while students and children pay LE850 (£13.74).
The Grand Egyptian Museum is Open – A Short History
The Grand Egyptian Museum’s main artefact galleries and exhibit halls originally opened to the public on Wednesday October 16th 2024. However, there were some very important caveats to that. Namely that not all of the exhibits from the old museum were in place. Including the Tutankhamun collection, which is now in place after a temporary closure to allow for the move and gallery set up.
After enjoying a successful ‘soft opening’ phase since July 2024, The Gem with its fresh galleries and main halls had a restricted opening which was limited by numbers while tests were carried out and collections moved across from the old museum.
The Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza (GEM) finished enjoying offering tours to test site readiness and the visitor experience ahead of the official opening. Access was limited to the Grand Hall, Grand Staircase, commercial area and exterior gardens. All other interior spaces, including access to the galleries and collections, are now available. Thanks to our friends at The Egypt Travel Channel, you can check here for the current important information about what you can expect to see – and not see – within these newly opened main galleries.
The GEM is located in Giza, Egypt, and will house over 100000 artefacts from ancient Egyptian civilization, including the complete Tutankhamun collection. It will be the world’s largest archaeological museum, with 81000m2 of floor space.
GEM Building History:
The GEM’s opening was been delayed by major events such as the Covid pandemic with the original estimated completion date set in 2013. Construction of this mega project began all the way back in 2005 and has overcome numerous challenges over the years, including environmental, financial and political hurdles.
Set outside of Cairo, the much new museum will house over 100,000 ancient artefacts, plus King Tut’s entire treasure collection.
Just over 20 years ago, the Egyptian Government decided to update the main Cairo Museum. They held an international competition for the design of a brand new museum near The Great Pyramids of Giza. Now, after decades of planning, one of the longest-awaited and most highly anticipated institutions in the world is here.
After all the delays The Great Egyptian Museum (GEM) announced it will finally open its doors in 2024 and when it debuts, the complex will be home to the largest, most complex collection of ancient treasures and artefacts in the world. This was of course, delayed again and moved to summer 2025.
Egypt’s Future, Preserving Egypt’s Past
After making good progress, serious delays occurred during the Covid pandemic. Then at the start of 2021 it was announced that it will take “four to six months” in 2021 to install approximately 100,000 artefacts, including 3,000 from the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Construction of The GEM has taken many years, with the opening delayed several times. It was pushed back from late 2020 to 2021 and then 2022 in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
Egypt Transported 22 Mummies in Elaborate Parade to Celebrate New Museum in Cairo. Mummies, including Ramses II and Queen Hatshepsut, will now live at Egypt’s new National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. The mummies made their way through Cairo in an elaborate over the Easter weekend to celebrate their new resting place at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
The “Pharoahs’ Golden Parade” — complete with performers, light displays, and a marching band — traveled from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to the new museum site, about three miles southeast.
The mummified remains of the 22 pharaohs, 18 kings and four queens, were transported in trucks decorated to look like the ancient boats that once carried the bodies of pharaohs to their tombs. The mummies had been packed inside a tube of nitrogen to protect them during transport.
“By doing it like this, with great pomp and circumstance, the mummies are getting their due,” Salima Ikram, an Egyptologist at the American University in Cairo, told Reuters. “These are the kings of Egypt, these are the pharaohs. And so, it is a way of showing respect.”
The journey across the city took approximately an hour. Roads along the Nile were shut down for the ceremony. When the mummies finally arrived at their new museum, they were greeted with a 21-gun salute.
Most of the mummies were from Egypt’s New Kingdom, which ruled from 1539 BC to 1075 BC, and included the famous rulers Ramses II and Queen Hatshepsut. The mummies were buried about 3,000 years ago in and around Egypt’s Valley of the Kings and were discovered during an excavation in the 19th century.
After excavation, the mummies were transported to Cairo by boats. According to Al Jazeera, Some were displayed for the public to see while others were privately stored. Now, 20 of the mummies are on display at the brand new museum.
“Egypt’s gift to the world deserves a huge celebration,” said Moftah.
The museum, which is spread across 490000 square metres, has been designed by Dublin-based architects Heneghan Peng. “You could park a 747 inside,” said architect Roisin Heneghan.
It boasts panoramic views of the pyramids of Giza, and the largest artefact will be an enormous statue of Ramses the Great, located in the atrium. The grand staircase behind houses 87 statues of pharaohs and Egyptian gods.
In addition, the world’s largest archaeological museum houses 28 shops, ten restaurants, a conference centre and a cinema.
There is around 100000 objects in the collection and the star attraction is all 5600 objects from the tomb of King Tutankhamun.
GEM also features Tutankhamun galleries and a replica of his tomb, although the galleries are more than 60 times the size of the original tomb! Tutankhamun’s outer coffin is on display, alongside his two inner coffins.
Moftah estimates that 2 to 3 million guests will visit GEM in its first year of opening and in the longer-term up to 8 million a year.
The Grand Egyptian Museum has taken almost 20 years to create, from architectural competition to planned opening.
National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation opens fully to the public. Visitors browse exhibits at Egypt’s new National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (NMEC) in the Fustat district of Old Cairo, after the museum opened fully to the public, the day after a procession of floats carried the mummified remains of 22 pharaohs passed through the capital to their new resting place at the museum.
Book a trip to see the new Cairo Museums and exhibits as well as a Nile cruise with Egypt Escapes Ultimate Egypt Experience tour.
***This blog was written on and from the perspective of 4th November 2025**
