The Pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure: How They Differ and Can You Go Inside

The Pyramid of Khafre is the one that looks tallest in most photos of Giza, although it is actually slightly lower than the Pyramid of Khufu. Next to it stands the small Pyramid of Menkaure, the most “expensive” in terms of its casing. Below: how the two pyramids differ, what has survived on them, whether you can go inside and how much it costs in 2026.

The Pyramid of Khafre: height and features

Khafre built his pyramid next to his father’s and slightly lower — 143.5 m against Khufu’s 146.6 m. But he placed it on a rocky rise, so from most viewpoints it looks taller. Its sides are also steeper.

Its key feature is the smooth white limestone casing that survives at the top. Only here can you see what all the Giza pyramids looked like in antiquity: smooth, pale and shining in the sun.

Khafre’s pyramid complex includes a mortuary temple and the Valley Temple built of huge granite blocks, and beside it lies the Great Sphinx, which most Egyptologists believe was carved under this pharaoh.

The Pyramid of Menkaure: the smallest of the three

Menkaure built a much smaller pyramid — about 65 m originally, now about 61 m. But it was more expensive: the lower courses were faced with red Aswan granite, brought from some 800 km away. Some granite blocks are still visible, and some were never smoothed: the pharaoh died before the work was finished.

Next to it stand three small queens’ pyramids. On the north face there is a huge gash: in 1196 Sultan al-Aziz Uthman tried to dismantle the pyramid but gave up after eight months.

Khafre and Menkaure compared

	Pyramid of Khafre	Pyramid of Menkaure
Pharaoh	Khafre, son of Khufu	Menkaure, son of Khafre
Height originally / now	143.5 m / ~136 m	~65 m / ~61 m
What survives	White casing at the top	Red granite in the lower courses
Nearby	The Sphinx and the Valley Temple	Three queens’ pyramids, the panoramic viewpoint

Can you go inside, and ticket prices in 2026

Inside Khafre there is a low corridor and a burial chamber with a granite sarcophagus; on the chamber wall is the 1818 signature of the Italian explorer Belzoni. Menkaure has several chambers with niches. The climb is shorter and easier than in Khufu, and there is hardly any queue.

How much time you need

15–25 minutes inside one pyramid. About an hour to see both from outside, including the panoramic viewpoint. Our guides recommend going inside Khafre or Menkaure if you want to feel how a pyramid is built inside but are worried about the tight space and long climb in Khufu.

How to see the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure

Both pyramids are included in the general Giza plateau ticket and in every pyramids tour from Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh. The route around the plateau and tips are in our Giza pyramids guide, and the largest pyramid is covered in “The Great Pyramid of Khufu”.