Saqqara and Dahshur

South of Giza, along the desert edge above the ancient capital of Memphis, stretch the great necropolises of Saqqara and Dahshur, where the Egyptians worked out how to build pyramids, and they are far quieter than the famous Giza plateau. At Saqqara stands the Step Pyramid of Djoser, built around forty-seven centuries ago by the architect Imhotep, the oldest large stone structure in the world and the ancestor of all the pyramids that followed, surrounded by a maze of tombs whose carved and painted walls are among the finest anywhere. A little further south at Dahshur rise two pyramids of the pharaoh Sneferu: the Bent Pyramid, whose sides change angle partway up where the builders lost their nerve, and the Red Pyramid, the first successful true smooth-sided pyramid, which you can climb down into. Together they tell the story of how the great pyramids came to be, with a fraction of Giza's crowds.

What you actually see

• The Step Pyramid of Djoser - the world's oldest large stone building, at Saqqara.
• The Saqqara tombs - the exquisitely carved and painted noble tombs around it.
• The Bent Pyramid - Sneferu's pyramid that changes angle partway up, at Dahshur.
• The Red Pyramid - the first true smooth-sided pyramid, which you can enter.

When to go

October to April is the comfortable season, as the open desert sites are hot and shadeless the rest of the year; mornings are coolest and least crowded. The two areas are a short drive apart and combine well into a half or full day, often with the Memphis open-air museum.

Honest expectations

The sites are spread out across open desert, so you need a car or tour to move between Saqqara, Dahshur and Memphis, and there is little shade. Entering the pyramids means bending double along low, hot, airless passages, which some find claustrophobic. Ticketing is piecemeal, with extra charges for certain tombs and interiors. In return you get world-defining monuments with far fewer crowds than Giza.

Nearby

The Giza pyramids are a short drive north; the ruins of ancient Memphis lie between the sites.