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Of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only one survives to this day. It is the Great Pyramid of Khufu (or Cheops), located in Giza, Eqypt. It was built around 2560 BC as the tomb of the pharaoh Khufu. The pyramid is said to have taken 20 years to build, and the methods used to stack its two million blocks, each weighing over two tons, remains a topic of archeological debate even today.

The Great Pyramid alone would be enough to draw travelers to Giza, but this massive ancient monolith has plenty of impressive company. Two other formidable pyramids mark the burial shrines of the pharaohs Khafre and Menkaure. This triad of structures dominates the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile River, across from Cairo. Accompanying the pyramids, the Great Sphinx, crumbling but still magnificent, rests its massive limestone haunches and gazes ever eastward toward the rising sun. The Solar Boat Museum offers a welcome respite from the desert heat. Its climate-controlled conditions preserve an ancient vessel which carried the body of the pharaoh on his final trip across the Nile. One caveat, the Giza Plateau is crowded with aggressive vendors, and visitors must be firm unless they want armloads of souvenirs foisted upon them.