Hello!
I have a 12hr stopover in Cairo, Egypt. 1pm- 1am. Planning to leave the airport and check out the pyramids/ market or grab a meal or two. I would like some recommendations from people who have been in a similar situation. Should I hire a taxi/driver for a day, or is there a layover tour service that I can purchase (online or from the airport?) and overall is this idea doable?
Thanks!

Check if a visa is needed. Maybe use this service:
https://cairolayovertour.com

We did this recently. No real recommendation, just a caution to plan your time wisely. The traffic is awful, and the trip between the airport and the pyramids can easily take 2 hours each way (which I knew in theory, but felt different in practice).

Pyramids are amazing to see. Be very careful what you eat! Don’t eat salad or anything using the water. Got severely ill in Cairo.

Spent 10 days in Egypt [including ~4-5 days in Cairo], didn't get sick. Drink bottled water only [which is easy considering how dirt cheap they are, and always bargain. You can just use uber I believe. That's what I did [and again super cheaper compared to western prices].

We did this. You will need a visa so just keep that in mind. We hired a private tour with cab etc for such a reasonable price and they were amazing. I’ll pm you

Is the visa issued at the airport?

Yes

Can you please PM me too? I have basically the same question as the poster!! Would love a tour guide recommendation.

Madison sent!

If you are flying with egyptair they have their own in house layover tour( i think its called Karnak Tours). I’ve never done the layovers tours personally but i saw a few booths and people holding signs for a quick tour, this however is at the Star Alliance terminal 3.. Not sure about the others though.

Guides for the museum can be hired out front of the museum and is well worth the cost to see the best it has to offer.

I highly recommend Real Life Egypt. We booked a Cairo tour with them in 2011. It was an excellent experience even though we are usually "do it yourself" explorers.
Their local knowledge was invaluable in making the most of our day trip. The traffic truly is unbelievable but the driver adjusted our agenda to minimize traffic jam waiting times!
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294205...

Traffic is BRUTAL! Just be ready for that. Pyramids are worth it. Going inside not so much. The old market area is close by and awesome for shopping. Technically no cars in there. A boat tour on the Nile is neat too.

We did this on this March 2019 and we were in the same satiation, You have a 12 hours lay over so the air line supposed to provide you the hotel but you can choose the tour instead of that so the tour is for free they only charge 25 dollars of visa fee person and they keep your passport at airport and give you a slip you get your passport back from the airport information centre or you can get the visa for 25 US $ and get your own tour. We did the first option and I recommend this for you because it’s more safe because tour guides are more reliable

You can get the visa at the airport it’s easy

I JUST got back from Egypt about 4 days ago!
I used uber the whole time I was there and it was dirt cheap so that’s what I’d recommend.
For visa have $25 USD in cash when you land. They tried to tell me I couldn’t get a visa without it (I ended up just paying 450 Egyptian pounds which is slightly more but I got it). No atm available and you can’t pay by card.
I did Cairo by myself and really should have had a guide for a few of the things. Especially the Egyptian museum. It’s horribly organized and there’s a million things in there so I spent way more time there than was necessary (start on the second floor at the back for the king tut stuff and don’t bother with the mummy room ticket. Nothing too exciting there).
Pyramids are great and worth seeing of course. Wouldn’t bother buying the extra tickets to go in.
Would highly recommend getting koushary. It’s an Egyptian dish and super delicious! I went to Koshary Abou Tarek and it was so yummy and super fast!
Also went to the Cairo Citadel which was pretty and Coptic Cairo was great to explore.
The traffic is actually out of control so give yourself plenty of time to get places. Especially back to the airport.
Also be sure to carry small notes because everyone expects tips for everything. It’s a big part of the culture and the wages are low so tips are expected/necessary.
Hope this is helpful. Feel free to message if you have any other questions you think I can help with

Amber I’m from Cairo and I think you’ve really summed it up nicely here
hope you enjoyed it!

I have been there twice. uber is the best way to go. As others suggested $25USD visa will be required (speeds up the process if you have cash handy). Visa is given by immigration officers without first paying for it at a different counter so don't waste time standing in line for immigration/customs before purchasing visa voucher. If you fly egypt air, they also offer free visa/hotel accommodation plus one meal, but if you take that option, you will easily miss 2 hrs before you can exit and won't be able to experience Pyramids.
You mentioned stopover from 1pm. By the time you will exit, it will likely be 1:30-1:45pm. I would be mindful of visiting pyramids as they close entrance at 4 and close the facility altogether at 5. However museum (must see) is open in the evening as well (not sure if it's open in the evenings everyday though but you can check hours of operation). If you do end up checking out pyramids, there is a pizza hut/KFC or something like that which has 3 or 4 floors where you can get really nice sunset view through pyramids..
I wouldn't recommend taking tours, other than for museum. Just uber it, but don't keep too much cash with you on hand.
Good luck. It's an interesting place to visit. Everything is fraction of what you pay in North America.

Forgot to mention, you could also do Nile night Cruise or just enjoy dinner by the river (there are many restaurants by the bridge).

I went twice last year! Definitely go and Definitely hire a driver, straight from the airport and tag on a quick Khan Khalili stop on your way back (old bazaar). I would skip the inside of the pyramids.
To everyone’s point traffic can be horrid so budget 2-2.5h each way from airport to Giza.
You do need a visa (on arrival). Just make sure you have 25 USD in exact change upon arrival.

Was just in Cairo. You are better off to get a tour guide or a driver for the day. Check at the airport for "approved" drivers and guides. Don't do the pyramid light show at night. Not worth it. See them during the day. Cairo is intense with the population of Canada living in one city. Plan for your travel to take a bit longer than you think. There's very few traffic lights and traffic is heavy. Plan for 2 hours from the airport to pyramids but may take less. Purchase your visa at one of the banks BEFORE you go through customs.

Arrange with a known tour guide or company beforehand. Do not take a random taxi in Cairo - not the safest and you’ll likely get ripped off. Although... I had a good experience with uber in Alexandria so if you wanted to have your own agenda then get a personal tour guide or driver. Also keep in mind that things take longer than expected in the city so don’t overplan and give yourself plenty of time to get back to airport.