Baron Empain Palace Cairo: ticket prices, opening hours and the roof
Baron Empain Palace in Heliopolis opens daily from 9am to 6pm. Entry is EGP 60 for Egyptians (EGP 30 for students) and EGP 220 for foreigners (EGP 110 for students); the roof panorama is a separate EGP 30 or EGP 120.
Baron Empain Palace in Heliopolis is open every day of the week from 9am to 6pm. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities lists the entry ticket at EGP 60 for Egyptian adults and EGP 30 for Egyptian students, and EGP 220 for foreign adults and EGP 110 for foreign students. The roof panorama has its own ticket: EGP 30 for Egyptians and EGP 120 for foreigners.
Opening hours
The ministry's page gives the same hours for all seven days, Sunday to Saturday: 9am to 6pm. That includes Friday. The page does not publish a last entry time, so arrive well before 6pm if you want time for the rooms and the roof.
Ticket prices
Palace entry, Egyptians: adults EGP 60, students EGP 30.
Palace entry, foreigners: adults EGP 220, students EGP 110.
Roof panorama, a separate ticket: Egyptians EGP 30, foreigners EGP 120.
So an Egyptian adult who wants the palace and the roof pays EGP 90 in total, and a foreign adult EGP 340. The ministry's page does not publish a children's price, a separate price for Arab visitors, or a free entry list for this palace, and it does not mention online booking. Bring your ID or student card, since the student price depends on it.
What you will see
The palace has a basement, two floors and a roof, with a large garden around it on every side.
The basement was the servants' quarters
a set of rooms joined by corridors and doors. 2. A spiral staircase and a lift run through the building and connect every floor with the basement. 3. The ground floor holds the reception room, the dining room and a billiard room. 4. The first floor has four bedrooms, each with its own balcony and its own bathroom. 5. The roof is an open space on one side of the tower, the tower that makes the palace recognisable from the street. This is the part with the separate panorama ticket.
A little history
The palace was built between 1907 and 1911 for Edouard Louis Joseph Empain, a Belgian businessman whom the King of Belgium made a baron for his economic achievements. He gave the job to the French architect Alexandre Marcel. The ministry describes the building's Indian style, its tower and its burnt sienna colour as unlike anything else in the city. It became one of the defining landmarks of Heliopolis, the district that grew up around it, and its outline still stops people walking past on the road.
Before you go
Doors close at 6pm, and no last entry time is published, so do not leave it to the last hour. 2. Decide on the roof at the ticket window, since it is sold separately. 3. Students should carry their card to get the half price. 4. Check the ministry's page before a holiday visit, as the hours shown there are the only published ones.
Common questions
Is Baron Empain Palace open on Fridays? Yes, the ministry lists 9am to 6pm every day, Friday included.
How much is the ticket for Egyptians? EGP 60 for adults and EGP 30 for students, plus EGP 30 if you want the roof.
How much is the ticket for foreigners? EGP 220 for adults and EGP 110 for students, plus EGP 120 for the roof.
Can I book online? The ministry's page lists the prices but does not mention online booking.
Where is it? In Heliopolis, in the east of Cairo. The ministry's page shows it on a map but does not publish a street address or directions.