About Egypt - Travel Tips (Getting Around)

Getting Around

The easiest and the quickest, though most expensive way to travel around Egypt is by domestic air travel. Egyptair offer a range of daily flights between the larger cities.

From Cairo you can get an airport bus which makes several stops between the airport and the Pyramids Road in Giza. Alternatively there are always lots of taxis waiting at the airport to take visitors to their hotels and the same applies to Luxor, Aswan and other airports.

The whole of the Nile Valley from Alexandria to Aswan is covered by a rail service run by the Egyptian government, but when trying to book a ticket on these trains visitors are often told that they are only allowed to travel on the ‘tourist train’. This is a sleeper train which runs daily from Cairo to Aswan operated by a private company, Wagon Lits and is superbly comfortable even without a sleeper compartment. It is advisable to book tickets at least a day in advance. Otherwise, if you are prepared for an argument at the ticket office, you can travel on any of the frequent government trains which are less expensive and less comfortable.

Air-conditioned coaches operate throughout Egypt and are generally inexpensive with two coaches a day between Cairo and Aswan, but be prepared for a long journey. There are also local buses without air-conditioning between all Egyptian towns. Check the main bus terminals for details of times and costs. It often costs only a little more to travel in the more comfortable coaches.

Cairo

In Cairo and Alexandria there are metro routes covering many parts of the cities. This is an easy, exceptionally clean and inexpensive way to travel around and the underground trains run at very frequent intervals all day. A single journey on the Cairo metro costs 50 piastres (EGP 0.50). The entrance to underground stations can be recognised by a circular sign with an ‘M’ in the centre. In Cairo the metro system is currently being extended. There are usually separate coaches at the front of the trains for women and I would recommend their use by women travelling alone. They are usually much less crowded than the rest of the train and you will not be hassled or treated as an object of curiosity.

There are two types of buses in Cairo. Large overcrowded buses travel routes throughout the city, often with a dozen children hanging on to the sides and you can get to most places on these routes. Smaller more comfortable buses which do not allow standing also operate the major routes. They are an inexpensive way to travel.

A Guide to Public and Private Transport in Cairo, Egypt

Cairo is one of the greatest tourist attractions in Egypt and is full of historical and cultural 

heritage. It's a huge city, and has a large network of roads and other transport options so that people can move around it easily. Here is our guide to the different ways of getting around in Cairo.

Metro is the fastest way of getting around

Plans had been made to build a metro network in Egypt since the 1930’s, but construction only started in the 1980’s. The first line constructed was from Helwan south of Cairo to El Marg north of the city. Metro lines are still expanding in order to make it easier for citizens to move around the city, which is especially important as the streets of Cairo are so crowded. If you’re looking for a fast and an affordable way to reach your destination, then the metro is a good choice as you’ll save yourself from the hassle of the terrible traffic. But do be aware that sometimes the metro also gets very crowded, especially at peak time, so if you’re not willing to deal with the crowds then you should use another way of getting around.

Private transport

If you’re looking for an easy way to reach your destination 

and save time, then private cars are the right thing for you. You have the option of taking a taxi or other private means such as Uber and Careem that help you book a car with few clicks. For a comfy and safe ride from or to the airport London Cab is a great choice too.

Try out the river bus

That’s a bus in the Nile! Although these Nile buses don’t move as fast as you may want them to, it’s still so much better than the traffic jam. So if your destination is along the 

riverside, you can simply ask if the bus goes there. Another perfect thing about the Nile bus is that it can transport you to the historical Coptic area in Old Cairo. Just ask at the river stop which bus is going to Misr Al-Qadima (Old Cairo).

Take the Nile taxi

This is a new method of transportation to save you time – the Nile taxi. You can now use the boats in the river to move about quickly. There are three types of  Nile taxi; those where you have to wait till it fills up with enough passengers, ones where you can pre-book for the time that suits you and the tourist ones.

Take the carriage

Carriages can be found in Downtown, Zamalek, Giza and mainly along Nile Corniche. And although they’re mainly used now for sightseeing now, they are still popular among Egyptians and tourists, especially during holidays and for special occasions.