Getting There By Air:Cairo International Airport (CAI) Tel: (02) 265 2222 (New Terminal)
or 5000 (Old Terminal).
Automated flight information tel: 0900 77777 (premium rate).
Website:
www.cairo-airport.com Cairo International Airport is located 22km (14 miles) northeast of central Cairo and is the main international gateway to Egypt. It has two sections, confusingly called Terminals 1 and 2. The Old Terminal (Terminal 1) comprises four terminal buildings:
three are used mainly by the national carrier,
EgyptAir, for both domestic and international flights, while the fourth is used for private planes. The New Terminal (Terminal 2) has two terminal buildings, and is used by other international airlines. The airports are roughly 3km (2 miles) apart and are linked by a free 24-hour EgyptAir shuttle bus, running roughly every 30 minutes.
Approximate flight times to Cairo: From London is 5 hours; from New York is 11 hours; from Los Angeles is 15 hours; from Toronto is 13 hours 20 minutes and from Sydney is 21 hours.
Airport facilities: These include 24-hour foreign exchange, a tourist information counter, snack bars, duty-free shops, a restaurant, shopping malls and a range of international car hire companies.
Transport to the city: The Cairo Airport Shuttle Bus (tel: (02) 265 3937/8) runs to locations throughout the city. There are also public buses. A far easier option is to take an official taxi from outside the terminals, which should cost approximately E£50. Visitors should avoid bargaining with taxi touts inside. There is also an official ‘limousine taxi’ service, with fixed fares of E£70. Even more convenient, and more expensive, are the limousine transfers offered by luxury hotels, which cost from around E£100 (to hotels in nearby Heliopolis) to around £E200 (city center). The taxi ride to/from the center takes 30 minutes to one hour depending on traffic.
Getting There By Road:To drive in Egypt, foreign drivers must be at least 25 years old and be in possession of an International Driving Permit. That said, driving in Egypt is not recommended. There are strict traffic laws (including wearing a seat belt and not using a mobile phone) but they are rarely adhered to or enforced and are used more as a revenue-raising exercise. The speed limit is 100kph (62mph) on highways but that doesn’t stop people speeding. Off the main highways, roads are mostly of very poor quality, with numerous bumps and potholes to avoid. Egyptian drivers overtake on all sides - including turning right from the left lane. Traffic nominally drives on the right but visitors should watch out for cars coming towards them in their own lane. Flashing headlights means ‘get out of the way’. Night driving is particularly dangerous as headlights sometimes appear to be optional and there are numerous police checkpoints that appear out of nowhere. In addition, in Upper Egypt the obligation to drive in convoy defeats the purpose of hiring a car and in the Western Desert, police escorts insist on accompanying you between the southernmost oases. Some car hire firms even insist on providing the driver.
Emergency breakdown service: No national provider; car hire operators may have local arrangements.
Routes to the city: Main routes into Cairo are Highway 1 (Delta Highway) from Alexandria; Highway 11 (Desert Highway) also from Alexandria and the northwest coast; Highway 2 alongside the Nile from Luxor and the south; Highway 3 from Port Said and the northeast; and Highway 33 east from Suez and the Sinai Peninsula.
Driving times to the city: From Alexandria - 3 hours; Port Said - 3 hours; Luxor - 10 hours; Aswan - 16 hours.
Coach services: Cairo is linked by comfortable, regular and inexpensive coach services to the other main Egyptian cities. Many coaches are air conditioned but there are also older coaches in operation, which can be uncomfortable. Generally, the ticket price reflects the level of comfort to be expected. There are five long-distance coach stations and tickets can only be bought at the coach station itself but can be booked in advance in person. Services are run by several operators serving different regions of Egypt from different coach stations. These include the
East Delta Travel Company (tel: (02) 260 9218; website:
www.eastdeltatravel.com),
Superjet (tel: (02) 266 0212) the
Upper Egypt Bus Company (tel: (02) 260 9298), and the
West & Mid Delta Bus Company (tel: (03) 427 1071). Coach terminals are chaotic but agreeable enough, with ticket offices and refreshment stands.
The Abdel Mouneem Riyad Terminal (tel: (02) 762 293) is often also called the Ramses Hilton Terminal, as it is close to that hotel on Sharia Gala. From here, there are frequent services to Alexandria, as well as services to Hurghada, Aswan and Luxor (overnight). Behind here is the Ahmed Helmi Terminal, with several overnight services to Luxor and Aswan, and other daily services to Hurghada and to Middle Egypt. The Sinai Bus Terminal (officially the Abbassiyya Station, near Midan Abbassiyya) has several services per day to Sinai towns, such as Sharm el-Sheikh and Nuweiba, with one per day going via St Catherine’s Monastery. The Koulali Bus Terminal (tel: (02) 574 3814) at Midal Ulali near Midan Ramses serves the Canal Zone and towns in the Nile Delta, while the Al-Azhar Terminal (tel: (02) 390 8635) on 45 Sharia al-Azhar, operates services into the Western Desert. There are also direct buses between the airport and Alexandria.
Getting There By Rail:Egypt’s railway provider is the
Egyptian State Railway (tel: (02) 575 3555). Reservations can only be made at the station. The network is limited but efficient and reasonably comfortable in first class or second class superior. All trains stop at Cairo’s main station, the Ramses Station, Midan Ramses (metro: Mubarak Station). There is a tourist office, post office and left-luggage facilities at the station.
Rail services: Cairo is connected to the other major Egyptian cities, such as Alexandria (journey time - 2 hours 20 minutes), Luxor (11 to 12 hours) and Aswan (14 hours). If traveling along the Nile Valley (as opposed to within the Nile Delta), tourists must use the guarded ‘tourist trains’ for security reasons. You can reserve tickets up to seven days in advance at Ramses Station.
Abela Egypt (tel: (02) 2574 9274; website:
www.sleepingtrains.com) runs first-class sleeping trains, primarily to Luxor and Aswan. It is possible to book these through its website or the Egyptian State Railway number, or the Central Reservation Office outside the station, but it is easiest to use a travel desk at a major hotel or at local travel agencies for a small commission. Foreign students are entitled to a substantial discount with a valid student card.
Getting Around:
Public TransportUsing public transport is not recommended in Cairo with the exception of the clean, cheap and efficient
metro system.
Buses are usually overcrowded and visitors will have to fight their way on like the Cairenes (citizens of Cairo), who leap at the bus before it has even stopped. For those keen to experience this quintessential part of Cairo life, however, tickets should be purchased on board from the conductor who fights his way through the throng. The fare depends on the journey length.
There are also
microbuses, which are private enterprises and a cross between a taxi and a public bus. The destination is not displayed, so visitors should shout out where they wish to go as one passes and if it is going in the right direction and has room on board, it will stop. The fare is slightly more than the public buses.
The
metro is one of Cairo’s delights. The system is clean, quick, cool, safe and cheap, operating 0600-2400 (to 0100 May-Sep); it can get extremely crowded during Ramadan. There are two lines. One runs along the east bank of the Nile from Helwan in the north to al-Marg in the south, via Tahrir. The other, newer line goes from Shubra in the north to Giza in the west, also via Tahrir where the two lines intersect. More metro extensions are planned.
A flat fare is in place for up to nine stops, with a sliding scale beyond that. Smoking is not permitted in the stations or on the trains. The first two carriages on most trains are reserved for women only, although women can travel in any carriage without much risk of harassment.
Unfortunately, the
metro does not serve most of the main tourist spots although Sadat is handy for Midan Tahrir in downtown Cairo and Mari Girgis is a convenient stop for Old Cairo.
TaxisWhile Cairo does have its share of rogue taxis drivers, there are also many drivers who will become your guide, protector and even a good friend while you are visiting the city. Taking a taxi directly from a hotel is more expensive than hailing one in the street, but you will have the car to yourself. Taxis are black and white and are shared, so if one is driving by with other passengers, it is possible to call out your destination and if it is going that way, it will stop.
The protocol in Cairo is different from that in many other cities. Passengers are expected to know the fare rather than negotiate it in advance or go by the meter. This can obviously be difficult for the new arrival. The best solution is to ask the advice of the hotel concierge, or other passengers if you have hailed a shared taxi.
Driving in the CityDriving in Cairo is not for the faint-hearted. Visitors who are determined to give it a go, however, should spend a day or two observing the locals with their myriad hand gestures, horn honks, aggressive posturing and bare-faced cheek, before getting behind the wheel. Rush hour lasts all day and most of the evening too. Road markings are ignored, as are most of the traffic lights. At night, few drivers use lights, except for flashing lights, which are to tell oncoming traffic to get out of the way, rather than to indicate giving way as in many countries. As for parking - let’s just say, it’s not a concept the double-parking locals give much thought to. All in all, most visitors stick to taxis for good reason.
Car HireThe minimum age for hiring a car in Egypt is 25 years and an International Driving Permit is required. Most of the major hotels have agents for the leading car hire companies but the main offices are:
Avis, 11 Kamal El Din Street, Simon Boulivar Square, Garden City (tel: (02) 2368 9400) or International Airport (tel: (02) 2265 2429) (website:
www.avis.com);
Budget, 22 El Mathaf El Zeraee Street, Dokki (tel: (02) 762 0158) or New Airport (tel: (02) 265 2395) (website:
www.budget.com);
Hertz, 195 Sharia 26th July Street, Agouza (tel: (02) 347 4172) or International Airport (tel: (02) 265 2430) (website:
www.hertz.com); and
Sixt, 41 Road 270 (tel: (02) 703 1082) or International Airport (tel: (02) 703 1018) (website:
www.e-sixt.com).
Bicycle HireAlthough many Egyptians cycle, it would be madness for any visitor not used to Cairo traffic to consider doing the same.
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The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
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