Cairo Travel Guide

Cairo, Egypt — Travel Tips

Getting There By Air

Flights to Cairo are provided by a number of different airlines, including Egypt Air, Lufthansa, Royal Jordanian Airlines and Emirates Airlines.

Cairo International Airport (CAI)
Tel: (02) 265 5647 (Terminal 1) or 2417 (Terminal 2).
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 three terminals. 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. Terminal 2 has two terminal buildings, and is used by other international airlines.The terminals are roughly 3km (2 miles) apart and are linked by a free 24-hour EgyptAir shuttle bus, running roughly every 30 minutes.

Airport facilities
These include 24-hour foreign exchange, a tourist information counter, snack bars, duty-free shops, cafes, restaurants, 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.

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.

Getting There By Road

Foreign drivers must be at least 25 years old and have an International Driving Permit. However, driving in Cairo isn’t recommended, due to mammoth traffic jams, a complete disregard of traffic laws and lane discipline. The speed limit is 100kph (62mph) on highways but most drivers will exceed this, given the opportunity. Off the main highways, roads are mostly poor quality, with numerous bumps and potholes. Traffic drives on the right but Egyptian drivers overtake on all sides – even driving on the wrong side of the road. In Upper Egypt vehicles must drive in convoy, defeating the purpose of hiring a car. In the Western Desert, police escorts might insist on accompanying you between the southernmost oases. Some car hire firms even insist on providing the driver.

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 regular, inexpensive coach services to other major Egyptian cities. Many are air-conditioned but there are also older, less comfortable albeit cheaper coaches. There are five long-distance coach stations, with several different operators serving different regions of Egypt. These include the East Delta Travel Company (tel: (02) 262 3128;
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). Tickets must be bought at the coach station itself, and can be booked in advance in person. The Abdel Mouneem Riyad Terminal (tel: (02) 762 293) (also called the Ramses Hilton Terminal) offers frequent services to Alexandria, plus Hurghada, Aswan and Luxor (overnight). Nearby is the Ahmed Helmi Terminal, with several overnight coaches to Luxor and Aswan, and others to Hurghada and Middle Egypt. Sinai Bus Terminal (officially the Abbassiyya Station, near Midan Abbassiyya) has several services daily to Sinai towns, such as Sharm el-Sheikh and Nuweiba, with one daily via St Catherine's Monastery. Koulali Bus Terminal (tel: (02) 574 3814) at Midal Ulali near Midan Ramses serves the Canal Zone and towns in the Nile Delta. Al-Azhar Terminal (45 Sharia al-Azhar, tel: (02) 390 8635) operates services into the Western Desert. There are also direct buses between the airport and Alexandria.

Getting There By Rail

Rail Services
All trains stop at Cairo's main station, Ramses Station, Midan Ramses (metro: Mubarak Station) in Downtown Cairo. There is a tourist office, post office, cafe and left-luggage facilities at the station. Trains heading south also stop at Giza Station; however it is advisable to board at Ramses because of better facilities and communications. The rail network is limited but efficient and reasonably comfortable in first class or second class superior. The type of train varies widely. Fast trains (known as French, Spanish or Turbine) are more expensive than slower ones (Ordinary).

Rail Operators
Egypt's railway provider is Egyptian State Railway (tel: (02) 575 3555. www.egyptrail.gov.eg). Reservations can only be made at the station. For short journeys ie from Cairo to Alexandria, try the business or travel desks at major hotels which can arrange to buy your ticket, for a small extra fee. If traveling along the Nile Valley, foreign tourists must use the guarded trains for security reasons, the most convenient of which is the 980 fast train which departs daily from Cairo at 0800. You can reserve tickets up to seven days in advance at Ramses Station. Abela Egypt (tel: (02) 2574 9274; www.sleepingtrains.com) runs first-class sleeping trains, with private cabins, primarily to Luxor and Aswan. This is the only overnight train that foreigners are permitted to travel on, and substantially more expensive than the daytime trains. It is possible to book tickets online, at Ramses Station, hotel travel desks, or local travel agencies for a small commission. Foreign students with a valid ISIC student card qualify for a discount.

Connections
From Alexandria - 3 to 4 hours; Luxor - 10 hours; Aswan - 14 hours.

Getting Around in Cairo, Egypt

Public Transport

Cairo’s public transport isn’t for the faint-hearted, with the exception of the Metro. Buses are overcrowded and most Cairenes leap onto the bus before it has stopped. Buy tickets from the conductor, with fares dependent on journey length. Microbuses are privately run, a cross between a taxi and public bus. Shout out where you wish to go as it passes, and leap on board if there is room. Tell the driver where you want to disembark. The Metro is one of Cairo's delights, an air-conditioned, efficient system operating 0600-2400 and until 0100 between May-September. Morning rush-hour and during the month of Ramadan, especially approaching sunset, are extremely busy. There are two lines: one runs from Helwan in the north to al-Marg in the south, via Tahrir; the other 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. You can purchase single tickets, or a discounted book of 10. The first two carriages on most trains are reserved for women only, although women can travel in any carriage without much risk of harassment.

Taxis

There are two types of taxis: the new white or yellow metered variety (T: (02) 16516) - ensure the meter is switched on - and unmetered black-and-white cabs, which tend to be old, rather battered and less reliable. Passengers are expected to know the fare in unmetered cabs rather than negotiate in advance. This can be difficult for new arrivals, so ask the advice of the hotel concierge, or other passengers if you have hailed a shared or unmetered taxi. Some taxi drivers offer guide services too.

Driving in the City

Driving in Cairo is a challenge. Visitors determined to try, however, should spend a day or two observing the locals with their myriad hand gestures, horn honks and aggressive posturing, before getting behind the wheel. Rush hour lasts all day and most of the evening too. Road markings are ignored, as are most traffic lights. At night, few drivers use headlights, except to flash which get out of the way, rather than give way. Most visitors stick to taxis for good reason.

Car Hire

The minimum age for hiring a car in Egypt is 25 years and an International Driving Permit is required. Most major hotels have agents for the leading car hire companies. Recommended car hire firms include: Avis (tel: (02) 2793 2400 or 2265 2429; www.avis.com); Budget, (tel: 012 2355 290 or 2265 2395; www.budget.com); Hertz, 195 Sharia 26th July Street, Agouza (tel: (02) 3347 3172 or 2265 2430; www.hertz.com) and Sixt (tel: (02) 2703 1018) or 01290 86655; www.e-sixt.com).