How to get around Egypt

Domestic flights

Experience Egypt, the tourism ministry’s visitor site, names EgyptAir, Nile Air and Air Cairo as the airlines flying inside the country, and lists airports at Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Hurghada, Marsa Alam and Sharm el-Sheikh among others. Which airline flies which route, and on which days, changes with the season. Check the airline’s own schedule for your dates before you build a day around a flight.

A flight saves hours, but it still takes a good part of the day once you add the drive to the airport, check-in and the transfer at the other end. Cairo’s airport has several terminals, so confirm which one you leave from. Read the baggage allowance on your actual fare, and leave a real margin before anything timed on arrival.

Sources: Experience Egypt

Trains along the Nile

Egyptian National Railways runs the line that follows the Nile from Alexandria and Cairo south to Luxor and Aswan. Seats on its air-conditioned trains are booked through the railway’s own booking site. Train categories, carriage classes, fares and departure stations are set by the railway and do change, so read them on the booking page for your date. A class name from an older guidebook or forum post may no longer exist.

The overnight sleeper is sold separately. The railway’s website sends sleeper passengers to abelatrains.com, the operator’s booking site, which is the place to check current departures, cabin types and what the fare covers. It is a commercial site. We link to it because the railway does, not because we have an arrangement with it.

The UK and Canadian governments both note that Egypt has had serious rail accidents, and Canada says safety standards vary. We mention it so you can weigh it yourself; their wording is in the sources below.

Sources: Egyptian National Railways (Official website) · Egyptian National Railways (Seat booking) · Abela Egypt (operator website) · UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office · Government of Canada

Road transfers and driving

A car with a driver is how most visitors cover the ground the railway misses: between the Nile Valley and the Red Sea, out to temples that sit away from the main towns, or across a day with several stops. Agree the pickup point, the vehicle, luggage space and planned breaks in writing before you pay.

This is the part of travel in Egypt where official advice is bluntest. The UK’s Foreign Office says accidents are common because of variable road conditions, dangerous driving and poor enforcement of traffic law, and advises against driving outside main cities and resorts at night. It also notes that drivers and front-seat passengers must wear seat belts. The CDC tells travellers to wear one on every journey.

So ask whether every seat has a working belt, whether the drive will finish before dark, how long the driver will have been on the road, and where you will stop. Ask for child seats well ahead; do not assume they are carried. Experience Egypt mentions car hire, and says that for slightly more money you can hire a driver as well. If you are not used to Egyptian traffic, we would leave self-drive out of a first trip.

Sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office · US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · Experience Egypt

Ride-hailing and taxis

Experience Egypt describes ride-hailing apps as widely used in Greater Cairo and Alexandria. When we checked Uber’s own list of Egyptian cities, it included Cairo, Alexandria and Hurghada along with several Delta and Canal cities. Luxor, Aswan and Sharm el-Sheikh were not on it. In those places, arrange cars through your hotel or planner, or settle the fare with a taxi driver before you get in.

With an app, match the number plate and driver to the booking before you open the door. With a street taxi, Experience Egypt says a working meter is required by law, so ask for it to be switched on as you set off. Canada’s advisory notes that many taxis lack a working meter or rear seat belts. The Foreign Office advises women to be cautious about travelling alone in taxis, particularly at night.

Sources: Experience Egypt · Uber (operator website) · Government of Canada · UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Long-distance buses

Experience Egypt lists three main intercity bus companies: Upper Egypt Bus Company for the Nile Valley, the oases and the Red Sea coast, East Delta for Sinai and the Canal zone, and West and Middle Delta for Alexandria, Marsa Matruh and Siwa. Check the operator’s current timetable before you plan around a bus. The Foreign Office records serious bus crashes on Egyptian roads, including ones that killed tourists.

Sources: Experience Egypt · UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office