Transport in Egypt
Planes, trains and automobiles: discover the best modes of transport to use to find your way around and between the cities, monuments and landmarks of Egypt.
Travelling Between Cities
If you're going on an organised trip, this shouldn't be a concern unless you want to take a trip to Alexandria or the Red Sea on the days you're in Cairo.
For those of you travelling on your own, although Egypt has a good network of trains and buses unless you're on a tight budget or you're going on a two-week holiday, we'd definitely recommend flying. If you book in advance, prices are not too high.
To get the best prices on flights, we recommend you book with our flight search engine:
Travelling Around Cities
The most hassle-free option is to reserve your English-language guided tours online. As these excursions include transport, they save you the effort of haggling prices with taxi drivers and attempting to understand public buses or the metro in Cairo.
Reserve guided tours in English
The best option for sightseeing in Egypt is to book a guided tour in English. On our website, you'll find tours in the main tourist centres (Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada). Booking the excursions you will be picked up at your hotel, taken back, everything will be explained in detail and in your own language.
Although we don't like to mention this either, we must say that booking excursions is also the safest option.
Taxis
If you want to explore the cities on your own, taxis are the quickest and most convenient option.
When it comes to paying, there are two options: the Egyptian way, which consists of getting into the taxi and giving the driver the money you want, or the Marrakech way, which consists of negotiating the price before getting in. We recommend the second option in order to be more relaxed and to avoid a taxi driver making a fuss. If you choose the first option, you can always ask an Egyptian on the street how much you should pay for a ride.
As an example, a good price is 10 LE (US$ 0.20) to travel between points within a city, you can pay 20 LE (US$ 0.40) if the distance is further (such as from the Pyramids to downtown Cairo) or in case you run into a big traffic jam.
To get to the airports the price would be a bit higher. In the case of Cairo, where the airport is a bit further away, a good price is between 50 LE (US$ 1) and 70 LE (US$ 1.40). The best way to negotiate is to tell the price to you and if they don't accept, try the next taxi.
Some people prefer to hire a taxi for a morning or a whole day, but we don't like this option too much as you'll usually end up paying more and have to worry about the timetable. With the number of taxis out there, unless you find a taxi driver who speaks English or you like him particularly well, we don't recommend going the extra mile.
Caleches
Caleches are the horse-drawn carriages that you'll see in cities like Luxor and Aswan. These are a fun way to experience the sights provided you're not in a hurry or on a budget, as they are slower and more expensive than taxis. You'll usually find them at the cruise port or other main transport arrival terminals near the monument complexes.
