Car Hire in Cairo - Getting to Cairo

Cairo is Egypt’s gateway, and is a popular stopover point for many African and Asian bound flights, so options are numerous from Europe. There are also a few direct trans-Atlantic flights. Often the cheapest tickets are package deals, with a few free nights thrown in an over-rated Cairo hotel. The airport isn’t terribly modern or comfortable if you have time to kill. Taxi hustlers are numerous, but can be pretty cheap, alternatively there is an uncomfortable bus into the centre and various shuttles. Agents might bundle several of you into a single minibus which is the best value. The journey into the centre takes about 25 minutes outside of rush hour.

Distances are large in Egypt and many chose to fly as the only really convenient and comfortable option. EgyptAir, and Air Sinai offer good domestic connections. Charter flights also fly to Luxor, Hirghada and Sharm el Shiek.

A train line dissects the country running north to south and passing through Cairo at the busy Ramses station. First class overnight trains to Luxor and Aswan can be comfortable and cheap, usually they run on time, but the platform can be chaotic.

There is a bare network of roads in the Nile delta and Cairo area, with a highway running south on both sides of the river, but drivers are often dangerous. Despite crossing deserts there are regular settlements if you run into car trouble. The tourist Police prefer you to drive in convoy following the 1997 tourist attack, but there hasn’t been a major incident since. Driving in Cairo is hair-raising, with seemingly little regard for road rules, and plenty of blaring of horns.