By Air

Cairo International Airport is situated 14 miles northeast of the centre of Cairo and is the main international entry point into Egypt. It receives flights from Egypt and destinations around the world.

The Cairo Airport Shuttle Bus operates services to the city. Public buses also run to and from the city. A more convenient option is to take an official taxi from outside the terminals. You can also find a limousine-taxi service that has fixed fares.

By Rail

Egyptian State Railway operates Egypt’s railway service. The network is efficient, though somewhat limited. Regular services run to Alexandria, Luxor and Aswan, with first-class or second-class superior being the most comfortable. First-class sleeper trains run to Luxor and Aswan. If you are travelling south from Cairo through the Nile Valley, you are advised to use the guarded trains for security. Foreign students are entitled to a 50 per cent discount if they are in possession of a valid student card.

By Bus

It is possible to travel to Cairo on buses or coaches. There is a regular and inexpensive coach service that runs to Cairo from the other major Egyptian cities. Many of the coaches are air conditioned and comfortable. However, older buses can be uncomfortable and a long journey on one of them can be a fairly unpleasant experience. Generally, the comfort of the journey is reflected in the price of the ticket. There are five long-distance coach stations throughout Cairo, which although they can get very congested, they do have reasonable facilities.

By Car

Foreign drivers must be over 25 years old to drive in Egypt and they must possess an International Driving licence. With the exception of the main highways, the majority of roads are of a very poor standard, filled with potholes and bumps. Egyptian drivers overtake in dangerous situations and headlights at night appear to be optional.

The main routes into Cairo are the Delta Highway and Highway 1. If you are travelling from Alexandria in the northwest, you can reach Cairo via the Desert Highway and Highway 11. If you are travelling from Luxor in the south, you need to travel along Highway 2 for Cairo. To travel to Cairo from Port Said, you need to take Highway 3 and Highway 33, which comes in from the east at Suez. From Alexandria and Port Said, driving time is 3 hours, while from Luxor, it is a 10-hour journey and from Aswan a 16-hour journey.

Mohammed Ali Mosque, The Pyramids at Giza, Joseph's Well, Cairo Tower, Museum of Islamic Art

Mohammed Ali Mosque

The Citadel is entered by the Bab el-Gedid, which leads into a courtyard and then through the Bab el-Wastani into the main courtyard. On the south side of this is the Mohammed Ali Mosque, often called the Alabaster Mosque, one of the city's great landmarks with its tall and disproportionately slender minarets. It was begun in 1824 by Mohammed (Mehemet) Ali but completed only in 1857, under his successor Said. The architect was a Greek named Yusuf Boshna from Istanbul, who took as his model the Nuruosmaniye Mosque in that city, itself modeled on the Hagia Sophia.

The Pyramids at Giza

These structures are the only ancient wonder of the world that still exists. They are probably the most famous sights in the world and certainly among the oldest. The site of Giza consists of The Great Pyramid, The Pyramid of Khafre and The Pyramid of Menkaure. There are also several smaller constructions known as ‘Queens’ and the famous Sphinx. The Great Pyramid is home to the Pharaoh Khufu’s tomb.  

Joseph's Well

Just to the south of the El-Nasir Mosque can be seen Joseph's Well, a square shaft 290ft/88m deep which probably dates from the time of Saladin, and has a spiral staircase running down the sides. Half way down is a platform on which oxen formerly worked a wheel to bring up water.

Cairo Tower

In the southern half of Gezira is the great landmark and emblem of the modern city of Cairo, the 614ft/187m high Cairo Tower, with observation platforms and a restaurant from which there are panoramic views of the city.

Museum of Islamic Art

From the Midan el-Ataba, immediately southeast of the Ezbekiya Gardens, the wide Shari el-Qala runs southeast in a dead straight line to the foot of the Citadel. About a quarter of the way there it comes to the Midan Ahmed Maher, on the north side of which is the Museum of Islamic Art, founded by the German architectand scholar Franz Pasha (d. 1915), the finest collection of its kind in the world, with masterpieces from every Islamic country.

September - November

June - August -> 35(°C) - Summer
January - February -> 9(°C) - Spring

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