Egypt » Getting Around

The safest, and quickest, way to get around Egypt is by air, especially as travel by road can be hazardous. EgyptAir (www.egyptair.com) operates daily flights between the international airports at Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, Sharm El Sheikh, Assiut, Mersa Matrouh, Sohag and Hurghada, with flight times scheduled for convenient morning and evening departures. Flight times are short; between Cairo and Luxor, for example, the flight is just 45 minutes duration. It is advisable to book well ahead of your trip.

A comprehensive rail network run by Egyptian National Railways (www.egyptrail.gov.eg; tel: (2) 2574 9474 or 2575 3555) offers a high standard of service, with a range of fast and slow services. Routes operate from Salloum on the Libyan border to Alexandria and Cairo, and south down the Nile from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan. There are also links to Port Said and Suez and frequent trains between Cairo and Alexandria.

To serve the Nile Valley tourist trade, several luxury air-conditioned day and night trains with sleeping and restaurant cars run from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan. For the overnight train, make bookings through a travel agent, or through Abela Egypt (in front of Ramses Station, Cairo (tel: (2) 2574 9274/9474; www.sleepingtrains.com). On Egyptian State Railways, children under four years travel free, and children aged four to nine years pay half fare. Holders of Youth Hostel cards are entitled to reductions.

The government-owned Cairo Transport Authority runs buses and tram services in Cairo and also operates cross-Nile ferries. There is a central area flat fare. In addition, there are other buses and fixed-route shared taxi and minibus services run by private operators. Vehicles normally wait at city terminals to obtain a full load, but there are frequent departures. Fares are three to four times higher than on the buses with the advantage of a little more comfort. Cairo's suburban railways have been upgraded to provide a rapid transit network, including Africa's first underground railway, the Metro.

Alexandria has buses and tramways, with first- and second-class and distance-regulated fares. The trundling tram, although quaint, can be very slow to travel through the city.

Luxor has minibuses with fixed routes. A more picturesque way to travel around the city is in a caleche (horse-drawn cart). Aswan and Luxor also have passenger boats criss-crossing the Nile.

There are motorways in and around Cairo but the standard of driving is notoriously chaotic. Motorways are generally in good condition. Roads along the Mediterranean and African Red Sea coasts, and the route looping through the Western Desert oases from Asyut to Giza are fully paved. Private motoring in the desert regions is not recommended without suitable vehicles and a guide.

Long distance buses and coaches connect the country’s major towns and can be fast and inexpensive. Tickets can be booked for all routes at the Cairo Gateway bus terminal. The East Delta Bus company (www.eastdeltatravel.com) serves the Sinai Peninsula. It is affiliated to the West Delta Company (www.westmidbus-eg.com) which covers the Western Desert, and the Upper Egypt Company (www.bus.com.eg) which runs services around the delta to Cairo, the Nile Valley and the Red Sea coastal region.