Getting in
- Cairo International Airport: Use Uber or Careem from the app, not the arrivals-hall taxi scrum. Downtown is usually 30–60 minutes but can hit 75+ in traffic; expect a live app fare roughly in the EGP 300–700 range depending on time and destination. The airport metro extension is not complete; public bus 400 is cheap but slow, awkward with luggage and not the sensible first-arrival choice.
- Sphinx International Airport: Best if you are staying by Giza/the Grand Egyptian Museum: order Uber or Careem or arrange a hotel transfer. Allow roughly 30–50 minutes to Giza and 60–90 minutes to central Cairo, traffic permitting. It is useful for budget-airline arrivals, but has no convenient rail link into town.
- Cairo Ramses (Misr) railway station: The practical exit is Shohadaa/Martyrs Metro, directly by the station: Lines 1 and 2 make it the city’s best rail-to-metro interchange. For luggage or a hotel outside metro reach, use Uber/Careem from a pickup point away from the station frontage; allow extra time for security queues on arrival and departure.
- Giza railway station: Useful for Upper Egypt trains, but not for walking to the pyramids. Take a short ride to Omm El-Misryeen on Metro Line 2, then use Uber/Careem for your final leg; the pyramids are still a road transfer away.
- Cairo Gateway bus station (Turgoman): For intercity bus arrivals, walk about 500 m to Orabi Metro station if travelling light; otherwise take an app car. It is more functional than atmospheric, so do not linger expecting a pleasant transport hub.