Getting Around

A typical view of traffic in Giza with fast tooting traffic and good humour.

Duncan Harley

Traffic in Cairo can be hell. Driving your own vehicle takes some guts. The best ways of transport are taxis and the subway system. Buses tend to be very overcrowded with people hanging out of the doors and it is often hard to find out where and when they are going.

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Airport

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Cairo International Airport is 23 km from the city centre. Transfer by coach or taxi, taking 30 mins but much longer during rush hour.

Airport departure tax: E£ 19

Latest check-in time: International 90 mins, domestic 30 mins. There is an airconditioned bus that goes from the airport (on the far side of the parkinglot) to behind the Egyptian Museum for 2LE+0.5LE per piece of luggage. It is worth the walk to save the hassel of dealing with the airport taxi's.

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Taxi

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Taxis are metered. Insist that the driver uses the meter or fix a price in advance. Keith Hekman: The taxis in cairo have not used their meters for years. They work quite well, but it is the riders responsibility to know the fare in advance. When you arrive to the place, get out, and hand the exact change back through the window. Then walk away. The driver may complain, but ignore him, if you know you have given him a fair price. I have found that most of the taxi drivers are nice. The key is self confidence (and a little bit of Arabic helps as well)

A more..

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River Bus

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Apart from the taxis, buses and metros which are known in all kinds of cities, Cairo has its river bus. Like a bus, it follows specific routes, but on the Nile, not on the road. They are mostly used by the Cairenes and very convenient. Although they don't go very fast, they don't suffer from traffic jams. One of the stops is next to the Ramses Hilton. If one of your destinations is along side the Nile, just ask at your hotel whether a river bus goes there.

It's possible to take a river bus to the Coptic Quarter where a lot of churches, an enormous Coptic more..

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