No train or metro reaches Cairo's airport, so on a layover you go by car. Uber or an airport limousine from the kerb is the simplest way in, with the price settled before you leave: about 45 minutes to Khan el-Khalili and 70 to the Pyramids. Traffic decides the rest, so leave town earlier than you think.
What's the best way from Cairo airport into the city?
For most layovers, take Uber, which shows the price before you book, or an airport limousine at a fixed price from the kerb outside arrivals. Allow about 45 minutes to Khan el-Khalili and 70 to the Pyramids, our estimates, as nobody publishes a drive time. There's no train. Allow about 75 minutes from landing to sitting in a car, and leave town 2.5 hours before your flight, or 2 hours 50 minutes from the Pyramids.
Getting through the border
Before any car, you clear Egyptian passport control. Cairo International Airport (CAI) publishes no queue times, so plan on about 75 minutes from landing to sitting in a car, and more when several long-haul flights land together.
- The visa first. Without an e-Visa, you buy a visa on arrival at the kiosks before the passport desks, for about US$30 to US$36, so carry US dollars and a card. An e-Visa bought before you fly saves that queue.
- Fast Track. The airport’s Ahlan service sells meet and assist through the border, US$110 for non-Egyptians, booked at least 48 hours ahead.
- Money for the ride. Cash machines and exchange desks are in the arrivals halls, before and after passport control. Take out some Egyptian pounds before you head outside.
- Bags. On one ticket, your bags go through to your next flight. On separate tickets you collect them, and the airport lists no left luggage, so a city trip means taking them with you.
The options at a glance
| Uber | Airport limousine | White taxi | City bus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To | Anywhere | Anywhere, at a fixed price by area | Anywhere | Cairo and other cities |
| Time to Khan el-Khalili | About 45 minutes | About the same | About the same | Not published |
| Fare | Shown in the app before you book | Fixed by destination and car size | On the meter | Not published |
| Pay with | The app | Ask before you set off | The driver, at the end | Not published |
| From | Terminal 2 pick-up zone; Terminal 3 car park, space B6 | The kerb outside each terminal | The kerb | Terminal 1 bus station only |
The drive times are our estimates: nobody publishes one for Cairo’s roads.
Uber or a limousine: the best for most layovers
Every plan in this guide goes by car, and the best car is one whose price is settled before you set off, so a jam costs you time, not an argument.
- Uber shows the price before you book. At Terminal 2 you meet the driver in the pick-up zone; at Terminal 3, in the car park at parking space B6; at Terminal 1, the app shows you where. You need mobile data, so set up an eSIM before you fly, and you’ll use it again for the ride back.
- Airport limousines wait at the kerb in front of each terminal, with fixed prices by destination and car: category C, a mid-sized car, suits most travellers, and category B is a minibus for up to seven. Agree the price for the return trip too if you want the driver to wait.
- Ignore offers inside the arrivals hall. The airport itself warns that drivers there target tourists. Walk out to the kerb or use the app.
How long the drive takes depends on the day more than the distance. Our estimates, from Terminals 2 and 3:
| From the airport to | Light traffic | Weekday daytime |
|---|---|---|
| Khan el-Khalili and Al-Azhar, about 20 to 25 km | 30 to 40 minutes | 50 to 75 minutes |
| The Egyptian Museum, Tahrir Square, about 25 to 30 km | 35 to 45 minutes | 60 to 90 minutes |
| The Citadel, about 30 km | 40 to 50 minutes | 60 to 90 minutes |
| The Pyramids of Giza, about 45 to 55 km | 50 to 60 minutes | 75 to 100 minutes |
| The Grand Egyptian Museum, about 50 km | 50 to 65 minutes | 75 to 105 minutes |
Light traffic means Friday and Saturday mornings and the night; the weekday rush runs from about 7 to 10am and 3 to 8pm. This guide’s plans allow 45 minutes into Khan el-Khalili, 50 to the Egyptian Museum and the Citadel and 70 to Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, and an hour back from the city or 80 minutes from Giza, which includes finding your car. There’s no first or last ride: cars run at any hour.
Taxis: agree the fare or use the meter
- White taxis have meters. Check it’s running when you set off.
- The old black-and-white taxis usually have no meter, so you agree the price before you get in. If you can’t, take Uber or a limousine instead.
- Coming back from town, book an Uber from where you are, or hail a white taxi, and tell the driver your departure terminal.
A driver for the day, or a tour
For the Pyramids, the simplest plan is a car that waits: agree with a limousine driver to take you to Giza, wait while you walk round, and bring you back, or book an Uber each way. Layover tours do the same with a guide: GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab) and Viator (opens in a new tab) list tours that meet you at arrivals and take you to the Pyramids and a museum. Check where the driver meets you, what happens if your flight is late, and that the tour ends back at the airport with time to spare.
The airport bus
City buses for Cairo and other parts of Egypt leave from the bus station in the car park in front of Terminal 1 only. The airport publishes no routes, fares or times for them, so they’re no use on a layover, least of all at night.
Moving between terminals
Cairo’s three terminals are linked by the Automated People Mover, a free driverless train that takes 5 minutes at most from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3, with stops at the Air Mall and the car park. It has two sides: an airside one for connecting passengers who stay in the transit area, and a public one for everyone else. It runs 18 hours a day.
Which terminal you leave from depends on your airline: EgyptAir and the other Star Alliance airlines use Terminal 3. Read yours off your ticket or the airport’s flight board, and tell your driver.
Timing your return
Be back at the airport 90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass. That’s time for the security check at the terminal door, departure passport control and the walk to your gate. EgyptAir asks every passenger leaving Cairo, even one checked in online, to call at its bag-drop counter for the immigration card, which fits in that time. If you still have to check in, allow longer.
In practice, leave Khan el-Khalili or the Egyptian Museum 2.5 hours before your flight: an hour for the drive back and 90 minutes at the airport. From the Pyramids or the Grand Egyptian Museum, leave 2 hours 50 minutes before. In the weekday rush, about 3 to 8pm, leave 30 minutes earlier still: the drive back is the one thing nobody can promise.
How much time you’ll have in town:
| Layover | Time in town |
|---|---|
| 6 hours | About 1.5 hours |
| 8 hours | About 3.5 hours |
| 10 hours | About 5.5 hours |
| 12 hours | About 7.5 hours |
These times are for Khan el-Khalili and Al-Muizz Street: about 75 minutes from landing to the car, 45 minutes’ drive in, an hour back and 90 minutes at the airport, as in the itineraries. The Egyptian Museum gives you about 5 minutes less, and the Pyramids or the Grand Egyptian Museum about 45 minutes less.