Although Cairo's jungle offers decent public transport by African standards, the most efficient way to get around the city is on foot or by taxi.
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On foot
At first glance, Cairo is anything but a pedestrian-friendly city. But the fact remains that walking is the most efficient mode of transport, at least in the centre and in historic Islamic Cairo, the main tourist areas.
Before you hit the streets of Cairo, it's a good idea to prepare for a few things:
- Leave your new shoes at home... Cairo's streets are extremely dusty and the marketplaces dump a lot of rubbish directly onto the pavements.
- Don't expect pedestrian crossings. Crossing the streets is a very wild discipline in Cairo and you need to be fearless, look confident and keep an eye on traffic at all times. When a loophole appears, just make your way through the cars, they will then adjust their driving.
Cairo is a relatively safe place and there is no greater danger than pickpocketing in the centre or tourist areas. Be extra careful of these though, as especially in the marketplaces you will be literally body to body through crowds of people. In such conditions, it is very easy to miss a theft altogether.
Taxi and Uber in Cairo
Taxis are the most relevant mode of transport for distances you are not willing to walk. The metro is far from getting you to all the attractions and buses are extremely inconvenient for a tourist.
Taxis and Uber drivers are ubiquitous in Cairo, at any location at any time of the day or night.
Uber
Using the Uber mobile app is the most convenient way to get around the city in Cairo. The downside is obvious: you need to have internet access. Either get a local data sim right at the airport, or purchase an e-sim from the comfort of your home in advance via our popular airalo.com.
Uber works here as it does in every other city in the world. You choose your route in the app, it automatically connects you to the nearest driver and shows you the price you'll pay. When the ride is over, that price is charged to your card, which you have to enter into the app beforehand.
You don't pay any extra cash, you don't haggle over the price, you don't bargain, you know exactly how much you're going for. If you're going to be in Cairo for an extended period of time, we definitely recommend purchasing a data sim card just to use Uber, which is truly by far the most convenient means of transportation in Cairo.
When using Uber, it is very useful to know the East Arabic numerals used in Egypt, which are very different from the classic Arabic numbers we are familiar with. When you order an Uber, the app will show you the license plate number of the car, but in the familiar Arabic numerals. However, these are not used on real license plates and you have to translate the Arabic numerals into Eastern Arabic in your head:
- 1 = ١
- 2 = ٢
- 3 = ٣
- 4 = ٤
- 5 = ٥
- 6 = ٦
- 7 = ٧
- 8 = ٨
- 9 = ٩
Examples of Uber prices
- Downtown (Tahrir) - Pyramids: approx. 90 egp
- CAI Airport - Downtown (Tahrir): approx. 120 egp to 140 egp
- Centre (Tahrir) - Saladin Citadel: approx. 40 egp
Classic taxis
Official taxis are white with subtle black hatching across the doors. There are no taxi meters in Cairo and the price depends entirely on your bargaining skills. If you are near a tourist attraction, you will find it very difficult to negotiate a taxi at the price a local would drive. The taxi driver knows that sooner or later he will catch another tourist and drive at a price he sets himself.
If you have the opportunity, walk a little further from the tourist attraction (at least 500 meters) and catch a taxi. This is also true at Cairo airport, where there are taxi drivers in the first row right at the exit, who are very difficult to bargain with, but if you go down the stairs to the parking lot, your chances increase.
That's another rule. A standing taxi is less likely to negotiate a good price.
It's a good idea to learn at least the Arabic numerals, although most Cairo taxi drivers understand English prices.
Metro
Cairo's metro currently has 3 lines, with a fourth towards the pyramids under construction and probably won't be completed until 2028. The metro is great for getting from the far-flung settlements on the outskirts of Cairo to the centre, but for tourists its use is frankly quite limiting.
Apart from the Coptic Quarter and the new Cairo city centre, most tourist attractions are bypassed by the metro. However, you can easily get to the train station and in a short time (2024-2025) hopefully finally to the airport.
Read more on our separate Cairo Metro page.
Buses in Cairo
For foreigners, the bus service is an uncluttered mess. While you can get to absolutely every corner of Cairo by bus, figuring out which one is an art that's difficult to master without Arabic.
There are two bus operators in Cairo:
- Mwasalat Misr - a private carrier with more modern buses and a website in English: mwasalatmisr.com
- CTA - a municipal transport company without a website.
You can only find a map of bus routes with Mwasalat Misr, otherwise you won't find a comprehensive map of the entire network anywhere across the internet.
Only Google Transit, which knows both carriers and displays most of the stops correctly on the map, can help you plan your transport.
Bus and bus stop markings
The first problem comes when you're looking for a bus stop and the right route, which you might have found on Google. The location of the bus stops marked on Google maps corresponds with an accuracy of +- 100 meters. They are not marked in any way, which is also an advantage. Even if you don't stand right at the bus stop, you can just wave emphatically at the bus and it will stop.
Always press the stop button when entering.
Mwasalat Misr's bus signage (green-blue-white) is clear. They have digital boards and the line number markings are always in the classic Arabic numerals that we know here.
On the other hand, the markings of the blue CTA buses are very unclear. The signs are only in Arabic and the numbers used are East Arabic numerals, which are quite different from the classical Arabic ones. The exception is the 2002 tourist line, which runs from the centre via the Giza metro station to the pyramids. More modern buses with the familiar Arabic numerals are also used.
Tickets: prices and where to buy them
Bus tickets can only be bought inside the car and only with cash. Ideally, have the smallest notes possible.
On blue CTA buses (lines are marked by number only), you buy your ticket from the conductor, who is either standing at the first door or actively walking through the car. The ticket costs 7,50 egp.
For the white-green-blue Mwasalat Misr buses (lines marked with the letter M and a number), you can buy a ticket from the driver for 10 egp.
Vans and minibuses
In addition to the regular buses, a huge number of vans and minibuses of various ages and half-lives ply the main streets. Driving a minibus is easy, just wave at a minibus at any point and it will stop for you if it's not full.
When you want to get out, just tell the driver. Payment is always made immediately after boarding to the driver. You don't get any paper ticket like with buses, you just have to have paid.
Ticket prices vary between 1 egp and 8 egp depending on the distance travelled.
The minibuses are not numbered by line, but navigating the system is not that difficult. Usually the vans run along a particular thoroughfare from one end of it to the other.
Tuk-tuk
In addition to taxis, a large number of three-wheelers with two seats also ply the streets of Cairo. They are known mainly from Asia as tuk-tuks. As with taxis, the price is solely determined by negotiation and is usually similar to that of a taxi.
