How to use a private transfer, Uber, taxi, or public bus to get from Cairo International Airport to downtown Cairo (or wherever you need to go)
Arranging a private transfer from Cairo Airport is a great way to get to where you need to go without any hassle, but it’s also the most expensive option.
Most travelers’ first experience with Egypt is Cairo International Airport, and getting from the airport to where they need to go in the city can be daunting. I will share four different ways to get from the airport to downtown Cairo (or wherever you need to go), from the easiest (and speediest) to the most authentic (and cheapest).
Easiest method: private transfer
The most reliable, quickest, and most expensive option is to arrange a private transfer with your tour company (Egypt Adventures Travel is also happy to help arrange a private airport transfer).
How to: simply tell your tour company you want an airport transfer, and give them your flight information. Try to get the Whatsapp contact information for your driver, or at least for someone responsible for coordinating your driver, so you can get in touch if you have trouble finding your vehicle.
Pro-tip: be sure to tip your driver—50-100 Egyptian pounds is a polite tip.
Uber
Uber will be more difficult to link up with and requires using the internet at CAI or purchasing a local SIM at the airport (which I recommend doing anyway), but it is still easier than trying to negotiate with a taxi.
How to: after logging on to the internet at CAI (or if you have trouble logging in like I always do, purchasing a local SIM card with a data plan), open the Uber app, and request a ride to wherever you need to go. Navigate to one of the set pick up spots, and you’ll be set! It is best to have a local SIM card with a data plan when you exit the airport, so you can continue conversing with your driver if you have trouble locating them.
Pro-tip: Uber drivers as of late have become notorious for purposefully not showing up to pickup points when they do not want to go to a particular pickup destination (like the airport). If your driver seems to be taking much longer than they should, cancel the ride. You will pay a very small cancellation fee (10 Egyptian pounds, which is less than $1 USD), but you can easily dispute this cancellation fee in the Uber app and have it refunded.
Taxi
One of the first things travelers are greeted with upon entering the lobby of the Cairo Airport is an armada of taxi drivers doing whatever they can to get travelers to ride in their vehicle. A lot of these folks are actually brokers who find clients for taxi drivers waiting outside. When it’s late at night and a traveler does not want to deal with setting up internet in order to get an Uber, a taxi is a good way to get to where you need to go.
How to: it will be impossible to miss the swarm of taxi-sellers, and once a traveler shows any interest, an intense bargaining game will begin. Feel free to negotiate hard and to walk away (someone new will always appear). The last time I took a taxi to downtown Cairo, it was after midnight in March of 2021, and I agreed on a fare of 250 Egyptian pounds (less than $20 USD), but travelers may be able to bargain even lower.
Pro-tip: taxi drivers pay a fee in order to enter the airport complex, and they will often try to pass this fee on to their clients. Be prepared to pay up to 50 Egyptian Pounds to a teller at the airport exit, or if you do not want to be saddled with this charge, clear this up during your price negotiation. Like any service in Egypt, be sure to tip your taxi driver—50 Egyptian pounds is a good tip from the airport to a downtown hotel.
Public bus
The most authentic way to experience Egypt (and by far the cheapest) is to take the public bus. Here is a video showing the journey:
How to: take the shuttle bus from the terminal (you may need to wait up to a half hour for the shuttle to appear) to the bus station (clearly marked with signage in English), and ask anyone at the station for a bus going to “Abdel Moo-neem Ree-ahd”. Get on the bus, pay your fare (between 5-25 Egyptian pounds, depending on which bus you take), and take the bus to the final stop, then get directions using Google Maps to your hotel (you can even jump into a taxi or Uber once downtown to get to your hotel even quicker).
Pro-tip: if you have internet, pull up Google Maps and follow along with your journey on GPS, so you make sure you get out at the right area for your hotel, or wherever else you are heading. For downtown hotels, get out at the last stop, Abdel Moneim Riad Station.
Which way will you use when you land at Cairo International Airport? What has your experience been like with the method you used, if you have already been to Egypt? Leave us a comment below and let us know!
