The national airline is EgyptAir (MS) (website: www.egyptair.com.eg).

From Cairo to London is four hours 45 minutes (from Luxor to London is five hours 35 minutes), from Cairo to Los Angeles is 16 hours 40 minutes, to New York is 14 hours 25 minutes, to Singapore is 12 hours 35 minutes, and to Sydney is 20 hours.

Cairo International (CAI), 24km (15 miles) northeast of the city at Heliopolis (travel time – 1 hour). To/from the airport: There are bus services every 30 minutes, and taxis are available. Special limousines are offered by local and international operators. Hotel cars may also be available. Facilities: Incoming and outgoing duty free shops selling a wide range of goods, several car hire firms, post office, bank/bureau de change, restaurants and bar, hotel reservation service, souvenir shops, bookshop and travel insurance services.
Borg El Arab (HBE), has replaced El Nouzha airport as the main international airport for Alexandria. It lies 60 km (37 miles) southwest of Alexandria. Facilities: Duty free shop, bank and exchange services, VIP lounge, post office and restaurant.
Luxor Airport (LXR) is 5.5km (3.5 miles) from Luxor. To/from the airport: There is a regular bus service to the city centre (travel time – 15 minutes). Special limousine and local taxi services are available. Facilities: Car hire, bank and exchange services, and a bar and restaurant. Improvement works have taken place and are expected to continue to meet the increasing flow of tourists.

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The main coastal ports are Alexandria, Nuweiba, Port Said and Suez. The Saudi Sea Transport Company runs a regular car ferry service between Suez and Jeddah. A ferry service usually travels twice per week up the Nile between Wadi Halfa (Sudan) and Egypt High Dam; it departs from High Dam on Saturday and Wadi Halfa on Tuesday. However, it is occasionally suspended. For further information, contact the Nile Valley Association (tel: (2) 578 9256). There is also a ferry service that operates twice-daily between South Sinai and Aqaba (Jordan). There are special rates for children under 12 and under three years of age. For more information, contact the Cairo Navigation Agency (tel: (2) 574 5755 or 575 5568). Many cruise ships stop over in Egypt as part of their African itinerary.

There are no international rail links to any of Egypt’s northwestern neighbours. The railheads at Aswan and Wadi Halfa, Sudan are connected by a ferry across Lake Nasser.

The road border between Libya and Egypt is open. There are two border crossings between Israel and Egypt: one runs from Cairo via El Arish to Rafiah on the north Sinai coast; and the other from Cairo via Suez and Taba to Eilat. Daily coaches leave early in the morning from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in Israel for travel via El Arish/Rafiah to Cairo and vice versa. There are no direct buses from Eilat to Cairo; it is necessary to change in Taba. The crossing from Taba to Eilat is now open 24 hours a day. Passengers in taxis and rented cars are not permitted to cross the borders between Israel and Egypt. Privately owned vehicles may be taken across other borders, provided the appropriate documentation is obtained. All private vehicles entering Egypt must have a three-month triptyche or Carnet de passage en douane from an automobile club in the country of registration. The driver must hold an international drivers’ licence. Visas should normally be obtained in advance; however, travellers entering Egypt via Taba may be able to obtain visas at the border. Contact the Tourist Office for further details of entry restrictions (see Top Things To Do).

EgyptAir operates daily flights between Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, and Hurghada. For information on schedules, contact local offices or see online (website: www.egyptair.com.eg). Air Sinai operates services from Cairo to Eilat, El Arish, Hurghada, Luxor, Ras El Nakab, St Catherine, Sharm el-Sheikh and Taba.

There are slow and fast ferry services linking Hurghada with Sharm el-Sheikh in Sinai. Slow ferries operate from Sharm el-Sheikh to Hurghada on Mon, Wed, Fri; and from Hurghada to Sharm el-Sheikh on Tues, Thurs, Sun (travel time – six hours). Fast ferries operate in both directions on Mon, Thurs and Sat (travel time – one hour 30 minutes). The traditional Nile sailing boats, feluccas, can be hired by the hour for relaxed sailing on the Nile. Regular Nile cruises operate between Luxor and Aswan, and sometimes between Cairo and Aswan, usually for the following periods: four nights, five days (standard tour); six nights/seven days (extended tour), and 14 nights/15 days (full Nile cruise). There are over 160 individually owned boats of all categories operating on the Nile.

A comprehensive rail network run by Egyptian State Railways (tel: (02) 574 9474 or 575 3555) offering a high standard of service is operated along an east–west axis from Sallom on the Libyan border to Alexandria and Cairo, and along the Nile to Luxor and Aswan. There are also links to Port Said and Suez. There are frequent trains from Cairo to Alexandria, and also several luxury air-conditioned day and night trains with sleeping and restaurant cars from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan for the Nile Valley tourist trade. For the overnight train, bookings should be made one week in advance through a travel agent or through Abela Egypt, Ramses Station, Ramses Square, Cairo (tel: (2) 574 9274 or 574 9474; website: www.sleepingtrains.com). On Egyptian state railways, children under four years travel free. Children aged four to nine years pay half fare. Holders of Youth Hostel cards can get reductions. For details of other possible reductions, contact the Tourist Office.

Traffic drives on the right. Besides the Nile Valley and Delta, which hold an extensive road network, there are paved roads along the Mediterranean and African Red Sea coasts. The road looping through the Western Desert oases from Asyut to Giza is fully paved. The speed limit is usually 90kph (56mph) on motorways and 100kph (62mph) on the desert motorway from Cairo to Alexandria (there are substantial fines for speeding). Private motoring in the desert regions is not recommended without suitable vehicles and a guide. For more details, contact the Egyptian Automobile Club in Cairo. Bus: The national bus system serves the Nile Valley and the coastal road. Main routes are from Cairo to St Catherine, Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, Ras Sudr, El-Tour, Taba and Rafah; from Suez to El-Tour and Sharm el-Sheikh; and from Sharm el-Sheikh to Taba, Neweiba, El-Tour, Dahab and St Catherine. Coach services operate between Cairo and Agami, Marakia-Mrabila, Marina-Aidda Sidy Abd El Rahman, Matrouh, Ma’amoura Beach and Hurghada. Taxi: These are available in all the larger cities and are metered (see also Urban below). Long-distance group taxis for all destinations are cheap. Fares should be agreed in advance. In Cairo, taxis are white and black, in Alexandria they are orange and black. Taxis which are Peugeot 504s are 'service' taxis. They are larger but more expensive. Car hire: This is available through Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Thrifty and local companies. The driver must be at least 25 years of age. Travel through the desert wilderness is available through local tour operators. It should be borne in mind that desert travel is extremely hazardous without an experienced guide, ample supplies of water and a vehicle in good mechanical condition. Documentation: Visitor’s own insurance and an International Driving Permit are required to drive any motor vehicle. Carnet de Passage or a suitable deposit is necessary for the temporary import of visitor’s own vehicle. All vehicles (including motorcycles) are required by law to carry a fire extinguisher and a red hazard triangle.

The Government-owned Cairo Transport Authority runs buses and tram services in Cairo and also operates cross-Nile ferries. There is a central area flat fare. In addition, there are other buses and fixed-route shared taxi and minibus services run by private operators. Vehicles normally wait at city terminals to obtain a full load, but there are frequent departures. Fares are three to four times higher than on the buses. Cairo’s suburban railways have been upgraded to provide a rapid transit network, including Africa’s first underground railway. Alexandria also has buses and tramways, with first- and second-class and distance-regulated fares.

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