Getting to Cairo: By bus

Full Cairo Travel Guide »    Cairo Interactive Map »    Print This Article »

See also: Cairo to Jerusalem by bus

Buses arrive to Cairo from virtually all over the country. The two main destinations are Midan Ramsis and Cairo Gateway, formerly known as Turgoman, but vehicles also sometimes stop at other destinations, notably Abbasiya. From Midan Ramses and Cairo Gateway it's a quick 5 LE taxi cab ride to downtown, 7-10 LE to Zamalek. Cairo Gateway is a new, modern indoor station located approximately 500m from the Orabi Metro Station, within the new Cairo Gateway Plaza.

Destinations:

• Port Said, Ismailiya, and Suez - hourly services from Cairo Gateway (2 hrs; 20-30 LE)

• Sharm el-Sheikh - East Delta buses take approximately 8 hrs (80 LE) while Super-jet buses take 6 hrs. Some East Delta services continue to Dahab. When taking the bus to Sharm, keep your bus ticket and passport handy, as you will pass through a number of checkpoints, which require passengers to present identification and ticket. A cheaper option to get to Sharm by bus is to take a bus, a train, or a minibus to Suez (10LE) and from the main bus station there, take the 11AM or the 13:20 bus to Sharm for only 31 LE.

• Taba and Nuweiba - Buses leave Cairo Gateway three times daily (06.00 hrs, 09.30 hrs & 22.15 hrs) with prices comparable with the services to Sharm. It takes around 6 hrs to get to Nuweiba.

• Siwa - Direct buses leave Cairo Gateway Sunday and Wednesday nights at 7:45PM (60 LE)

Uncomfortable, but cheap, micro-buses leave from Cairo to a large number of destinations. The main garages are Midan Ramsis and Al-Marg metro station (for the north-east and Sinai). They are faster and might as such be an option for shorter trips, but have a terrible toll of accidents. There are also other places these buses leave from depending on your destination, ask locals. Be aware that at least for the Sinai, foreigners are prohibited to use the micro-bus system.

Super-jet bus to Alexandria, Hurghada and Sinai TEL. +202 2266-0212.

East Delta bus to Sharm El-Sheikh , Arish and Rafah Tel. +202 2576-2293.