City cards

Seven city cards — neighbourhoods, hotels, airports and transfers

The cards in this section answer the questions you have before you arrive in an Egyptian city, not after. Which neighbourhood should the hotel be in? Where does the airport actually drop you and how much does that taxi cost? Which districts are pleasant in the evening and which are best skipped after dark? Which metro stops are useful and which are theatre? Each card below condenses a city into one screen of practical orientation — hotel zones, transfer pricing in Egyptian pounds and US dollars, the two or three streets that matter, and the one mistake first-time visitors make. The cards do not cover individual hotels; that is not our format.

The seven cities below are the ones our reader inbox asks about most often — Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Alexandria, Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada and Dahab. Egypt has dozens more cities worth visiting (Siwa, Marsa Alam, Port Said, Suez, Mansoura, Asyut, Sohag), and a few of them have shorter cards in the archive — write to the desk if you need orientation on a city not on this page and we will see what is in the queue. Most travellers spend their Egypt time in two or three of the seven, and the cards below are scaled to that reality.

Cairo evening skyline with traffic lights

Cairo · 22 million

Card 091 — Cairo, neighbourhoods and zones

Where to stay: Zamalek (island, expat-friendly, walkable), Garden City (central, walkable to Egyptian Museum), Downtown (gritty-elegant, real Cairo, busy at night), Maadi (south, residential, far from sites but pleasant if you have a long stay), Heliopolis (north-east, near airport but far from sites). Airport: Cairo International (CAI) is north-east, 45 minutes to Zamalek in good traffic, 90 minutes in bad. Taxi EGP 350–600. Avoid: Imbaba, Boulaq Abu Ela for hotels (residential, far from sites). Metro: Lines 1 (north–south through downtown) and 3 (east–west to Mohandessin) are useful; Line 2 less so. Last rotated April 2026 (S.M.).

Cairo city card #001Read full card →

Luxor · 500,000

Card 098 — Luxor, four hotel zones

Where to stay: Corniche north (best for Karnak access), Corniche south near Old Winter Palace (best for Luxor Temple access), West Bank (slower pace, quieter, best for early temple mornings), Karnak-side (cheap, less character). Airport: Luxor International (LXR) is east, 25 minutes to the corniche, taxi EGP 250 fixed. Avoid: the strip of cheap hotels behind the station (noisy, no character). Transfer to Aswan: train EGP 200 first-class, four hours; private car EGP 1,800; flight EGP 1,200. The train is the right choice. Last rotated April 2026 (N.H.).

Luxor city card #001Read full card →

Aswan corniche with feluccas on the Nile

Aswan · 300,000

Card 102 — Aswan, the river city

Where to stay: Corniche near the train station (central, walkable), the islands (Elephantine, quiet, dawn calls to prayer from across the river, slow), the Old Cataract end (luxury, splurge — the views are real). Airport: Aswan International (ASW) is south, 25 minutes to centre, taxi EGP 300. The Abu Simbel logistics: 04:00 road convoy is cheaper than the morning flight and gives you a full hour and a half on site. Walking: the corniche is walkable end-to-end, about 4 km in light evening traffic. Last rotated February 2026 (N.H.).

Aswan city card #001Read full card →

Alexandria corniche along the Mediterranean

Alexandria · 5 million

Card 107 — Alexandria, the Mediterranean city

Where to stay: Saad Zaghloul / Mansheya (downtown, walkable to most museums), Zizinia (further east, residential, closer to the Royal Jewellery Museum), Bahari (fish-restaurant district, atmospheric, busy at night), Stanley (east, beach hotels, far from museums). Train station: Sidi Gaber is east — most hotels are closer to Sidi Gaber than to Misr station, despite the name. Airport: Borg el-Arab (HBE) is 45 minutes west, taxi EGP 600; most travellers come by train from Cairo. Walking: the corniche from Mansheya to Bahari is the best urban walk in Egypt. Last rotated March 2026 (B.R.).

Alexandria city card #001Read full card →

South Sinai · 73,000

Card 113 — Sharm el-Sheikh and Naama Bay

Where to stay: Naama Bay (central, walkable, lively at night, mid-range), Old Market (atmospheric, cheaper, dust), Ras Um El Sid (cliff-top resorts, dramatic views), Nabq (north, large family resorts, isolated). Airport: Sharm International (SSH) is west, 15 minutes to Naama Bay, taxi EGP 300. Avoid: the buggy-tour touts in Naama (mostly overpriced, sometimes unsafe). Diving: Ras Mohammed National Park is the dive site to prioritise; PADI/SSI centres in Naama are all reputable. Last rotated January 2026 (B.R.).

Sinai city card #001Read full card →

Red Sea · 250,000

Card 117 — Hurghada and El Gouna

Where to stay: El Gouna (purpose-built lagoon resort, cleanest, most expensive — 30 min north of Hurghada), Sahl Hasheesh (south, large all-inclusive resorts), Sakkala (Hurghada downtown, busy, cheaper, less polished), Makadi Bay (south, family resorts). Airport: Hurghada International (HRG) is central, 15 min to Sakkala, taxi EGP 250. Excursions: Luxor day-trip is feasible but exhausting (3.5 hours each way); better to fly to Luxor for a separate stay. Diving: the dive sites are good but more crowded than Sinai. Last rotated December 2025 (B.R.).

Red Sea city card #001Read full card →

South Sinai · 15,000

Card 121 — Dahab, the budget alternative

Where to stay: Mashraba (central, seafront, walkable to all restaurants and dive centres), Assalah (north, more local feel, cheaper), Eel Garden (further north, quiet, best for divers focused on the dive site of the same name). Airport: Sharm el-Sheikh (SSH) is 90 min south by taxi (EGP 600 negotiated) or shared minibus (EGP 100). No airport in Dahab itself. Diving: The Blue Hole is the headline dive site — choose a centre that does the safe canyon route, not the depth-record route. Last rotated January 2026 (B.R.).

Sinai city card #002Read full card →

How the cities compare — at a glance

Egypt is geographically big and the time cost of moving between cities is the single most under-estimated planning constraint. Below is the realistic transfer table — how long each leg actually takes door to door, and what it costs in the most usual mode.

From → To	Mode	Time (door-to-door)	Cost
Cairo → Luxor	Domestic flight	3.5 h (incl. transfers)	EGP 1,800–2,400 pp
Cairo → Luxor	Sleeper train	10–11 h overnight	EGP 1,200 pp single cabin
Cairo → Alexandria	First-class train	3 h door-to-door	EGP 300 pp
Luxor → Aswan	Train, first class	4–4.5 h	EGP 200 pp
Luxor → Aswan	Nile cruise	3–4 nights	From USD 350 pp
Aswan → Abu Simbel	Convoy by road	9 h round-trip	EGP 800 pp shared
Aswan → Abu Simbel	Domestic flight	4 h round-trip	EGP 4,500 pp
Cairo → Sharm el-Sheikh	Domestic flight	2.5 h	EGP 2,200 pp
Cairo → Hurghada	Domestic flight	2 h	EGP 2,000 pp
Sharm el-Sheikh → Dahab	Taxi or minibus	1.5 h	EGP 100–600

The transfer table is rotated quarterly. Train prices are set by Egyptian National Railways and have been stable since the 2023 round. Domestic flight prices are heavily affected by the booking window — three weeks out is the sweet spot; same-day fares can double. The Nile cruise booked direct in Luxor or Aswan is consistently cheaper than the international travel-agent rate, which is why the table shows the lower figure.

The seven city tips the desk repeats most

CairoUse the metro. It is fast, cheap and air-conditioned. The taxi drivers will tell you not to — ignore them. Lines 1 and 3 cover most of what you need; Line 2 less.
LuxorCross the river on the public ferry (EGP 5) at least once. The boat is part of the experience and the views are better than from the road bridge.
AswanNegotiate boat fares from the southern landing, not from the front of the Old Cataract. The price difference is 30–40%.
AlexandriaBahari for fish in the evening, Saad Zaghloul for fuul and ta'meya for breakfast. Do not mix the order.
Sharm el-SheikhThe all-inclusive package usually under-delivers on food and over-charges on diving. Book the dive separately, eat half your meals outside the resort.
HurghadaAvoid the Sakkala touts on the seafront — they are aggressive and the rates are bad. Stick to Marina Boulevard or El Gouna.
DahabBring cash. Card terminals are unreliable and most of the small camps and restaurants run cash-only.

Pair this section with the day itineraries page once you have picked the cities, with the prep notes for visa, SIM and payment basics that apply across all cities, and with the season guide to verify that the dates you have chosen are sensible for the cities on your list.

City cards rotated twice a year

Each city card is re-rotated in spring and autumn — taxi rates, transfer prices, hotel-zone notes, airport logistics. Corrections from readers on the ground are merged within the working week.

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