Cairo airport is located 22Km to the south east of the centre of Cairo. The trip to, or from, the airport should take around 30 - 45 Minutes. So dear traveller, make sure to leave your hotel at least three hours before your departure time!

There are threeTerminals at Cairo airport. All Egypt-Air and domestic flights depart from Terminal one, while all other airlines depart from Terminal two.

There is no departure tax levied - at the moment! However, starting from next October, a new tax will be implemented. You will not pay it directly as it will be included in the price of the ticket.

If you fly with Egypt Air, or have connection flights, it is recommended that you confirm your flight, at least 48 hours before departure, it is very important to do that. If you are staying in a good hotel, the guest relation, or reception, should be able to do this for you if you wish.

If you are an individual traveller and wish to confirm your flight, you can call Egypt  Air directly. Use one of these numbers:

Terminal 2 has been closed down for renovation. Airlines now operating from T1
Terminal 2 has been closed to undergo a complete renovation and upgrade of its capacity. During that time the airlines will be operating from T1. Please check with your Airline which Terminal you will depart from / arrive to.
Free WiFi in Terminal 1
Cairo airport provides WiFi services in its Terminal without any charge to passengers.

For flight inquiries please dial 090077777 from any Landline or 2777 from any Mobile.

Cairo Airport Exclusive Service reservation: exclusive@cairo-airport.com  or call +202 2265 5647 / 3160 for Terminal 1 or +202 2269 6300 / 301 ext. 7424 for Terminal 3.
 

Egypt-Air at Cairo International Airport:

Tel: 634 1460 / 418 3690 / 265 7222

/265 7244/ 265 7257/ 256 7255
Fax: 267 4555 / 418 2818

Customs at Cairo Airport:

You are allowed to bring only 250 grams of tobacco, two cartons of cigarettes, one litre of alcohol and personal stuff. If you are planning to bring your own pet, make sure you have a veterinary health certificate, which should include a valid rabies certificate.

Making a phone call:

To call any country outside Egypt, dial your country code, then city code then number .To call Egypt from abroad, the country code is 002.

If you have friends calling you from North America or Australia while you are in Egypt, tell them to dial 011 before dialling country code.

List of some of the local dialling codes:

The best and the cheapest time to place your call is after 2000 (8:00PM).  If you wish to make an international call simply buy a Mena-Tel card, (will cost you about 20 LE) and it should give you around 3 minutes of calling time to any place in the world. You may make the call from the many yellow phone boxes in the streets around your hotel.

If you wish to purchase a mobile phone Sim Card for your visit, Both Mobinil and Egypt Vodafone offer a Tourist line for only 60 LE, it will give you an Egyptian number so that you can make phone calls, your friends and family can reach you, and it will save the roaming charges.

Travelling alone advice:

Egypt as a tourist cannot be compared with other countries. Things are cheaper here. Even entry fees to the sites are cheaper than many other countries. Flying to Egypt is cheaper from many tourist destinations around the world. Nowadays you can even get an organized package trip for $500 with accommodation!

Often I will advice travellers to avoid getting taxis to tour the sites. What do you expect from a local taxi driver, who cares nothing but how much you will pay him at the end of your trip? This is the job of a travel agency, or a local licensed guide to do.

Today there are so many travel agencies in Australia and the UK that offer very cheap trip they are very well organized. You picked up the choice to do it on your own! Then you must be prepared.

If you must take a taxi, then it would be best if you asked the reception/ concierge of your hotel to get you one. They have certain assigned taxis that they know very well, and deal with on a daily basis
If you want to tour a site on your own, you have to be aware of where you are going, how much you are going to pay for the ticket, and what is included with the ticket! This is the reason I built my information site: To help first time travellers to Egypt.
If you want to dine out, then you must know where the recommend restaurants are, and where you will find the clean healthy food. Don’t consider the price, even if you dine in a 5 star hotel, it is still cheaper than in your own country!
Independent travel, for your 1st experience, is not advised. I have explained elsewhere about how “Lonely Planet” gives the wrong impression. I have spoken to many people who have tried it this way, and wish they had gone as part of a group (I do not mean a package holiday – groups can be arranged when you get there!).