Cairo public transport: tickets, passes and apps

Cairo's metro is priced by distance band, not by a flat city fare, so a short hop and a cross-city ride do not cost the same. The parent Egypt facts put the metro at EGP 10–20 per ride (2026 estimate). Treat that as a band: the cheapest single journey sits at the bottom, longer trips at the top, and the exact figure for your route is posted at the station window.

Cards are sold at larger stations. A stored-value card carries a small deposit that you get back when you return it, and multi-ride cards bring the per-ride price down slightly. Day passes are not the default purchase for tourists and their price changes often — ask at the window and compare against the number of rides you actually plan.

Cash is still the reliable method. Station windows and ticket machines take Egyptian pounds, and small notes make life easier — a EGP 200 note for a EGP 15 fare can be a problem at a busy window. Keep a stack of EGP 10, 20 and 50 notes for fares, taxis and toilets.

Contactless bank cards and phone wallets are being rolled out on some Cairo transport, but coverage is not consistent enough to plan around. Do not assume your Visa, Mastercard or Apple Pay will open a metro gate. If you want to try, have cash as a fallback.

For cars, Uber and Careem are the default in Cairo and Alexandria — no haggling, price shown before you accept. The parent Egypt facts put city trips at EGP 60–250. Pickups at the airport and the pyramids are restricted to marked zones, so follow the signs rather than waving a driver down.

Metro fares in Cairo are banded by distance, so the zone you cross decides the price. The practical effect for a visitor is simple: short central hops cost the least, and a long ride from the centre out towards Helwan or the far north costs the most. The band map is displayed at station entrances and windows.

The metro is the fastest way across central Cairo when traffic is gridlocked, and it has women-only carriages. Rush hour is genuinely crushing, so if you are travelling with luggage or children, take a car instead. The monorail lines are newer and their fare structure is separate — check locally.

Cairo International (CAI) has no metro station, so the airport leg is by road: taxi, Uber or Careem. The parent Egypt facts give 45–90 minutes to downtown or Giza depending on traffic, and city car trips at EGP 60–250 — an airport run sits at the upper end or above that band, so treat the figure as a starting point and check the app price before you accept.

Terminal 3 and Terminal 2 are far apart, so confirm which one your flight uses before arranging a pickup. Ride-hailing pickups are restricted to marked zones at the airport; follow the signs rather than accepting an offer inside the terminal.

Sphinx International (SPX) serves Giza and is the closest airport to the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, but it has limited international routes. If you land there, the road transfer into Giza is shorter than from CAI — check current options when you book.

Buy per ride unless you are genuinely doing four or more metro trips in a day. The savings on a pass are small, and a pass you under-use is money lost.

Keep your ticket or card until you exit — inspectors check on the platform and at the gates. Fines for travelling without a valid ticket are enforced.

For sightseeing days, the metro plus a car is usually the cheapest combination: metro for the long traffic-heavy legs, car for the last mile to a site entrance.

If you are staying a week and moving around a lot, compare the cost of metro cards against simply using Uber and Careem for everything. For two people, cars often win on comfort once you count the walk to the station.