how do I travel in Cairo

[JustNotCricket]

I arrive at the Airport at midday and I need to travel 40km to my hotel near the pyramids. What is the cheapest way to get around.

[cathfromsaron]

contact the hotel and see if they have a british standard taxi and ask how much?

we saw taxis driven without lights at night and with no doors!

this was handy for the driver to slow down and stop using his foot, however!

[owdhamer]

Armoured car.

[JustNotCricket]

thanks Cath. Good advice. Owdhamer, please tell me where your armoured car will be parked and the name of the driver so I can get him a present.

[cathfromsaron]

pleasure, have a great time!

take lots of small change for tips and beggars too!

[keithlbw]

When travelling in a taxi in Egypt it is advisable to keep your eye-lids and buttocks very tightly clenched , the traffic in Cairo is horrendous.

[CW1]

I can't suggest anything definitive as I went by coach but I would say if you're gonna use a taxi, agree a price first ! They are by far the most outrageous rip off merchants I've ever come across ! And the driving is CRAZY, you do take your life in your hands, accidents everywhere.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Cairo

may help, scroll down the page to the bit about public transport.

Enjoy though, it's an amazing experience.

[Mosaic]

You will be mobbed as you exit arrivals. The first rule of Cairo taxi drivers is that they will lie, lie and lie again. Do not attempt to pick up a random taxi - arrange with your hotel to have a car waiting for you with a name card.
If this is impossible, bear in mind all taxi drivers will want to take you to a hotel where they have an 'arrangement. So once you are inside they will tell you your hotel has shut down, but they know a good one....
Don't get into a taxi without agreeing a price ahead. They'll have changed now but I'd reckon £10 - 15 of english money (whatever that is in Egyptian) to be lavish.
Do not let the taxi driver see money in your wallet. This makes prices shoot up. Keep a couple of egyptian 20s handy for paying - you might not see anything back from but what the hey.
But seriously, the best option is your hotel's car.

[DTCwordfan]

The average speed of the traffic is probably 10 to 15 mph, the taxis average 20 to 30mph.....they are mad.

If you do take one negotiate up front - if you have trouble, pull into a major hotel and then ask the concierge to intervene and if really vexed, ask him to call the police....the drivers usually scarper pronto at that.

In Cairo, it can be frustrating - things work but you don't know how. Inshallah Bukhuran.

[Mosaic]

In addition, most larger hotels have shuttle buses to a series of destinations - eg airport, downtown, museum, pyramids - very handy to take.
Cairo has a limited underground train system but this doesn't extend to the airports and from a tourist's viepwoint is really only useful for getting from the museum (Tahrir Sqaure) to Coptic Cairo (Girgis).
I'm so jealous, wish I was coming with you.

[Maydup]

All of these posts are correct but collectively they do make Cairo sound awful!

Like many paces, the taxi drivers at the airport are the sharpest. No doubt they're the same at Heathrow, but we all know to take the train.

Check for a shuttle bus arrangement first, if not call the hotel and book something. Once you've made it to the hotel you'll be fine as you can arrange things through them from there on.

A taxi drive in Cairo is one of those things we should all do in our life and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. We got a flat tyre in the middle of four lanes and you should have seen the spare!

Have a great time and be prepared to haggle for everything. If they ask for £20 offer them £2 and expect to settle at around £7!

[Mosaic]

Following on from Maidup - I think what takes first-timers unaware - and it's similar in many eastern countries - is the openness about fiddling, price-hiking and back-handers. If you're used to this lind of ciulture you expect to be hassled and constant attempts to be made to rip you off, so you don't get fazed by it. If a lone traveller shows any 'weakness' or trepidation when faced with pushiness or outright aggression, they and their money will soon be parted.
Best advice in a Cairo taxi? Sit in the back and look at the shops - do not look ahead with the driver. Do not try to anticipate what the driver will do. You will only get upset!

[atalanta]

Surely the cheapest way would be by camel

[Andyvon]

Whenever I arrive in a new country that's unfamiliar I invariably get to the hotel by jumping in one of the taxis parked on the rank outside the terminal. However, I always get some idea of local prices and taxi fares before I travel (TripAdvisor etc) then I establish the taxi fare before the car moves. If I'm happy we go, if I feel the driver is trying it on I just move to get out and they usually change their tune pretty quick!

I don't mind the cost of local taxis from the airport as it's all part of the costs of th trip. After all, if you can afford to visit a destination and spend X-amount of money whilst there, then you can afford a damn taxi! If you can't afford a taxi then you really shouldn't be there! I'm also conscious it's the driver's livelihood and they can't afford to travel like me so they are welcome to the fare provided it's the going rate. However, I won't be ripped off and I know I give the impression I'm confident and savvy enough not to be.

In short Justnotcricket - my advice is to check local prices and taxi fares in guide books (Smiths or your local library) or the Internet before you go. Then establish a definite fare with the taxi driver before you leave the airport. If you are happy then accept the fare - but make the driver aware it's no good expecting more! If you feel his ripping you off get out and try the other taxis. Good luck.