Should I fly or take the train between Cairo and Luxor?

Flying is faster door-to-door and the natural choice on a time-limited trip; the overnight sleeper train converts the journey into a night's sleep instead, which appeals to travellers who enjoy overland travel or would rather arrive rested than deal with an early flight. Both are genuine options rather than one being simply the budget version of the other.

Does Uber work in Egypt?

Yes, reliably in Cairo and Alexandria, where it's the standard way to avoid taxi fare disputes. It does not currently operate in Sharm El-Sheikh, the wider South Sinai region, or the Red Sea resort towns, where unmetered taxis and hotel-arranged transport are the norm instead — agree the fare before getting in.

How do I get to the Red Sea or Sinai resorts from Cairo?

By domestic flight in almost every case — Hurghada, Sharm El-Sheikh and Marsa Alam all have their own airports reachable from Cairo in under two hours, and the desert between the Nile Valley and the coast offers no practical overland route for a standard trip. Several European cities also fly directly into these coastal airports without transiting Cairo.

Is a Nile cruise a good way to get between Luxor and Aswan?

Yes, if the multi-day pace appeals — a cruise functions as transport and accommodation together, covering the same route as a flight or train but over several nights with temple stops built into the schedule. It's a genuinely different choice from simply getting between the two cities quickly.

Getting around

Getting Around Egypt: The Network Behind the Regions

Cairo, Luxor and Aswan run along the Nile Valley; the Red Sea coast and South Sinai are a separate world reached mostly by air; the Western Desert is its own dedicated 4×4 trip. Each city has its own arrival option, but nowhere pulls the whole network together — the actual choice between flying, the overnight train and, for the Luxor-Aswan stretch specifically, a Nile cruise.

Updated 2026-08-16

Domestic flights: the default for real distance

Cairo International Airport functions as Egypt's domestic hub, with EgyptAir and other carriers running frequent short flights out to Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada, Sharm El-Sheikh and Marsa Alam — each under two hours in the air, and for the Red Sea and South Sinai resorts, flying is effectively the only practical option, since those regions sit far from the Nile Valley across open desert with no meaningful road-trip appeal in between. Direct charter and scheduled flights also connect several European cities straight to Hurghada, Sharm El-Sheikh and Marsa Alam without transiting Cairo at all, which matters for a beach-only trip that skips the Nile Valley entirely.

For the Nile Valley itself, flying Cairo-Luxor or Cairo-Aswan is the fastest option by a wide margin and the natural choice for a time-limited trip, though it means skipping the overnight sleeper train's own distinct experience in exchange for speed.

The overnight sleeper train: a genuine alternative, not just a budget option

The sleeper train connecting Cairo to Luxor and Aswan is a long-standing route rather than a modern add-on, running overnight with private cabins, and it solves a real logistical problem elegantly: a traveller boards in the evening in Cairo and wakes up in Luxor or Aswan with a travel day converted into a night's sleep, rather than losing a day to the journey the way a similar-distance daytime option would. It's slower door-to-door than flying once the full journey is counted, but for travellers who enjoy overland travel, or who want to arrive already rested rather than needing to recover from an early airport start, it's a genuine alternative rather than simply the cheaper, slower choice.

The Nile cruise: transport and lodging in one

For the specific Luxor-Aswan stretch, a multi-night Nile cruise is a third option that neither flying nor the sleeper train offers: it functions as transport and accommodation simultaneously, covering the same ground as the train or a flight but over several days rather than hours, with ancient temple stops built into the schedule along the way. The Nile cruise guide carries the format, the boat-class choice and the on-board rhythm in full — worth reading directly if the Luxor-Aswan leg is where the real decision lies, rather than repeated here.

Ride-hailing and local transport: patchy by design

Uber and Careem (the regional equivalent) operate reliably in Cairo and Alexandria, where they've become the standard way to avoid taxi fare disputes entirely — fixed pricing shown before the ride starts, no negotiation required. Neither app currently operates in Sharm El-Sheikh or the wider South Sinai region, which means taxis there are the only option and are unmetered by default: agreeing a fare before getting in is essential rather than optional, and hotel staff or resort reception can usually confirm a fair going rate for a specific route. The Red Sea resort towns follow a similar pattern to South Sinai — hotel transfers and pre-arranged transport are the norm, with app-based ride-hailing patchy to absent outside Cairo and Alexandria specifically.

Within Luxor and Aswan, bicycles, short local taxi hops and the public ferries crossing the Nile cover most needs at a genuinely small cost, and neither city's own compact centre really calls for a car — worth knowing before assuming a rental is necessary for a Nile Valley stop that a flight or train has already delivered you to.

Visaja keeps this page's contact details and visa guidance under continuous review — still, requirements can change at short notice, so confirm the essentials with the mission or the official government portal before you travel.