Cairo Airport (CAI) to the city
Metro Line 3 does not serve the airport yet despite what maps suggest; plan for a road journey and arrange the car before you land.
- The metro does not reach the airport. Line 3 currently runs from Adly Mansour westward; the airport extension is still under construction and not expected before around 2028.
- Maps and older guides show it as connected. It is not. Every route into Cairo from here is a road journey.
- Arrange your transfer before you land - through your hotel, or with Uber or Careem, both of which operate in Cairo and are what residents use.
- Traffic is the variable that matters. The airport is about 20 km out and the journey can take 45 minutes or well over two hours.
- Ignore anyone who approaches you inside the terminal offering a car. Use the official rank or a booked ride.
The metro that is not there yet
This is the fact worth having before you arrive, because it changes the plan rather than the price.
- Cairo Metro Line 3 runs from Adly Mansour, in the far east of the city, west through Heliopolis and the centre and under the Nile.
- It does not serve the airport. The extension is under construction and is not expected to open until around 2028.
- Adly Mansour is a major interchange - metro, city buses, bus rapid transit and intercity coaches - but it is not the airport, and getting between the two is itself a road journey.
Maps in circulation, including some published ones, show the line reaching the terminals. Treat any plan that depends on a metro from CAI as wrong.
What actually works
- Uber and Careem both operate in Cairo and are the standard choice for residents and visitors. The price is fixed in the app, which removes the entire negotiation.
- A hotel transfer arranged in advance is the simplest option on a first visit, and is what most hotels expect to provide.
- The official taxi rank is metered or fixed depending on the service; agree the basis before you get in.
- Do not accept an offer from someone who approaches you in the arrivals hall. The official services wait at their ranks.
Traffic
- The airport is about 20 km from central Cairo.
- The journey ranges from about 45 minutes to well over two hours depending on the hour. Cairo traffic is not a mild inconvenience.
- Allow for it in both directions, particularly for a departure - leaving too little time for the return is a common and expensive mistake here.
Terminals
- Cairo has several terminals and they are far apart, connected by a shuttle.
- Check your terminal before you travel and allow time if you are connecting between them.
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