There are many great places and cities in Egypt that you simply must visit. One such city is Luxor, where you will find many tourist attractions; you can’t miss seeing them. Of course, you will love Cairo, especially since it is Egypt’s capital. However, you will also fall in love with the beauty of Luxor in Egypt. Who wouldn’t like to see Luxor’s Temple of Hatshepsut, Karnak Temple, the Valley of the Kings, and many more? It is no surprise that Luxor is one of the most visited destinations in Egypt.
If you go to Cairo and start thinking about going to Luxor from there, you must plan well. There are many ways to get to Luxor from Cairo in Egypt, and each differs. You must choose the best transport option to help you travel the nearly 660 kilometers between Cairo and Luxor. We will tell you everything you need to know about going to Luxor from Cairo. We have your back whether you choose to go by plane, train, bus, or taxi!
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Going by Flight
Flying from Cairo to Luxor is one of the easiest and fastest ways to get to the magnificent city. Going to Luxor by plane is great because it only takes a little over one hour to get there. Usually, the trip from Cairo to Luxor takes more than 8 hours. Therefore, if you have the budget to go by plane, we highly recommend it.
Ticket Prices
When it comes to internal flights in Egypt, there are a few airlines that do them. So ticket prices won’t differ much from one airline to the other. You just have to choose the one that will make you most comfortable. Now, we will discuss the price range for a flight from Cairo to Luxor. If you chose best fare with Egypt Air Airlines a round trip with economy class will be around $240 and sometimes more; keep in mind that prices change depending on what time of the year you are traveling.
A round trip with business class will be around $300 or more. At the same time, a one-way trip on economy class or best fare will start from $120. A one-way trip with Egypt Air Airlines on business class will start at $152. You can check all the flights and book through Egypt Air Airlines’ official website. All the prices we mentioned are taken directly from Egypt Air’s official website.
Please notice that the flight prices will change from one airline to another. We recommend Egypt Air since it is the most popular one in Egypt. Ticket prices for planes may rise during the high season from December to February. Outside of this period, there is a possibility that the usual prices drop. Also, print your ticket before heading to the airport if they request a printed version.
Check these handpicked tours:
- Hot Air Balloons Ride in Luxor Egypt By HOD-HOD SOLIMAN
- Luxury Sunrise Balloon Rides in Luxor
- Full Day Tour to East and West Banks of Luxor
Going by Train
Are you not a fan of planes and flying? Don’t worry! There are many other ways to get to Luxor from Cairo, including by train. Luckily for you and us, a direct train can take you from Cairo to Luxor. However, we must be honest if you prefer going by train over by flight. Going by flight will only take around 1 hour.
Train prices differ according to the type of train you are going to take. There are the VIP Express and the Spanish Express. Of course, the best option and the most comfortable one will be the VIP Express. There are two classes: VIP Express and Spanish Express. The two classes are AC1 and AC2, which are simply first and second class with air conditioning; if you will be traveling for around 10 hours, then it is the better option.
Information and General Advice
Unfortunately, until now, only Egyptians could book trains online from the official government site. However, you can still book and buy tickets from the train station. You should know that some years ago, foreigners weren’t allowed to use the local train for security reasons. Instead, foreigners had to take the sleeper train because it had security but was more expensive. Nowadays, this rule is no longer valid.
Some ticket sellers may try to convince you to buy the sleeper train ticket, but you should insist on buying tickets for the local train. You can also ask your guide or an Egyptian to buy the tickets and hand them to you afterward. You can also pay a small fee at your hotel and ask them to send someone to the train station and book your ticket.
We would recommend that you get to the station a little bit earlier. Also, be careful if the train station is filled with people; some theft might happen, like in any other place. Now, when it comes to payment, there has been a recent law that foreigners pay a different fee than Egyptians. Therefore, the tickets are paid for in USD or Euros.
Ticket Prices
First-class special express train tickets start at $78, while second-class tickets start at $66. First-class Spanish Express Train tickets cost $66, while second-class tickets start at $54. There is also Talgo Train, and it has tickets for the second class starting at $72 while the first class starts at $84. For a round trip, you just have to double the price.
Check these handpicked tours:
- Luxor Full Day Tour: Valley of Kings & Queens – Hatchepsut Temples And More
- Sunrise Ballooning Luxor / Safety&Quality Standards
- Luxor Private Tour : West Bank – Valley of Kings, Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon
Going by Sleeper Train
While the regular train is cheaper than the sleeper train, some may prefer the latter for whatever reason. We must say that the regular train is perfect for you if you want to go in the day and see Egypt’s beauty. However, the sleeper train offers you more comfort and security. So if you don’t mind paying more for train tickets, we recommend the sleeper train.
The company managing Egypt’s sleeper train is called Abela Sleeping Trains. You can book your tickets through their official website. When you open their website, you must choose to be a foreigner in the nationality option. You can pay $130 for a single cabin or $90 for a double cabin. You can pick the latter if you don’t mind sharing a compartment. Each cabin has a small sink with soap, bunks, a mirror, a plug socket, and a trash bin. They also give you bed linen. Another great thing about the sleeper train is that it provides breakfast and dinner. Feels like heaven, right?
Check these handpicked tours:
- 5 Days Private Guided Nile River Cruise Tour from Luxor to Aswan
- Luxor Private Transfer East Bank hotels to Airport or vice versa
- Karnak And Luxor Temples Private Tour
Going by Bus
Besides flights and trains, you can go from Cairo to Luxor by bus. We recommend you pack some snacks, food, and drinks. This is because most service stations charge a lot of money for their products. You should also keep in mind that you won’t get to see a lot of beautiful views if you take the bus because they take the desert road. So you can sacrifice the view to protect your budget. Regarding the trip time, depending on the road, you will reach Luxor in about 10 hours, sometimes more.
GoBus
One of the most popular bus companies in Egypt that many tourists use is GoBus. What makes GoBus great is that they are much cheaper than a train or a plane. They are also very clean. The downside, however, is that sometimes the bus arrives late. We would also recommend that you bring with you a sleeping mask. It would be very helpful if you decided to sleep during the time of the trip; no one loves being woken up by the bus’s lights.
Regarding GoBus’s prices, for economy class, you will pay around $8.41 per seat; this equals 260 Egyptian Pound. For Super Go D, which is a higher class than economy, you will pay $9.55 (or 295 Egyptian Pound). Another class is Elite Business V; ticket prices are $16.18 per seat (or 500 Egyptian Pounds). The last and highest class is Business Class DD, and you must pay around $16.83 (or 520 Egyptian Pound). If you booked a round trip, then you will get a discount. You can book GoBus through their official website.
Blue Bus
Another bus company that is famous in Egypt is Blue Bus. Since they are a different company, their prices differ from GoBus’s. With Blue Bus, we recommend putting your pickup point as Ramsis in Cairo and the railway station in Luxor as your destination. These two spots are easy to go to and move from. First-class tickets are about $16.18 or 500 Egyptian Pounds. Business class tickets are around $11.33 or 350 Egyptian Pound. Comfort class tickets are valued at around $8.74 or 270 Egyptian Pounds.
Going by Taxi
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Our last recommendation for transport methods from Cairo to Luxor is going by taxi. As an Egyptian, I would not recommend taking a taxi rather than a plane, bus, or train. Unfortunately, some taxis are not as safe as the other travel methods we mentioned. Many taxis don’t use meters at all, so you end up negotiating the price you will pay with the driver. Another downside is that some taxi drivers take advantage of foreigners and may charge you more than necessary.
However, even if you are lucky and find a good and trustworthy taxi driver, you will still pay a lot. This is because the driver will have to go from Cairo to Luxor once and then back to Cairo after he drops you off. If you choose to travel by taxi, you must agree with the driver on how much you will pay him. If you don’t do so, some problems like disagreements can happen at the end of the trip. The price asked for will differ for each taxi driver. However, you can expect the prices to be estimated at $150 to $350 or even more.
We have told you everything you need to know about getting to Luxor from Cairo. We have you covered whether you choose to go by flight, train, bus, or taxi. Now you know everything you need to know about the transport methods available for the trip from Cairo to Luxor.
