Cairo International is a large, busy airport with several terminals that are some distance apart, connected by a shuttle. Which one you land at depends on your airline, and it matters if somebody is meeting you.

The arrival itself is not difficult. It is simply a place where being unprepared costs you an hour and a bad mood.

Before you fly

Check the current entry requirements for your nationality on an official source, close to your departure date. Rules on visas, e-visas and visa-on-arrival have changed more than once in recent years, and this is exactly the kind of fact that ages badly in a travel article — so we are not going to state it as though it were fixed.

Confirm your terminal. Confirm your transfer. If you have booked a tour with us or anyone else, you will normally be met inside; know the name on the sign and have the operator's phone number saved offline.

What happens on the ground

  • You clear passport control, which is where any visa formality happens.
  • Baggage reclaim, then a customs hall you normally walk straight through.
  • The arrivals hall, which is where the crowd is. Meet-and-greet representatives stand with name boards; drivers who are not yours will also approach you.
  • The trip into central Cairo takes anywhere from forty minutes to well over an hour depending on traffic and time of day.

Money

Change money or use an ATM at the airport rather than waiting. You will want local cash immediately — for a porter, for a taxi, for a bottle of water — and there is no advantage in arriving with none.

Ask specifically for small denominations, and break a large note before you leave the terminal. See tipping in Egypt for why this matters more here than in most countries.

Cards work in hotels, restaurants and larger shops. They do not work at a site gate, in a taxi, or with the man who opens a tomb.

Getting into the city

A pre-booked transfer is the least stressful option and the one we would recommend for a first arrival, particularly at night. It costs more than a taxi and buys you a driver who is already paid and already knows the hotel.

Ride-hailing apps operate in Cairo and work well, including from the airport, provided you have data or airport wifi.

Airport taxis are fine but the fare is a conversation. Agree it before the bags go in the boot, not afterwards.

Where you are heading matters as much as how. If you have not decided yet, where to stay in Cairo covers the trade-off between the Giza side and the centre.

Mistakes people make

  • Landing late at night with no transfer arranged and no cash.
  • Assuming the terminals are close together.
  • Not saving the hotel address in Arabic. A screenshot solves a lot of taxi conversations.
  • Booking a first-day tour that starts a few hours after a long-haul landing. Give the first day to arriving; the pyramids will still be there tomorrow.