Cairo metro fares in 2026

What changed in Cairo metro fares on 27 March 2026?

The two cheapest bands went up by EGP 2: up to 9 stations now costs EGP 10 (was 8) and up to 16 stations EGP 12 (was 10). The longer bands stayed at EGP 15 and 20.

The state State Information Service announced the change for Friday 27 March 2026, and Egyptian Streets listed the bands. Rail fares rose at the same time: 12.5% on long-distance trains and 25% on short routes. The ministry pointed to fuel, electricity and maintenance costs.

For a visitor it changes very little. Downtown to Coptic Cairo and back is EGP 20 for the day, less than half the price of a coffee in a hotel lobby.

How do you get to Coptic Cairo by metro?

Take Line 1 (the red line on most maps) towards Helwan and get off at Mar Girgis. From Sadat at Tahrir Square it is four stops and EGP 10.

The order south from Sadat is Saad Zaghloul, Al-Sayeda Zeinab, El-Malek El-Saleh, then Mar Girgis. The station sits right outside the Coptic compound: you come out facing the round Roman tower of Babylon fortress and the domed church of St George. The Coptic Museum entrance is beside the towers, and the Hanging Church is a two-minute walk south along the street.

Everything here except the museum is free: the Hanging Church, Abu Serga, St Barbara, Ben Ezra Synagogue and the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As. The Coptic Museum costs EGP 280 (about $5). Churches keep roughly 09:00 to 16:00 hours, and Sunday is liturgy day. Our Coptic Cairo guide walks the quarter stop by stop.

One station further south, El-Malek El-Saleh is the nearest stop for the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, with the royal mummies, about 1.5 km away. Coptic Cairo plus NMEC is the easiest half day in the city to do on your own.

How do you reach Khan el-Khalili and Al-Muizz Street by metro?

Take Line 3 (green) to Bab El Shaaria, then walk 10 to 15 minutes south-east to Al-Muizz Street and the Khan. From Sadat change at Nasser; it is three stops and EGP 10.

From Sadat, ride Line 1 one stop north to Nasser, change to Line 3 towards Adly Mansour, and get off two stops later at Bab El Shaaria (via Attaba, where Line 2 also stops). From Zamalek, Line 3 runs direct from Safaa Hegazy. Coming up at Bab El Shaaria you are in a market district, not a tourist one. Use a map app for the short walk to Al-Muizz, which you can join near the Qalawun complex, or carry on to Al-Hussein Square and the Khan.

Mar Girgis to Bab El Shaaria is seven stations with one change at Nasser, so a Coptic morning and a bazaar afternoon both fit in the EGP 10 band. The Al-Muizz unified ticket is EGP 220, Bayt al-Suhaymi another EGP 220; walking the street itself costs nothing.

The metro does not reach the Citadel, Sultan Hassan or Al-Azhar's southern side directly. The nearest stations are a long, hot walk through traffic, which is where a car makes sense. Our guide or on your own page weighs that up.

How do metro tickets, women's carriages and rush hours work?

Buy a paper ticket at the window for your band, feed it through the gate and keep it to exit. The middle two cars are reserved for women. Avoid 07:00-10:00 and the late afternoon.

Tell the cashier your destination and they charge the right band. Have small notes: EGP 10, 20 and 50 are easiest. Keep the ticket for the whole ride, because you need it again at the exit gate. Regular commuters use subscription cards, which the ministry recommends for students and workers; for a few rides a paper ticket is simpler.

On each train the fourth and fifth cars are women-only, marked on the platform by signs (the fifth turns mixed after 21:00). Women can ride any car; men should not board the women's ones. Trains run from about 05:00 to 01:00, and have traditionally run later in Ramadan.

Rush hours are brutal on Line 1: roughly 07:00 to 10:00 and again from mid-afternoon into the early evening as offices and schools let out. Trains are air-conditioned on the newer stock, older trains are not. Keep phones and wallets in a front pocket in crowds.

When is Uber or a tour simpler than the metro?

For the Citadel, Sultan Hassan and the Cave Church, which have no station nearby, and whenever you want to link Coptic and Islamic Cairo in one day without three changes and long walks.

Uber and Careem work across Cairo and are the usual way independent travellers hop between Islamic Cairo sites. The Citadel sits on a hill with its entrance on Salah Salem road; the Cave Church is up in the Mokattam cliffs above Manshiyat Naser, the Zabbaleen district, and some taxi drivers balk at the narrow lanes. That is why most visitors go up with a driver.

Coptic Cairo and the Cave Church packs both into four hours by private car, and every stop on it is free to enter. The operator is not named on the listing; a guest review credits Emo Tours. The cheapest option is car and driver only, with a guide or a guide plus lunch as upgrades. Its $15 from-price is per person in the largest group on that cheapest option, so a couple or solo traveller pays more per head: Viator shows your price once you enter your party size.

If you only want Coptic Cairo, take the metro and keep the money. If you want the Cave Church too, the car earns its fee.

The churches of Roman Babylon and the Mokattam Cave Church in four private hours, with every stop free to enter.

★ 4.6 · 4 hours · from $15 per person in a group

Explore Coptic Cairo and the Cave Church → Tour details

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