Cairo International Airport

Getting around

A free shuttle bus runs between the terminals and to the bus station every 15-30 minutes, 24 hours a day. At Terminal 3 its stop is at the arrival level on the second island at the end of the bus lane (turn right after the exit and cross the first lane). At Terminal 1 you must leave through the main exit and turn left to get to the station. The Shuttle Bus stops are at Hall 3 in front of the AirMall and at Hall 1 at the curbside. The bus stops are not marked. Sometimes you have to change buses at the bus station due to the driver's coffee break. Taxi drivers will try to lure you at the airport by misinforming you about the free shuttle bus, but if you go outside the terminal, you will find it.

Buy

Customs Visitors are allowed to buy duty-free articles on arrival, up to 4 extra litres of alcohol. At the checkout, a customs official will check your passport and give approval for the purchase. You can be accompanied by the person picking you up. It's fine if you expect to consume what you buy, or treat friends, but there's sometimes a racket where the local person gets you to buy up to your limit on his behalf— he'll pay you fairly for the extra.

Getting there/away You should exchange some money in the airport — it is best to do this before going through customs. Get some change in the process (smaller than the usual LE200 notes), as taxi drivers and others will always claim to be unable to give change. ATMs for all major cards are available in the arrival halls. Visas are available before immigration, for US$30. When arriving at terminal 3, everybody immediately starts queuing to buy visas from one of the bank counters on the left side. It seems these banks often don't accept cards or even Egyptian pounds (LE), which is problematic if you arrive with limited hard currency. There's an ATM on the other side of the area in this case, as well as an exchange office that also sells visas, and accepts Egyptian pounds as currency. So just go there to buy the visa, ignoring the bank counters, and avoiding the queues. Getting to downtown Cairo is often a pain.

Sleep

The airport is on the north-eastern outskirts of the city at Heliopolis. If you want to spend the night at the airport, there are three hotels available:

1 Novotel Cairo Airport, Po Box 8 Cairo Airport (next to airport), ☏ +20 111 111 3822, fax: +20 2 22693530, [email protected]. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. Closest hotel to the airport. The lobby and public areas have been given a facelift and are now bright, modern, and airy, but the rooms still look and feel like a cheap motel with lumpy beds, and noisy air conditioning. Adequate for a one-night transit, but you wouldn't want to spend your whole vacation here. Free half-hourly shuttle bus from/to airport. US$90. (updated Jun 2026) 2 Le Passage (formerly Iberotel), Cairo Intl Airport road (Heliopolis), ☏ +20 2 22670099, +20 1 00 2176900 - 07, fax: +20 2 24180761, [email protected]. 3 Le Meridien Cairo Airport (Terminal 3), ☏ +20-2-22659680, fax: +20 2-22659701. There are other lodging options in nearby Heliopolis.