Three lines and how they connect
The Cairo Metro — operated by the National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) — is the oldest metro in Africa and the Middle East, with the first section of Line 1 opening in 1987. The system now covers around 99 km of track across three lines, with a fourth line under construction. For visitors, the metro is primarily useful for moving between Ramses station and the city centre, accessing the Egyptian Museum and the Coptic Cairo quarter, and connecting to Giza for the ENR southbound trains.
Line 1 (blue): The oldest line runs northeast to southwest, from Helwan in the far south to New El-Marg in the northeast, passing through Sadat (central Cairo interchange), Mar Girgis (Coptic Cairo), Ain Shams and up to the terminal. Total length approximately 44 km. Line 1 is the line for the Egyptian Museum (Sadat station) and Coptic Cairo (Mar Girgis station). It also connects to Cairo Ramses via the Mubarak station interchange.
Line 2 (red): Runs roughly east to west, from El-Mounib in the southwest to Shubra El-Kheima in the north, passing through Mubarak (Ramses interchange), Opera and Giza. This is the line for Cairo Ramses (Mubarak station, which is the name used on Line 2) and for Giza station on the ENR. Line 2 opened in full in 2000 and runs newer rolling stock than Line 1 on most stretches.
Line 3 (green): The newest operational line, running east to west under the city centre from Adly Mansour in the east through Bab El-Shaeria, Attaba, and Nasser to Cairo University in the west. Line 3 opened in sections between 2012 and 2019. The most useful interchange for visitors is at Attaba, which puts you 10 minutes' walk from Khan el-Khalili and Islamic Cairo.
Stations closest to the main visitor sites
The metro doesn't reach every attraction directly, but it gets you close enough that a short walk or a quick taxi finishes the journey. The table below shows the most useful station connections for visitors.
| Attraction / Destination | Nearest station | Line | Walk to site | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egyptian Museum (Tahrir Square) | Sadat | Line 1 or Line 2 (interchange) | 5 min | Exit toward Tahrir; the museum is on the north edge of the square |
| Coptic Cairo (Hanging Church, Coptic Museum) | Mar Girgis | Line 1 | 2 min | Best direct metro connection to any tourist site in Cairo |
| Cairo Ramses Station (ENR) | Mubarak (Line 1) / Mubarak (Line 2) | Lines 1 and 2 (same station) | 3 min | Mubarak is the interchange; follow signs for Ramses exit |
| Giza Station (ENR southbound) | Giza | Line 2 | 5 min | For departures to Luxor/Aswan that originate at Giza, not Ramses |
| Khan el-Khalili bazaar | Attaba | Line 2 or Line 3 | 15–20 min walk | Or taxi from Attaba — traffic permitting, faster than walking |
| Al-Azhar Mosque and University | Bab El-Shaeria | Line 3 | 10 min | Exit south, follow the main road toward Al-Azhar Park area |
| Cairo Tower (Zamalek) | Opera | Line 2 | 25 min walk or short taxi | Zamalek is on Gezira island; bridge walk takes 20+ minutes |
| Cairo Opera House | Opera | Line 2 | 5 min | The station is named for the opera house; it's directly adjacent |
| Maadi (southern residential) | Maadi / Hadayek el-Maadi | Line 1 | varies | Several stations serve the Maadi district — check which is closest to your hotel |
What metro tickets cost and how to buy them
Cairo Metro uses a zone-based fare structure with three fare tiers depending on how many stations you travel. Unlike many metro systems, there is no stored-value card system for tourists — you buy a plastic token at the window and exchange it for a paper ticket, which you feed into the barrier on entry and the gate collects on exit. Tokens are returned to you if you pay for a return, or you buy each direction separately.
Zone 1 — up to 9 stations
Covers most inner-city journeys: Sadat to Mubarak, Mubarak to Giza, Attaba to Opera. The vast majority of visitor trips fall in this bracket.
Zone 2 — 10 to 16 stations
Mid-range journeys crossing the city: central Cairo to Mar Girgis, Mubarak to southern Maadi, Giza to Shubra El-Kheima direction.
Zone 3 — 17+ stations
End-to-end trips covering the full line length. Helwan to El-Marg on Line 1, or trips from the outer terminals into the centre. Most visitors won't need this.
Tickets are purchased at the station ticketing window or from token machines where available. The window is the reliable option — machine availability and card acceptance vary. Tell the cashier your destination station; they will know the zone and issue the correct ticket. Payment is in Egyptian pounds cash; exact change is appreciated but not required. No advance booking is needed or possible — buy each trip as you go.
Multi-trip options: A 10-trip card for the inner zone costs EGP 70 — worth buying if you plan to use the metro more than 8 times during your Cairo stay. Show the card at the window to have it stamped for each journey; it's not an automated swipe system.
Women-only carriages, hours and what to know before you board
Women-only carriages: Every Cairo Metro train designates the first and last carriage as women-only (ladies' carriages). This is enforced at busy stations and is indicated by pink markings on the platform. Female travellers can also ride in the mixed carriages; the women-only carriages are an additional option, not a restriction. Male passengers are not permitted in the women-only carriages, though the rule is more consistently enforced at peak hours.
Operating hours: The metro runs from approximately 05:30 to midnight on weekdays. On Fridays (the Islamic day of rest) the first service departs around 07:00 instead of 05:30. On Ramadan, hours extend to around 01:00 AM. The last trains are announced at stations; if you're travelling late, check the posted schedule for your line at the station entrance.
Frequency: During peak hours (07:00–09:00 and 15:00–18:00) trains run every 3–5 minutes on Lines 1 and 2. Off-peak frequency drops to every 8–12 minutes. Line 3 frequency is slightly lower. You will rarely wait more than 10 minutes at any time of day.
Crowding: Peak-hour trains on Lines 1 and 2 through the central Cairo stations are genuinely crowded — pressed-in crowded, particularly in the mixed carriages. If you're carrying luggage for an intercity train connection, choose an off-peak departure time if possible. A 30-minute earlier departure from your hotel can make the difference between a comfortable journey and a stressful one.
Station signage: Stations are marked in both Arabic and English. Trains announce stops in Arabic; announcements in English are present on Line 2. Maps are displayed at every station. Navigation is straightforward once you identify your line colour — the system is not large enough to get seriously lost.
Safety: Cairo Metro is a safe environment for tourists. Pickpocketing in crowded peak-hour trains is the main concern, as with any urban metro worldwide — keep bags in front of you and phones out of back pockets during busy periods. There is police presence at major stations.
Metro to mainline rail: the key interchanges
Mubarak Station → Cairo Ramses
Mubarak is the metro station for Cairo Ramses, the main ENR terminus. It is served by both Line 1 and Line 2, making it accessible from virtually any point in the metro system. The walk from the Mubarak metro exit to the Ramses station entrance is around 3–4 minutes. Allow 30 minutes before your train departure when travelling from the city centre — metro journey plus the station concourse. From Maadi or Helwan (Line 1 south), allow 45–60 minutes.
Giza Metro → Giza ENR Station
Several southbound trains — particularly the overnight sleeper service to Luxor and Aswan — depart from Giza station rather than Ramses. Giza metro station on Line 2 puts you 5 minutes' walk from the ENR Giza station. This is a calmer departure option than fighting through Ramses if your specific train originates at Giza. Check your booking confirmation to confirm which Cairo station your train departs from before choosing your metro route.
Ain Shams (Line 1) → Cairo Ain Shams ENR
Trains toward Port Said and Ismailia depart from Cairo Ain Shams station, not Ramses. The Ain Shams metro station on Line 1 (northeast end of the line) is directly adjacent to the ENR station. If you're heading to the Canal zone, this metro–rail interchange is clean and fast — the two stations share essentially the same forecourt. This line runs less frequently than the central section; allow extra time for the metro leg from central Cairo.
Line 3 Adly Mansour → Airport Bus
Cairo International Airport is not on the metro network, but Line 3's eastern terminus at Adly Mansour connects to the airport bus. The bus (Route 356) runs regularly between Adly Mansour and Terminal 1 and 2. This is the cheapest way to reach the airport — combined metro plus bus fare of around EGP 25–35 total — and avoids airport road traffic in most conditions. The journey from central Cairo (Attaba) to the airport via metro and bus takes approximately 60–75 minutes.
Cairo Metro FAQ
Officially, photography inside metro stations and on trains is not permitted without prior authorisation. In practice, phone use and incidental photography happen constantly, but pointing a camera at security personnel, equipment or infrastructure can attract attention. Tourist photography in the carriages is generally tolerated; photographing tunnels, control rooms, or security setups is not. Exercise the same judgment you would at any transit facility.
Yes. There are no size restrictions on luggage, and you will regularly see Egyptian families with large bags, boxes and equipment on the carriages. The practical issue is space — during peak hours, large suitcases make an already crowded car more difficult. If you're heading to Ramses with baggage, choose an off-peak time (after 09:00 or before 15:00 on weekdays) when there is noticeably more room.
The metro goes to Giza station on Line 2, but the pyramids themselves are 10–12 km from the Giza metro stop. From Giza station, you will need a taxi, a Uber-style ride-hail service, or a tour vehicle to reach the plateau. The metro saves the city-to-Giza leg — useful if you're staying in central Cairo — but the final section to the pyramids is road only. Allow 30–45 minutes from Giza station to the pyramid gates, depending on traffic.
Sadat station on Lines 1 and 2 (they share the station) is genuinely close to the Egyptian Museum — the walk is 5 minutes across Tahrir Square. Exit from the Tahrir Square exit, cross to the north side of the square, and the museum's main entrance is in front of you. The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) at Giza is a different, newer museum — it is not accessible by metro and requires road transport from Giza station.
Line 2 trains are air-conditioned throughout. Line 1 has a mix — newer rolling stock is cooled, older rolling stock on the outer sections of the line is not. Line 3 trains are air-conditioned. In summer, the platform concourses can be warm even when the trains themselves are cooled. Stations with underground platforms are generally cooler than elevated sections of Line 1.
On any route that the metro covers, the metro wins on speed during daytime hours when Cairo traffic is congested. Fares are EGP 8–15 vs EGP 40–120 for a taxi or Uber equivalent for the same journey. Taxis and Uber are better for destinations the metro doesn't reach (Zamalek interior, the pyramids, airport) or for late evening travel after metro hours. For intercity rail connections at Ramses, we always recommend the metro over taxis — there's no traffic risk to make you miss your train.
Planning beyond the metro
The metro handles Cairo. For the rest of Egypt, our intercity rail planning covers the routes from the terminals you've now navigated to.
Related: rail network overview · Cairo–Luxor sleeper · station guide