Overview
The Cairo Metro (Egyptian Arabic: مترو القاهرة, romanized: Metro Anfāq al-Qāhirah, literally "Cairo Tunnel Metro"; also مترو الأنفاق, Metro al-Anfāq) is the rapid transit system of Greater Cairo and the easiest way for a visitor to move around the city. It was the first full-fledged metro in Africa and the Middle East, opening in 1987, and it is owned by the National Authority for Tunnels. As of 15 May 2024 it has 84 stations, 5 of which are transfer stations, across 106.8 km (66.4 mi) of track, and as of 2013 it carried nearly 4 million passengers per day.
Riding it end to end is straightforward. You enter a station, buy a ticket or tap a rechargeable metro card at the gate, descend to the platform, ride to your destination, then tap or insert your ticket to exit. The system operates from 05:00 to 01:00, except during Ramadan when it runs from 05:00 to 02:00; the remaining hours are reserved for maintenance. It is a crowded subway, but no more than Tokyo, Paris or London, and if you are used to big-city metros and can handle the crowding — being extra careful to avoid pickpocketing — it is the best way to avoid Cairo's traffic jams.
The network
Greater Cairo's public transport is a mix of metro, mainline rail, light rail, buses and micro-buses. The metro itself consists of three operational lines, numbered 1 to 3, all built to standard gauge (1,435 mm).
- Line 1 (blue) — the oldest line and the first metro in Africa and the Middle East, opened in 1987. It runs 44 km (27 mi) and serves 35 stations, connecting Helwan in the south with El Marg in the north. Trains use 3 units (9 cars), run at 3.5–4 minute headways, reach a maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) and can carry 60,000 passengers per hour in each direction.
- Line 2 (red) — opened in 1996, running 21.6 km (13.4 mi) with 20 stations, 12 of them underground, from Shubra El Kheima to Cairo University and on to El Mounib. It includes the first tunnel built under the Nile and uses third-rail electrification. Minimum headway is 2.7–3 minutes.
- Line 3 (green) — the newest line, whose first section opened in 2012. It operates from Rod El-Farag Corridor and Cairo University to Adly Mansour, where it connects to the Cairo Light Rail Transit, and it crosses under both branches of the Nile. It is being built in four phases and will eventually total roughly 50 km (31 mi), most of it in bored tunnel, with an extension to Cairo International Airport planned. As of June 2025 the airport station is still under construction.
- Cairo Light Rail Transit (LRT) — a light-rail system that connects with Line 3 at Adly Mansour.
- Egyptian National Railways (ENR) (السكك الحديدية المصرية) — the government operator of all mainline trains, for which Cairo is the national hub. Almost all trains start and terminate at Cairo Ramses railway station (محطة رمسيس), also known as Misr Station (محطة مصر), which sits at the Shohadaa (Martyrs) metro station. Giza railway station (Omm El-Misryeen metro station) is a major hub for the city's southern parts, and Cairo's newest station, Bashteel, mainly handles services from Upper Egypt. Adly Mansour Transportation Hub is where trains from Suez and the New Administrative Capital terminate. The private company Watania runs high-end trains between Cairo, Luxor and a few other cities.
- Buses and micro-buses — long-distance buses connect Cairo with the whole country from Midan Ramses and Cairo Gateway (formerly Turgoman), about 500 m from Orabi Metro Station, with some services also stopping at Abbasiya. Micro-buses, which are cheap but have a terrible accident record, leave mainly from Midan Ramsis (for Alexandria and the Delta) and Al-Marg metro station (for the north-east and Sinai); at least for the Sinai, foreigners are prohibited from using the micro-bus system.
Note that the sources consulted for this guide describe the metro, mainline rail, light rail and buses in detail but do not cover Cairo's ferries, so no ferry information is given here.
Tickets & fares
Cairo Metro fares are distance-based, charged by the number of stations you travel, in four tiers. The figures below are approximate and change — always check the current price at the station.
- Up to 9 stations: EGP 10 (yellow ticket)
- 10–16 stations: EGP 12 (green ticket)
- 17–23 stations: EGP 15 (purple ticket)
- 24 or more stations: EGP 20 (beige ticket)
These prices reflect the increase that took effect on 27 March 2026, when the Ministry of Transport raised the shorter-route fares; the 17–23 and 24+ tiers were left unchanged. Fares have risen repeatedly over the years — from a flat £E1, to £E2 in March 2017, then to £E3/5/7 in May 2018, £E5/7/10 in July 2020, and £E8/10/15/20 in 2025 — so expect further changes.
There are two ways to pay:
- Single-journey paper ticket — bought at the station window or a vending machine for a specific trip. Vending machines are available but are sometimes low on change.
- Rechargeable contactless metro card — you tap in and out and the fare is deducted automatically. The card costs about EGP 80, with travel credit loaded on top. You can recharge from EGP 40 up to EGP 200 per transaction, and the balance has no expiry while the card is in good condition. No ID is required for a standard card. Buy or recharge at any station ticket window or vending machine, including at many stations across Line 3. Your balance is shown at the gates and ticket windows.
Cash is accepted everywhere, and Visa has been accepted at Line 1 and Line 2 booths since late 2025.
Reduced single fares are available on production of the required document — ask at the window. Riders aged 60+ and army and police personnel pay EGP 5 (up to 9 stations), 6 (up to 16), 8 (up to 23) and 10 (up to 39); people with special needs and veterans pay a flat EGP 5. Children below the height or age limit travel free when accompanied by a paying adult.
Season tickets are personal — one card, one traveller — and are priced by the number of fare zones you cross rather than by distance. There are 10 subscription zones; you count from your origin to your destination, with the same zone counting as one and each boundary crossed adding one. Monthly passes cost EGP 390 (1 zone), 440 (2 zones), 510 (3 zones) and 600 (4 zones), with discounts for army and police personnel and riders aged 60+. Quarterly (3-month) passes cost EGP 1,045, 1,190, 1,250 and 1,670 for 1 to 4 zones respectively, and there are further categories for students, people with special needs, injured people and families, and veterans. Six-month passes are published only for army and police (EGP 1,800 / 2,160 / 2,700 / 3,600 for 1 to 4 zones), and annual passes are priced by lines (2 lines EGP 5,100 standard, 3 lines EGP 6,400 standard).
To buy a season ticket, go to a station with a subscription office: collect the category form, fill in your name, job and exact from/to stations, attach two 4×6 photos, and submit it with a copy of your national ID (or birth certificate if you are under 16). Army, police and special-needs applicants need an employer stamp; ordinary passengers do not. Students need a student form plus proof of enrolment or a fee receipt and a phone number, and the pass is valid only between home and place of study. Lending your pass to someone else risks a fine.
The sources consulted do not describe a dedicated tourist pass, so plan on the standard single tickets, metro card or season tickets above.
From the airport
Cairo International Airport (CAI) lies in Heliopolis, to the north-east of the city about 15 km from the centre. It is the busiest airport in Africa, with more than 16 million passengers a year, the largest in Egypt, and the main hub for the flag carrier EgyptAir and Nile Air.
There is currently no metro station at the airport. Line 3's extension to Cairo International Airport was due in 2020 but is still unfinished, and as of June 2025 the airport station remains under construction. Until it opens, the metro does not serve the airport directly. What you can do is ride Line 3 to its eastern end at Adly Mansour, a major transport hub in the eastern districts, and continue from there by other means; Line 3 also reaches Heliopolis (Masr el-Gedida) at the Al Ahram (Korba) and Koleyet El Banat (Merghani) stations, which are the closest metro stops to the airport area. From those stations you will need a bus or taxi for the final leg.
Other airports serving the region include Sphinx International Airport (SPX), which as of 2025 is served mainly by budget airlines, and Capital International Airport (CCE) in the New Administrative Capital, which sees only very limited seasonal charter flights.
Etiquette & customs
- Queuing — Egyptians don't queue for tickets. You'll need to be assertive (but not stroppy): get your small change ready in a quiet area first so you're not fumbling with your wallet, big notes and passport in the crowd, then steadily press through to the ticket window as everyone else does. If you plan a return or future trip, buy several tickets at once so you only have to do this once.
- Women-only cars — the middle two cars (the 4th and 5th) of each train have been reserved for women since 1989; the 5th car becomes mixed-use after 21:00, while the 4th stays women-only. Blue signs (pink on the first and second lines) at every station mark the position of these cars. They exist as an option for women who do not wish to ride with men, but women may ride any car freely.
- Conduct and fines — metro police enforce the rules. Smoking, selling or begging in stations or trains, putting up posters, crossing the tracks, tampering with equipment and blocking closing doors are all offences. Delaying a train costs EGP 300 per minute if caused by a passenger (EGP 600 per minute if caused by a company), plus damages.
- Rush hour — the metro is crowded, and crowding, heat and smells are worse outside November–April. Harassment of women is cited as a risk in public spaces including transit, reportedly less so when travelling in groups. Watch your belongings against pickpocketing.
- General behaviour — follow other riders' behaviour, and ask locals for help; some speak English.
Passengers are covered by insurance up to EGP 30,000 for bodily injury inside the metro, but the cover is void if you cross where you are not allowed, if you are intoxicated, or if you deliberately injure yourself.
Official links
Survival terms
- Subway/metro — مترو الأنفاق (Metro al-Anfāq) — the metro
- Ticket — تذكرة (tadhkara) — ticket
- Line — خط (khaṭṭ) — line
- Entrance — مدخل (madkhal) — entrance
- Exit — خروج (khurūg) — exit
- Transfer — تحويل (taḥwīl) — transfer
- Single fare — تذكرة فردية (tadhkara fardiyya) — single ticket
- Day pass — تصريحة يومية (taṣrīḥa yawmiyya) — day pass
Carry small notes and coins so you can buy your ticket without needing change in the crush at the window.