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Hi My boyfriend and I are staying in Taba Heights for a week in June and are keen to visit Cairo. As we're only staying a week, we would like to go to Cairo for the day. I've only found out about day trips via coach/road and wondered if anyone has any idea about flights? Has anyone done their own day trip to Cairo from Taba without a guide/arranged trip? And does anyone know how often such flights are and where one can book tickets, how much etc? And is it safe enough to travel without a group? Thanks for your help! Gill
ExptinCAI Member # 1439
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don't fly..you'd have to drive 2 hrs to Sharm airport to take a flight to Cairo. Flights are early morning/late evening...and you have to get there ahead, and you have an 1 hr from cairo airport to center of cairo...
hire a car with driver which will come out cheaper if there's 2 of you, and it should take about 4 hrs to get to center of cairo.
strangelookingnegro Member # 151
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There is an airport in Taba. To get all the lowdown on schedules and costs, I suppose you could check the EgyptAir website, or better yet, write to Ted at Egypt Panorama Travel at ept@link.net for help.
The first thing to consider is if the visa you are getting for your Taba holiday will be only a Sinai visa or if you can get the full Egypt visa. You need the full Egypt visa to travel off the Sinai.
GB Member # 4036
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quote:Originally posted by ExptinCAI: don't fly..you'd have to drive 2 hrs to Sharm airport to take a flight to Cairo. Flights are early morning/late evening...and you have to get there ahead, and you have an 1 hr from cairo airport to center of cairo...
hire a car with driver which will come out cheaper if there's 2 of you, and it should take about 4 hrs to get to center of cairo.
GB Member # 4036
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Thanks, Debbie. We've sent off for full passports from the Embassy in London. I'll ask Ted about flights, as the Egypt air website wasn't showing any flights.
ExptinCAI Member # 1439
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oops...guess it wasn't yet open at the time my friend went
GB Member # 4036
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It was useful info anyway - I didn't know it was an hour from Cairo airport to the centre of Cairo. The more info the better! Thank you!
strangelookingnegro Member # 151
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An hour is a bit of an exageration. I live in Heliopolis and figure an hour to the far side of town during rush hour, and maybe maximum 40 minutes to downtown. Usually it can be done somewhere between 20-30 minutes and in as few as 10 minutes if it's the middle of the night and no traffic around. BUT...there is always the possibility that Mr. Moubarak will decide to cross the street to his club at any given moment and if that happens...EVERYTHING between the airport and downtown closes. Fortunately, the guy doesn't do that to us too often.
strangelookingnegro Member # 151
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An hour is a bit of an exageration. I live in Heliopolis and figure an hour to the far side of town during rush hour, and maybe maximum 40 minutes to downtown. Usually it can be done somewhere between 20-30 minutes and in as few as 10 minutes if it's the middle of the night and no traffic around. BUT...there is always the possibility that Mr. Moubarak will decide to cross the street to his club at any given moment and if that happens...EVERYTHING between the airport and downtown closes. Fortunately, the guy doesn't do that to us too often.
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it takes me an hour from the time i leave the airport hall to crossing the nile downtown if i'm arriving at any decent hour during the day. if it's in the middle of the night or morning, then it's about 30 minutes. the direction from airport to downtown is very slow and always congested. going from downtown to the airport is another story.
GB Member # 4036
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Thank you for all this useful information. What a brilliant forum this is! I guess we'll try to travel as early in the morning and as late at night as possible so as to try and avoid the busiest times for traffic.
ExptinCAI Member # 1439
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nah...it's an experience...plus if you're on the the flyover ...it's built really close to some of the buildings so you try to catch a glimpse in the windows.. it will be less scary for you if you're "welcomed" to cairo's driving techniques by being stuck in slow moving traffic, as opposed to how the driver is going to act on an empty road (think formula 1)
GB Member # 4036
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haha! Brilliant! Really looking forward to it. Having booked the holiday I realise we're going to have to return to Egypt on a sightseeing holiday, so we can visit all the other places like Lexor. So may things to see.
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