Transportation within Cairo - Metro

The Cairo Metro system, completed in 1987, is a world apart from the rest of Cairo oublic transport. Cool, clean, and efficient, the trains run along a single route linking the southern industrial district of Helwan to the workers’ homes north of the city, with a number of stops downtown. Downtown stations feature excellent cartoons and Egyptian ads on little TV screens. Trains run every few minutes 6am-lam (35-75pt).

Keep track of your ticket; you’ll need it to exit. The downtown stations (look for the enormous red “M” signs) are Mubarak (Ramses Sq.), Orabi (Orabi St. and Ramses St.), Nasser (July 26 St. and Ramses St.), Sadat (Tahrir Sq.), Sa’ad Zaghloul (Mansur St. and Ismail Abaza St.), Sayyida Zeinab (Mansur St. and Ali Ibrahim St.), Al-Malik as-Saleh (Salah Salem Road), and Mar Girgis (Old Cairo). Trains are often packed and sweaty during rush hour; try to avoid Metro travel before 9am and between 5-7pm.