After my recent cruise I decided that I should have a goat taking the train in Egypt, specifically from Luxor to Cairo, after which I would leave the country.
And I was bloody pleased that I did as while it was not all that cheap, it was a truly rewarding experience. How do you take the train in Egypt and what exactly is it like?
How to take the train in Egypt?
Taking the train in Egypt is not all that different from taking a train anywhere else. For now it seems there are not online options to pay though, with one needing to physically go to the station.
They do though take cards, which is at least of some comfort. And you get an old school physical ticket, great for us train nerd out there.
How much does it cost to take the train in Egypt?
There. Is a bit if a consume here, with prices for say Cairo to Luxor costing very little ($20-40) fro a seat, which then goes to 4 in a cabin, two and even single supplement.
Two to a cabin is $90 and a single option is $130. I did that later, but in reality you could probably get a twin, but end up on your own. Alas not a risk I was prepared to take. This makes it somewhat similar to taking the train in Vietnam and Thailand where costs change greatly depending on your class.
For taking the train from Luxor to Cairo most flights are late at night with the journey taking around 11 hours. I took the 23.30, which got me in early, but nit too early.
What are the cabins like when you travel by train in Egypt?
The single rooms are pretty damned epic with 2 chairs on the bottom and an upper bunk. This is the same actually for twins too, with the bottom two seats changing into a second bed.
And there are charging stations, as well as a sink and trays that comer out for your food.
Doors also lock obviously, with you cabin steward available to lock and unlock it. One slightly weird things is there are doors between cabins, meaning that you can quite literally have a train party should you wish.
Oh and you can also smoke at the end of the carriage, something one should really not be shocked about in a country like Egypt!
Can you eat and drink on Egyptian trains?
You most certainly can! And with the first class cabins not only can you eat, but you are served a pretty good meal the moment you get in the train. This was for me overkill as the Royal Beau Visage had also given me no less than 30 sandwiches.
Much like train stations in most of the world, such as Myanmar there are hawkers selling stuff on the platform. And the food sold is pretty good too consisting of breads, cheeses and sliced meats. No ham you understand though…..
They do not though sell alcoholic, which thankfully ares old just outside Luxor Railway Station. This led me to trying ID Double Edge a truly string alcopop!
Is it worth taking the train in Egypt?
Taking the train in Egypt for me now at least ranks up there with many of the other great train journeys I have done, such as the Trans-Siberian Railway. The scenery is stunning it is not all that expensive and the Egyptian Railway Network covers much of the country.
And this is without even mentioning the high speed railway line from Cairo to Luxor (that is costing billions) that will lower the time needed to just 3 hours. I though will always favour the old school route.
And the old school route can now get you as far down as Aswan, which means you can even link up with going all the ways down to Bir Tawil.
Therefore it is something we are very much actively looking to add to our own schedule of Egyptian Tours.