Trains in Egypt, how a foreigner can buy a ticket in 2026

Where you can go by train

The railways of Egypt are run by the state company ENR (Egyptian National Railways). People living in Cairo mostly need two routes: north to Alexandria and south along the Nile to Luxor and Aswan.

• Cairo and Alexandria. About 200 km, roughly 2.5 hours on a Talgo train and about 3.5 hours on VIP and express trains.
• Cairo and Luxor. About 670 km, a day train takes roughly 10 hours.
• Cairo and Aswan. About 880 km and around 13 hours by day, so many people take a night train.
• Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh. There are no passenger trains there, the line to Hurghada is still being built. People go to the sea by bus, by car or by plane.

Types of trains

• Talgo. The newest Spanish trains with air conditioning, first and second class and a café car. They run to Alexandria and to Aswan, including an overnight seated service.
• VIP and express trains. Air-conditioned first and second class cars. They are a popular choice for a day trip to Luxor and Aswan.
• New «Russian» trains. Air-conditioned second and third class and a third class without air conditioning. Cheaper, but more basic.
• Ordinary trains. Slow, no air conditioning and no reserved seats, uncomfortable for long trips.
• Sleeper train. A night train to Luxor and Aswan with two-berth compartments, dinner and breakfast. Since 2023 it has been operated by the private company Abela under a contract with ENR.

What a ticket costs for a foreigner

Since late 2022 foreigners have paid a separate fare in dollars or euros on air-conditioned trains. The gap is big: in May 2026 the head of ENR gave the example of a ticket that costs a foreigner about 100 dollars and an Egyptian 370 pounds.

Below are approximate one-way fares for 2026 according to the Seat61 travel guide. The lower figure in each pair is second class, the higher one is first class. Fares change, the ticket office will tell you the exact price.

• Cairo and Alexandria. Talgo about 40 or 50 dollars, VIP and express about 35 or 40 dollars.
• Cairo and Luxor. Talgo about 75 or 85 dollars, VIP about 55 or 75 dollars.
• Cairo and Aswan. Talgo about 90 or 95 dollars, VIP about 65 or 80 dollars.
• Sleeper to Luxor or Aswan. About 110 dollars per person in a shared two-berth compartment and about 150 dollars if you have the compartment to yourself.

Do students get the Egyptian price

Students and residence permit holders often ask whether they can buy tickets in pounds. We found no official exemptions for foreign residents in public sources. Ask at the ticket office and keep your passport with the residence permit on you.

Do not ask Egyptian friends to buy you a ticket with their documents. According to an ENR source, if a foreigner is found on the train with a ticket bought in pounds, it is cancelled and the fare is charged again, in dollars or the pound equivalent. You will not save anything and will end up paying twice.

How to buy a ticket online

The official website enr.gov.eg and the ENR app are handy for checking timetables and free seats. But only Egyptian citizens can buy tickets online there, the section for foreigners has been under construction for years.

Sleeper tickets are sold by Abela itself on abelatrains.com, in its app and at its ticket offices at the stations. Seats can be booked several months ahead, and in winter, the tourist season, they sell out quickly.

There are also international agencies that sell foreigner tickets with a markup. Use well-known services and do not send money to middlemen from chats who promise a «ticket at the Egyptian price».

How to buy a ticket at the station

For a foreigner the most reliable way is to buy a ticket at the ticket office. Bring your passport and cash in dollars or euros. You can also pay by card, but the ticket office for foreigners in Cairo charges a fee of about 2.5% for it.

• Ramses Station (Mahattat Misr) in central Cairo. The ticket office for foreigners is on the upper level of the station. The easiest way there is the metro to Al Shohadaa station.
• Giza Station. Southbound trains stop here, and Giza metro station is next to it. There are ticket windows and a separate Abela office.
• Upper Egypt Station in Bashtil, in the west of Giza. Since November 2024 the sleeper trains to Luxor and Aswan have departed from here, and southbound air-conditioned trains stop here. There is no metro, you need a taxi.
• Luxor and Aswan. The stations have ticket offices for foreigners and an Abela office.
• Keep your ticket and receipt until the end of the trip, they show that you paid the foreigner fare.

Tips for the journey

• Buy your ticket in advance, especially for holidays, weekends and the winter season.
• Arrive at the station about 40 minutes early. Stations are big, and at Ramses there are ticket gates at the entrance.
• Southbound trains are often late, so do not plan a tour or a connection right after arrival.
• Bring water, snacks and a warm sweater, air-conditioned cars can be chilly.
• Keep your passport with your visa or residence permit on you, not in your suitcase.

High-speed trains, what is known

Egypt is building a high-speed rail network. The first line will link Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea with Alexandria, El Alamein and Marsa Matrouh. In autumn 2026 trials without passengers began on it, and the transport minister named July 2027 as the target for starting passenger service.

This is a plan, not a fixed date. Follow news from the Egyptian Ministry of Transport and ENR.

How Tullab can help

Do not want to deal with tickets yourself? In tours and excursions Russian-speaking guides offer trips to Luxor and Aswan, and a driver from transfers and taxis will take you to the station.

For getting around Cairo itself, read our article on transport in Cairo, and for choosing a trip without overpaying, the article on excursions in Egypt. Organising trips yourself? Post a free ad.