Egypt: How to Book a Private Car Transfer or Taxi
This guide shows you several ways to book a taxi or private car transfer in Egypt.
Getting around Egypt
Egypt is a fantastic travel destination, but booking transport between cities can be challenging, as there are often few options available — and even fewer that can be booked easily online.
Although travelling by train in Egypt can be a great experience — and even fast and comfortable on modern trains — the rail network is limited to cities along the Nile and the Delta, such as Alexandria, Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan.
If you want to venture beyond cities along the Nile, such as Cairo and Luxor, and reach popular Egyptian destinations like the Siwa Oasis, Red Sea resorts such as Hurghada and Marsa Alam, or places in the Sinai like Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, and Taba, you’ll need to take a domestic flight, travel by bus, or arrange a private car transfer or taxi.
Even though buses in Egypt reach nearly every destination, their comfort and quality vary greatly, and travel times are longer than by car, which is why a private car transfer or long-distance taxi ride can be a sensible choice.
Taking a taxi or private car transfer is also an excellent way to reach relatively remote archaeological sites, such as the stunning temple of Abu Simbel, located around 280 kilometres south-east across the desert from Aswan.
Fortunately, taking a long-distance taxi or arranging a private car transfer in advance is affordable in Egypt, and it also offers maximum comfort and flexibility.
Arranging a private car transfer in Egypt
There are typically four ways how you can arrange a private car transfer or long-distance taxi in Egypt:
– Pre-book a private car transfer through a reliable online platform
– Arrange a transfer through a reliable Egyptian travel agency
– Arrange a transfer through your hotel, whether in advance or on the spot
– Find a taxi driver while you’re in Egypt and negotiate on the spot
Each of these ways to arrange a private car transfer has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Pre-book a private car transfer online
There are only a few websites where you can pre-book a private car transfer or even a long-distance taxi in Egypt, with online booking platform 12Go being the best known among them.
12Go is a highly reliable online booking website with a big presence in Egypt.
Within a single search on 12Go, you can compare prices for trains, buses, flights, private car or minivan transfers, and long-distance taxis in Egypt — and actually book them online.
This includes the special foreigner fares for Egyptian trains, which is quite handy given that the official Egyptian Railways booking engine only sells cheaper tickets for Egyptian nationals, which foreign tourists are not allowed to buy.
When it comes to private car transfers and long-distance taxis, 12Go works exclusively with carefully selected local companies that maintain high standards of vehicle comfort, driver professionalism, and safety — which is especially important in a country like Egypt with a less than ideal road safety record.
Another advantage of using 12Go is that you can pay with any foreign credit card, allowing you to benefit from your card provider’s purchase protection.
The prices on 12Go for a private car transfer in Egypt are usually very affordable, with a 5-to-6-hour drive — such as from Cairo to Hurghada — typically costing between $60 and $100 for a private car or minivan.
In the unlikely event that you encounter issues with your transport, you have access to a dedicated support desk and helpline that can assist you or even issue a refund if necessary — something that is, of course, much easier to arrange through a major online booking website like 12Go than through an unknown Egyptian platform or travel agency.
As always, be sure to read the cancellation and refund conditions carefully, as not all transport options allow you to change your travel dates and times after booking.
Arrange a private car transfer through an Egyptian travel agency
Although there are a lot of advantages to arrange your private car transfer in Egypt with 12Go, you can also arrange this through a local travel agency.
The downside of choosing a local travel agency is that it’s harder to verify in advance whether they will deliver on quality, and you have less recourse if things go wrong, which can be especially problematic if a prepayment is required.
Even though some travel agents in Egypt are dodgy, there are also many honest, great-quality Egyptian agencies — you just have to do proper research and find them!
On my trip to Egypt, I prebooked a Nile river cruise with a private guide and a half-day excursion from Aswan to Abu Simbel through Luxor & Aswan Travel.
This travel agency really delivered on all fronts, whether it was everything related to my river cruise, transport in a modern minivan, or the excellent service of a knowledgeable and welcoming private guide, with great communication before and during my Egypt trip via email and WhatsApp.
It is precisely in such situations that arranging everything through a travel agency can be the best option for your trip to Egypt, as you can customise everything, which is particularly helpful if you have a tight schedule, a complex itinerary, or require specialist services such as a private guide.
However, if you need a simple private car transfer across Egypt from A to B, contacting a travel agency may not always be cheaper, and using online booking platforms such as 12Go or arranging transport yourself on the spot is often a much simpler option.
Arrange a private car transfer through your hotel
It is also perfectly possible to arrange a car transfer on the spot through your hotel while you’re staying in Egypt.
Many hotels — whether five-star luxury establishments or simple guesthouses — either have their own private cars for such transfers, employ taxi drivers within their family, or will call around to arrange one for you, often earning a small commission from the travel agency or driver for doing so.
You therefore don’t really have to do any groundwork yourself, as you can let the system arrange everything for you!
The obvious advantage is full flexibility and no need to arrange anything before setting off on your Egypt trip, although some travellers who prefer to have everything confirmed in advance might see this as a disadvantage.
If you arrange a private car transfer through a luxury hotel, you can be sure the services will be of good quality, since these hotels have vetted their drivers and use comfortable vehicles, but this option is likely the most expensive of all.
On the other hand, if you stay in budget accommodation, the price is likely to be competitive, although you should make sure to haggle it down, as the initial asking price is often inflated and there is usually plenty of room for negotiation.
The main disadvantage of arranging a private car transfer through a budget or non-chain hotel in Egypt is that you cannot be assured of the quality, whether it concerns the driver’s skills and professionalism or the condition of the vehicle.
Hassle in Egypt is common not only on the streets but also in cheaper non-chain hotels, where entrepreneurial local owners, while happy to arrange your car transfer, may take the opportunity to push extra add-ons like guided excursions or stops at souvenir stalls to earn a commission.
Although this is fairly harmless, it can certainly be quite annoying, so make sure you negotiate firmly, stand your ground, and politely decline any upsells with “la shukran” — Arabic for “no thanks”.
Negotiate with taxi drivers directly
A final option for arranging road transport in Egypt is to simply find a taxi on the spot.
Although this is not the best option for a one-way drive to another city in Egypt, it is often the most convenient choice if you need a vehicle and driver for a day of sightseeing in the area and plan to return to the same location.
For example, this is a great way to make a half-day trip from Cairo to Saqqara, Dahshur, and ancient Memphis.
Simply approach a taxi driver and ask if he’s willing to drive you to another Egyptian city or be your driver for the day, then negotiate the price.
If you’re street smart, know the local prices, and are a good negotiator, you can get some affordable deals this way — often much cheaper than arranging your car and driver through a travel agency or hotel.
Uber is available in Cairo, Alexandria, and Hurghada, and it can be a great way as well to arrange a car ride to explore nearby destinations.
Conclusion
Arranging a private car transfer or long-distance taxi ride can be a great way to get around Egypt, offering highly competitive prices along with full flexibility and comfort.
There are several ways to arrange a private car transfer in Egypt, with online booking websites and local travel agencies being the preferred options among tourists.
It is also easy to arrange a private car transfer through your hotel in Egypt, although the price will certainly be inflated at luxury hotels, while the quality and experience at budget accommodation or non-chain hotels can vary greatly.
If you need a car and driver for a few hours or a full day and plan to return to the same location, it is often much easier to arrange a taxi on the spot while you’re in Egypt.
