Egyptian Railways Foreigner Fares: How to Book These Tickets

Train tickets in Egypt have dual pricing, as Egyptian Railways charges foreigner fares to international tourists. This guide shows you how you can book them online.

Dual pricing in Egypt

Egypt is a fantastic country to visit, but one thing foreign travellers should note is that dual pricing exists across much of the national travel and transport sector.

On my epic trip across Egypt, I noticed this at many archaeological sites and also at some hotels, where rack rates were lower for Egyptian passport holders than for foreign tourists.

Dual pricing is intended to keep travel around the country affordable for domestic Egyptian tourists, although the additional income companies earn from higher foreigner prices clearly plays a role as well.

Although there are arguments to be made on both sides as to whether dual pricing is fair or not, it is something you have to live with when heading to Egypt.

This also applies to travelling around Egypt by train, as Egyptian Railways charge higher foreigner fares to international visitors.

About Egyptian Railways foreigner fares

Dual pricing has been in effect at the Egyptian National Railways since December 2022, with the company charging significantly higher fares to anyone who is not Egyptian.

Effectively, this means that on some routes, foreign tourists pay 300 to 400% more for a train ticket than a local Egyptian.

This doesn’t mean that train tickets are now costing a fortune in Egypt.

As local fares are just priced enormously low from a Western traveller’s perspective, the dual pricing system that’s now in effect means you basically pay the same for your Egyptian train ticket as you would in a European country like Spain or Poland, so these foreigner fares are still perfectly affordable.

For example, when I last took the VIP Express train from Cairo to Alexandria before Egyptian Railways introduced dual pricing, I paid just 7.50 USD for my ticket on this 208-kilometre route, whereas the equivalent foreigner fare is now in the range of $25–35.

How to book Egyptian Railways foreigner fares

The main railway stations in Egypt, such as Cairo Ramses and the brand-new Bashtil station, have a foreigner ticket office (sometimes called the reservation office) where you can book the special foreigner fares for Egyptian trains.

Although this is a great option for tourists who are flexible about which train to take, it’s often not an option for travellers with a tight schedule and a fixed itinerary, as trains in Egypt are often fully booked.

Unfortunately, the official Egyptian Railways website does not support online booking for foreigner fares.

If you visit their website, you will see a note next to the booking engine stating that it is “for Egyptian nationality only” and that “reservation for other nationalities is under construction”.

While their booking engine is useful for checking train schedules, it only shows the lower fares for Egyptian passport holders.

Fortunately, there are a couple of other websites that can book foreigner fares for trains in Egypt, with the reliable online booking website 12Go being the best option.

With a single search, 12Go displays all travel options by train, as well as fares for buses, private taxis, and even domestic flights, if you prefer these over Egyptian Railways trains.

Note that the night train from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan, which offers proper sleeper compartments, is not operated by Egyptian Railways but by a private company called Abela Trains, and tickets for this service can only be bought on their website or at their station booking office.

Do you need to book a foreigner fare as a tourist?

By law, you must book the special foreigner fares for Egyptian trains and cannot use the local fares reserved for Egyptian passport holders, as doing so would effectively mean travelling without a valid ticket.

Although it may be tempting to try buying one of the cheaper local fares online via the Egyptian Railways website, it is strongly advised not to do so, as this can result in a fine and serious problems with both train staff and the police.

Egypt is a relatively safe country to travel in, but it is certainly not the place to risk getting into trouble with the authorities, and waving a foreign passport or feigning ignorance is unlikely to help.

On the contrary, you could end up paying more in fines (or bribes, if you encounter a corrupt official) than you would by simply buying that foreigner’s ticket for your train in the first place.

Conclusion

Egypt is a fantastic country to explore, but during your travels you will encounter dual pricing, meaning you pay more for entry tickets, hotel stays, or train fares as a foreign tourist than a local Egyptian would.

The Egyptian Railways also apply dual pricing to train tickets, and as a foreign visitor, you have to book the special foreigner fares.

You cannot book foreigner fares on the Egyptian Railways website, so you have to buy them at the special foreigner reservation office at the station while in Egypt, or use reliable online booking platforms such as 12Go if you prefer to book your train tickets in advance.