Across the sand??? At first, you might scratch your head at the title of this post. There is no train to Cairo, is there? It’s a sandy place where rail is not a “thing,” right? Not so fast. Actually, you can get around quite handily in fact, but it takes a bit of planning and work. (More about that below.)
The always egalitarian, thoughtful, playful and informative BBC published this rather fun and thought provoking video where their charming and ever-curious correspondent – Alice Roberts, – while looking for something else entirely, in the sands of that magical country – happened upon something interesting . . .that rail was actually a thing there.
Egypt is an archaeologist’s treasure trove, as you’ll know, and this new series follows Alice as she travels the country by rail, delving into its ancient past. Now, for us complete and utter train-heads, this is almost like a dream come true. But, to be sure, the real stars of this post (and this video) are the archeologists who tirelessly deliver us plebes one gobsmacking discovery after another. (Many thanks to the BBC for making these videos available.)
After watching the video, we wondered if it’s even possible to go from Cairo to Europe by rail. We did a little sleuth work and came up with the answer. Yes, you sorta kinda can, but it’s not purely rail all the way. Ready? See below for a more detailed breakdown.
Initial Travel:
1. You’ll need to fly (V3T) to a European or Middle Eastern hub with a train network that connects to Cairo.
1.Consider airports like London (Heathrow or Gatwick), Paris (Charles de Gaulle), or Istanbul (IST).
European/Middle Eastern Train Journey:
2. Once in Europe or the Middle East, you can take high-speed trains like Eurostar or TGV to reach a city with a connection to Cairo.
3. For example, you can travel from London to Cairo Montenotte by train, which takes around 13 hours and 41 minutes on the fastest services.
Egyptian National Railways:
4. Once you reach a city in Egypt, you can use the Egyptian National Railways (ENR) to travel to Cairo.
The ENR network connects major cities in Egypt, including Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, and Aswan.
You can find information on train schedules and booking on the official Egyptian National Railways website.
5. Consider the sleeper trains for long-distance travel, especially to cities like Luxor or Aswan.
Booking:
You can book tickets online through the official ENR website or at train stations. For sleeper trains, you can also book through Abela Trains, or try OMIO. See below.
In our minds, we think almost everything is doable, and when it comes to rail, we trust OMIO. Click here