Visiting Cairo and Egypt from Israel

Visiting Cairo and Egypt from Israel is a popular extension to a trip to Israel for many visitors. Many tours and transportation options readily available which make it easy and relatively cheap to visit Egypt. Cairo is one of the world’s largest and greatest metropolises. It’s the city which straddles the River Nile, and houses great iconic sites. These include the Pyramids of Giza, Statue of the Sphinx, the Egyptian Museum, and so much more. There are tours options enabling visitors to go from Israel to Cairo and Egypt every day. While it is possible to travel to Egypt by public transport or independently, these are recommendable options:

Joining a Tour to Cairo and Egypt from Israel

Visiting Cairo and Egypt from Israel

The many Tours to Cairo from Israel depart every day. They leave from Eilat, where the Taba Border Crossing with Egypt is just a five minute drive from the city. They also leave from Tel Aviv, where the connection to Eilat is made by a 45 minute flight. Once across the border, you are in the Sinai Peninsula, one of the world’s most beautiful landscapes. Read the following to discover how to get from Israel to Egypt.

From Eilat

Tours from Eilat to Cairo and Egypt depart every day, with guaranteed departures. The city is right on the border with Egypt, and once crossing you are two or three hours by road from Mount Sinai and St Catherine’s Monastery, and six to eight hours from the capital of Egypt, Cairo. All of these journeys are fascinating, passing stunning scenery and, en route to Cairo, through the world-famous Suez Canal.

Taba Border Crossing

The Taba Border Crossing is relatively easy to cross, being geared to handle tourists and therefore relatively efficient as Middle Eastern border crossings go. The visa process to enter Egypt is handled by the tour company if you are joining a tour, which saves visiting the Egyptian Embassy either in your own city or in Tel Aviv. The tours from Eilat to Cairo and Egypt are fully guided, and importantly, operate with full coordination with the Egyptian authorities for security and safety matters. An Egyptian plain-clothed police officer is usually assigned to tourist groups to give an added element of peace of mind for visitors to the country.

Tours From Eilat

Visiting Cairo and Egypt from Israel

There are five popular tours from Eilat to Cairo and Egypt, and the one you should choose depends mostly upon your time constrictions:

Tours From Tel Aviv

Visiting Cairo and Egypt from Israel

All of the tours outlined above are available with an optional flight transfer from Tel Aviv to Eilat. Flying from Tel Aviv to Eilat takes around 45 minutes, and the check in process is much quicker than international flights. The additional cost for adding the flights before and after the tour is approximately $100 each way.

Many people from Tel Aviv opt to combine their tour to Cairo and Egypt with a tour to Petra and Jordan, seeing as many of these tours also depart from Eilat.

There is also a shuttle from Tel Aviv to Eilat, which you can use in this case.

Private Tours

For families, larger groups or those who simply prefer or for time reasons require to travel privately, private tours to Cairo and Egypt offer a custom made approach to tours to Egypt. While the regular itineraries are fantastic as they are, private tours can be adjusted. You can change the content and timings to meet the more specific requirements of the travelers.

Traveling to Cairo and Egypt from Israel Independently

Visiting Cairo and Egypt from Israel

Of course, it is possible to travel independently from Israel to Cairo and Egypt. The only border crossing which currently accepts passage of tourists is the Taba Border Crossing next to Eilat. Full Egyptian visas, required for visits to Cairo, are no longer issued here on the spot. It is crucial that you pre-arrange this prior to approaching the border. Tour operators are able to do this, but traveling independently requires you to to go the Egyptian Embassy ahead of time.

Traveling by Bus or Road

From the Taba Border Crossing to Cairo, there are different transportation options available. Generally the bus service is not available to tourists as it passes through areas of Northern Sinai which are not accessible by tourists. As a result, transfers are provided by local companies or taxi companies. There are various options, and most travelers cross the border and try to haggle with local providers, although this is not comfortable for everybody to do.

Traveling by Plane from Tel Aviv to Cairo

There are regular flights from Tel Aviv to Cairo, operated by EgyptAir subsidiary, Air Sinai. The price for these flights is approximately $450 per person, return. Reservations cannot be done through online flight booking websites, unlike most international flights. They must instead be handled through the office of Air Sinai in Tel Aviv.

How to Travel from Israel to Cairo and Egypt

Most travelers from Israel to Cairo and Egypt opt to travel with a guaranteed departure tour. This option is often the most cost effective, as well as being the most hassle-free and tourist friendly. It gives tourists a greater level of security than they might feel traveling independently by bus or taxi. Check out the full selection of tours to Cairo and Egypt from Israel to explore the various options which are available, and speak with us if you have questions regarding these itineraries.

If you plan to visit Sinai instead, learn about the best ways to get from Israel to Sinai here.

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