The classic Cairo day for a group is the Giza Pyramids plateau and the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, with Saqqara as an option. This guide covers the transport side of that day: the hours to plan around, how the vehicle is hired, and what the price covers and what it doesn't.
It is private hire: you rent the whole vehicle with its driver, not seats on a shared tour. The smallest vehicle we hire is the 14-seat HiAce.
Opening hours to plan around
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities site, egymonuments.gov.eg:
- Giza Pyramids plateau: 8:00 to 16:00
- Saqqara: 8:00 to 16:00
- Egyptian Museum, Tahrir: 9:00 to 17:00, with the ticket office closing at 16:00
Hours can change, so check on the day. The time to watch is the museum's ticket office, which closes an hour before the museum does. A plan that starts at the plateau when it opens and reaches the museum well before 16:00 leaves room for both. Adding Saqqara makes for a fuller day, and the same 16:00 closing applies there.
Tickets are not part of the transport
Entrance tickets are separate from the vehicle hire. They are priced per programme at the current official rates, so check them when you plan. The plateau ticket does not include entry inside the pyramids, which is a separate ticket.
How the day is hired
You hire the vehicle for an agreed number of hours, written into the quote. Within those hours the vehicle waits for you at each site, and extra hours are charged, so agree the pickup and finish times when you book.
The price is for the vehicle, not per person. It covers the driver, fuel, road tolls and parking, and waiting within the agreed hours. It does not cover hours beyond those agreed, changes to the route or timings, or entrance fees.
On timing, our rule is that if you book the vehicle for 8:00, it is with you at 7:45 and we let you know it has arrived. If the group runs late, the extra time is charged, and we say so up front.
Which vehicle for the group
On a sightseeing day the bags stay at the hotel, so the headcount decides:
- Up to 14: HiAce
- 15 to 25: Coaster
- 26 to 33: Midibus
- 34 to 45: MCV 400 coach
- 46 to 50: MCV 600 coach
Every child counts as a seat. On the Coaster, 22 to 25 people means the older shape with fold-down seats in the aisle, and we tell you before you book. The hire is the vehicle and its driver; if your group has its own guide or tour leader, count them in the seats. On the 49+1 coach, the +1 is the tour leader's seat, so a group travelling with a guide is 49 plus the guide.
In central Cairo a smaller vehicle also gets closer: narrow streets are difficult for a full coach, and where it cannot reach, we agree a nearby pickup point it can.
Starting at the airport?
If the day begins with an airport pickup, the suitcases ride with you, and the vehicle has to fit the bags as well as the people. The HiAce has no luggage hold and usually no roof rack, so the bags ride inside with the passengers, and with full-size suitcases it carries fewer people than its seats. Tell us the number of bags and we size the vehicle: the Coaster carries them on a roof rack under a net, and the midibus is the first size with an enclosed hold. Our minibus hire guide goes through each size.
Send the flight number and the airport exactly as printed on the ticket. We pick up at Cairo International (CAI), at Sphinx International (SPX), west of Cairo off the Cairo–Alexandria desert road, and at Capital International (CCE), east of Cairo, which serves the New Administrative Capital: three different airports. We plan the pickup around the flight's scheduled time. More on the airport transfer page.
Staying in Cairo for several days?
The same pattern repeats: a vehicle with driver each day for agreed hours, the airport arrival and departure, and day trips outside Cairo if the programme has them. The same vehicle and driver are with you every day of your stay in Cairo, and you get the driver's name and number before the trip. There is no overnight charge while the group returns to the same city each night.
Booking and payment
A booking is confirmed when the deposit arrives; a verbal yes does not hold a vehicle. The payment terms are written in your quote, and every payment gets an official receipt in the company's name.
What to send for a quote
- How many people, children included
- The hotel or pickup point
- The date and the start time
- The sites, and how many hours you want the vehicle for
- If the day starts at the airport: the flight number and the number of bags
We reply with a written quote within the day: request a quote. For the cities themselves, see Giza and Cairo, and for multi-day programmes, tour group transport.
Need a coach for your trip?
We rent the whole vehicle with its driver — not tickets or single seats. The smallest we run seats 14.