Getting to the hotel

Transfer arranged by package holiday company

Most package holidays include a free transfer from the airport to the hotel.

If you have booked a package holiday very late or if you have booked your flight and hotel separately, you will probably have to pay for the transfer.

The cost through an airline or package holiday company is typically a total of £15 per person, return (airport to hotel and hotel to airport).

Transfer booked through hotel agency

If you book accommodation through a hotel agency you will normally be able to arrange a transfer at the same time. This will generally be provided by Medhotels. The cost is about £3 per person each way (£6 return).

The Medhotels service is similar to the one offered by the British package companies. You travel on a bus and people are dropped off at a series of hotels. The bus is usually a bit older than the ones used by the British companies and you are sometimes kept waiting a long time. We have heard of people arriving on one plane having to wait for passengers on the next plane before Medhotels filled their bus and left the airport for the hotel. It is the cheapest way to transfer if you are on your own, but if there are two or more of you a taxi or tour agency transfer is cheaper and more convenient.

Private Transfer through local tour agents

Most of the Luxor tour agencies will pick you up from the airport and take you to a hotel for about LE50 for up to 3 people, LE80 or so for up to 6 people and a little more for larger groups. They will meet you at the exit of the terminal building holding a board with your name. They will escort you to their car, which will be air conditioned and comfortable. They have mini busses for larger groups.

You have to pre-arrange the pick-up but as long as you are happy to do that, this is the best way to transfer to your hotel. You can arrange with the same or another tour agency to take you back to the airport. There is a list of tour agencies in the sights section. Look at the phoning page to check on ways to make a cheap call to Egypt from Britain to arrange the pick-up.

You can also make the arrangement by email, but some companies, especially those with head offices in other cities, are not very good at responding to emails.

Private International Taxi companies

You can book a taxi in advance through Holiday Taxis or ResortHoppa. It will be more expensive, but less hassle, than finding your own taxi at the airport. It will also probably be more expensive than a paid transfer through a package holiday company if there are one or two in your party. If there are three or more of you it could be cheaper than the package company cost, because the taxi is charged per vehicle, not per passenger. It will be more expensive than prearranging a transfer through a tour agency, but a little easier as you can do it online.

Airport taxi

If you do not have a transfer as part of the package, and have not prearranged a transfer, you can get a taxi at the airport. To get to the taxis, leave the airport building and keep going in the same direction, straight ahead, past the package holiday coaches. Traditionally taxis have been mostly Peugeot 504s, but there are an increasing number of newer Asian saloon cars. All taxis are painted blue and white.

Taxis are easy to find (a driver or 'agent' will probably find you). You must agree a price before you get in. Agree a price for the whole vehicle, not per person and no extra for luggage. They will probably ask for LE100 to start with. The 'proper' price is LE25, but unless you are very patient you might be tempted to give up bargaining a little higher. LE40 - LE50 is not unreasonable. This is only around £4 - £6 and it may well be the driver's only job of the day, so prolonging the hassle for the sake of a pound or two is not necessarily a fruitful start to the holiday. The driver will probably take you for your price eventually, if only because he wants to try to sell you trips for the rest of your stay!

Summary

A package tour transfer is usually free if you book far enough ahead and comfortably familiar, but expensive (typically £15 per person return), if you book close to the date of travel.

A hotel agency transfer through Medhotels has nothing to recommend it unless you are on your own, want the cheapest (around £6 per person return) and can't be bothered to haggle with a taxi driver.

An airport taxi is cheap (LE25 - LE50 depending on haggling skills) and you get straight to your destination, but you may have to put up with some hassle getting to and agreeing the price for the taxi.

The international holiday taxi transfer companies are expensive for one or two, but more competitive for larger groups (around £20 each way per vehicle). They are more expensive than local taxi or tour companies but can be booked online.

A tour agency transfer (around LE50 for a saloon car full) is not much more than a taxi, less hassle, more comfortable and recommended.

The journey direct to the hotel will take about 15 minutes, longer if you are in shared transport that stops at several hotels.