Accessible travel

01

Museums

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) near the Giza pyramids is the most accessible major attraction in Egypt, with step-free routes, ramps and lifts throughout, and accessible toilets. Its official ticketing site lists visitors with disabilities among those admitted free every day of the week; bring a valid document proving eligibility, and expect to pay the difference if you join a guided tour.

The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Fustat, home of the royal mummies, received an accessibility certificate from the Sharjah International Disability Council in 2022. It has run free sign-language tours and tours for visually impaired visitors.

The historic Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square is harder. The 1902 building has a ramp at the entrance and some lift access, but upper galleries and toilets may be difficult, and renovation work is ongoing. Ask at the entrance which areas are reachable on the day.

02

Giza, Luxor and other ancient sites

At Giza, the newer visitor centre on the Fayoum Road side is wheelchair accessible and has self-service ticket machines. Electric buses now carry visitors between stops on the plateau, so you no longer have to walk long distances across the sand. Paved paths reach the main viewpoints, but the ground around the smaller pyramids is uneven and sandy, and the passages inside the pyramids are steep and cramped and not suitable for wheelchair users.

In Luxor, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has added ramps and smoother paths at Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple and the Luxor Museum as part of a national accessibility programme. Large parts of Karnak and Luxor Temple can be seen on flat ground. Tombs in the Valley of the Kings mostly involve long sloping corridors and steps, so check with your guide which tombs are realistic.

Remember the heat: plan visits for early morning, carry water, and book a vehicle that can drop you close to the entrance.

03

Tickets and concessions

Egypt’s Law No. 10 of 2018 on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities guarantees access to culture and public services, and Egyptians registered with the state receive benefits through the Integrated Services Card. For foreign visitors, concessions vary:

• Grand Egyptian Museum: free admission for visitors with disabilities, with proof of eligibility.
• Sound and Light shows at Giza, Karnak, Philae, Abu Simbel and Edfu: the operator has announced free admission for people with disabilities, Egyptian and foreign alike.
• Other museums and archaeological sites: concessions are applied at the ticket office and practice varies. Carry a disability card or medical document from your home country, ideally with an English translation, and ask.

Egyptian National Railways offers a 50% discount for passengers with disabilities and a companion; this is aimed at cardholders in Egypt, so ask at the station whether it applies to you.

04

Flying in: airports and airlines

Request assistance from your airline when you book, and confirm it at least 48 hours before departure. The airline arranges help at Cairo International Airport, where staff with wheelchairs can escort you through security and passport control. Terminal 2 has a marked drop-off point and a landside meeting point for passengers with reduced mobility, and EgyptAir has opened a quiet support room at Cairo Airport for passengers with hidden disabilities such as autism.

On EgyptAir, you can add a wheelchair request through the airline’s website using your six-character booking reference, or contact the airline directly. Tell the airline whether you can manage steps or need an aisle chair to reach your seat.

Travellers report that airport wheelchairs can be old and uncomfortable, so if you use your own chair, ask to keep it until the aircraft door and have it returned there on arrival. Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, Luxor and Aswan airports also provide assistance when it is booked through the airline.

05

Getting around cities

Cairo Metro: stations on Line 3 (and the newer lines) have lifts and tactile paving, but a step and gap between platform and train still make independent wheelchair travel difficult. Lines 1 and 2 are older and largely inaccessible. The transport ministry has instructed staff to provide wheelchairs to passengers who ask, and Line 3 has worked with the Basira foundation on training for blind passengers.

Ride-hailing: Uber and Careem operate in Cairo, Alexandria and other cities and remove the need to negotiate fares, but there is no wheelchair-accessible vehicle category in Egypt. Standard cars can take a folding wheelchair in the boot.

Private transfers: for most visitors with limited mobility, a private car or adapted van booked through a tour operator or hotel is the most practical choice. Pavements are high and crossings are busy, so short distances are often easier by car.

06

Hotels and Nile cruises

International chain hotels in Cairo, Giza, Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh usually have a small number of adapted rooms, lifts and step-free public areas. Newer resorts on the Red Sea coast tend to be flatter and more spread out, with ramps between buildings. Smaller, older hotels and many budget guesthouses have no lift.

Always ask for specifics rather than relying on the word “accessible”: door widths, whether the bathroom has a roll-in shower or a tub, grab rails, bed height, and the route from the entrance to the room. Photos help.

On Nile cruises, choose a ship with a lift between decks, and ask how passengers board at each mooring. Boats often tie up side by side, so you may need to cross several vessels, and riverbank steps can be steep. Some operators offer cruise boats described as suitable for wheelchair users.

07

Specialist operators, support services and rights

Several Egyptian tour companies sell wheelchair-accessible itineraries with adapted vehicles, guides used to assisting, and helpers at the sites. Examples include Memphis Tours, Egypt Tours Plus, Egypt Tours Portal, Inside Egypt and Sun Pyramids Tours. Ask them exactly which sites and tombs are covered and what equipment they provide.

The National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), set up under Law No. 11 of 2019, is the state body that oversees disability rights and monitors the 2018 law. It issues guidance and receives complaints, mainly for residents. The Integrated Services Card is the document Egyptians use to claim disability benefits. Tourists cannot obtain it, so bring your own disability documentation.

For visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing, sign-language tours are offered from time to time at NMEC; contact the museum in advance. Blind and partially sighted visitors can arrange tactile and described tours with specialist guides.

08

Emergency numbers

• Police: 122 (112 also works from mobiles)
• Ambulance: 123
• Fire: 180
• Tourist Police: 126

Operators in tourist areas may speak some English, but it helps to have your hotel’s address written in Arabic. Keep your embassy’s number in your phone, carry a short note in Arabic and English describing your condition, medication and any equipment you use, and make sure your travel insurance covers medical evacuation.

Private hospitals in Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor and the Red Sea resorts are generally better equipped than public ones and usually have English-speaking staff. Your hotel can call a private ambulance or doctor, which is often quicker than the public service. Pharmacies are plentiful, many deliver, and pharmacists often speak some English, but bring enough of your own medication and spare parts for any equipment.

09

Useful links

Official sites to check before you travel.