My video takes you into one of the private cabins aboard the sleeper train going from Giza to Luxor. The rail route is operated by Abela Trains Services Egypt. Click the icon in the lower righthand corner of the player to expand the video.

There’s no better way to travel from Giza to Luxor than by Abela Trains Services Egypt’s sleeper train. Including a video and photos, this is how I did it.

While there are multiple ways to reach Luxor from the greater metropolitan area of Cairo, the most leisurely and stylish is traveling via sleeper train. The rail route, which is operated by Abela Trains Services Egypt, offers private passenger cabins along with dinner and breakfast. Including a video and photos, here’s how I purchased a ticket at the Giza railway station, found the first class waiting room, and rode to Luxor.

1. Purchase your train ticket(s)

The best way to buy your tickets for Abela’s sleeper trains is in person at the station. The company also has a mobile app and a desktop booking portal, but I was unable to get either to work. After a brief email exchange with one of their customer service representatives, I planned on arriving at the train station at least an hour before my desired departure time to purchase my fare.

If you are staying in Giza, I strongly suggest leaving from the Giza railway station instead of Ramses Railway Station (also referred to as Misr Station), which is the main rail hub in Cairo. From what I learned doing my own research and talking to a few locals, Ramses is much harder to navigate and far more crowded than Giza.

The Giza railway station is at this address: 2655+M5R, Al Omraneyah Ash Sharqeyah, El Omraniya, Giza Governorate 3724110, Egypt. When facing the entrance gates, Abela’s ticket office is clearly marked along the row of windows to the right. My ticket cost $130 USD and (like hotel accommodations throughout Egypt) must be paid in foreign currency.

2. Navigate to the first class seating area

After I paid for my ticket for the 21:00 (9 p.m.) train, the Abela agent instructed me to enter the station through the leftmost gate (i.e., the furtherest from the ticket office). Once I cleared security and made it to the platform, I turned left, looking for a room marked with a sign reading “First Class.” I quickly found it, and an attendant checked my ticket before allowing me to enter.

The first class seating area has chairs and a private restroom. I settled into my seat, listening to music while waiting for my train to arrive.

3. Board the train to Luxor

The attendant alerted me and the smattering of other passengers in the room when our train pulled into the station. A conductor then expediently guided me to my cabin, which (shown in the video above) had two chairs, a bed, and a sink with a mirror.

Dinner was served around the time that my train departed Giza; as displayed in the first photo of the gallery above, my meal included chicken, rice, potatoes, salad, a dinner roll, and a slice of cake for dessert. I intentionally ate slowly, enjoying every bite after spending days in the oft-blurry franticness of greater Cairo. 

I was in bed not long afterward, dozing as my train followed the railbed south toward the former capital of ancient Egypt.

4. Arrive at the Luxor Railway Station

Like its railway station, the city of Giza is on the west bank of the Nile River. Sometime during your nighttime journey, Abela’s train will cross the world-famous waterway, arriving at the Luxor railway station on the east bank.

Rolling out of bed around 6 a.m., I got myself ready for my first day in Luxor. The city was once called Thebes, and it served as the capital city of ancient Egypt’s New Kingdom. While reviewing my travel plans for the morning and afternoon, I was served breakfast at 7 a.m. Shown in the second photo of the above gallery, it included eggs, bread, olives, and potato chips with juice and coffee.

An hour later, my train arrived at the Luxor railway station, which is located at this address: Luxor City, Luxor, Luxor Governorate 1362367, Egypt. I tipped the conductor and began navigating my way out of the station. It took a few minutes to reach the exit.

Once you make it to the street, there should be several taxis available for hire if you require a driver to take you to your first destination in the city.

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