Egypt Family Travel: Luxor to Cairo Night Train with Baby

Julie

2025-04-28

Egypt Family Travel: Luxor to Cairo Night Train with Baby

Join our family’s world travel adventure as we take the Luxor to Cairo night train with our baby. Tips for traveling with kids in Egypt inside!

Main Journey

Luxor’s Last Morning: Taking It Slow

Our family woke up lazily after a long stretch of sightseeing in Luxor. Thanks to finishing our East and West Bank tours early, we had a rare luxury — a slow, relaxed day with Sweetie. We savored our last breakfast at the hostel, pretty much being the final guests left munching away.

After breakfast, we checked out by noon and left our luggage at the reception. The hostel owner kindly let us hang around in the lobby until our train time later that evening — a true lifesaver in the Egyptian heat!

Enjoying One Last Luxor Treat

Right outside our hostel was a charming sugarcane juice shop. What made it even better? The owner gave us honest prices without the usual tourist markup — something we didn’t take for granted during our Egypt travels!

There are usually three cup sizes at sugarcane stalls:

Small: 2 Egyptian Pounds
Medium: 4 Egyptian Pounds
Large: varies

In Luxor, we grabbed another refreshing cup, knowing that Cairo might not offer this fresh-pressed goodness.

Keeping Sweetie Entertained Indoors

It was way too hot to roam outside. So, Sweetie got creative with the sofa pillows, stacking them up like building blocks. We ended up playing with her for over 30 minutes, building towers and laughing.
Traveling light means we can’t carry many toys, but watching Sweetie use her imagination so freely reminded us that sometimes less is truly more.

Events

Prepping for the Night Train

By 6:30 PM, it was time to head out. First stop — Luxor Train Station.
Egyptian train stations don’t have electronic boards or clear signs like we’re used to. So, we made a smart move by scouting the platform location early. We found out Cairo-bound trains depart from the platform nearest the ticket office — useful info you’ll want to know!

Grab and Go: Egyptian Street Food for Dinner

We realized we didn’t have time for a sit-down dinner, especially with Sweetie falling asleep. Instead, we bought:

1.5L bottle of fresh sugarcane juice (for just 8 EGP!)
Seven grilled corns from street vendors (10 EGP total)
A kilo of green grapes (8 EGP)

Snacks and drinks in hand, we loaded up our gear and braved the sidewalks with Sweetie in the carrier, bottles dangling from every free arm. It felt like a full-blown expedition!

Train Station: Waiting Game

We arrived at the platform around 7:20 PM, only to realize the train before ours was still there. After it left, we settled on a bench, eating our corn and grapes while Sweetie munched happily.

Honestly? Luxor’s station was so much cleaner than we expected — way better than India’s stations.
Dozens of janitors kept sweeping, making me feel a little guilty every time Sweetie dropped a crumb!

Boarding the Night Train

Our 8 PM train didn’t arrive until 8:40 PM.
It was a battered old train, not exactly the fancy image you might have of a “first-class” Egyptian train. Inside, the seats were laid out 2-1 like Korea’s old Saemaeul trains. At first, we spread out across three seats, but once we departed, the cabin filled up quickly.

Not-so-fun fact: people with standing tickets crowded into our 1st-class car, and there were constant scuffles between the train staff and the standees.
Add in secondhand cigarette smoke drifting in from the hallways… Yeah, not exactly luxury travel.

Still, exhaustion won out.
We held Sweetie close, closed our eyes, and told ourselves the bumpy, rattling ride was just an “extra intense massage chair experience.”

Tips for Traveling with a Baby

1. Take It Slow

If your travel schedule allows, plan a slow day before a long journey. Letting Sweetie rest and play before the night train made a huge difference in her mood.

2. Pre-Scout Train Stations

Egypt’s train stations can be confusing. Always scout your platform beforehand to avoid last-minute panic with a baby and heavy luggage.

3. Pack Easy-to-Eat Foods

Instead of relying on station food, we grabbed simple, no-mess snacks like grilled corn and grapes — perfect for the train and toddler-friendly too.

4. Prepare for Delays

Even with first-class tickets, delays and chaos happen. Mentally preparing for it kept us from getting too frustrated and helped Sweetie stay calm too.