The hotel restaurant arranged an early dinner seating for me so I could take Cairo’s ‘Metro’ to the station instead of an expensive taxi.
The overnight train from Cairo to Luxor was a fast express, diesel powered, with a first-class section specifically reserved for Western tourists. This included two sleeping cars and a club car with a congenial bartender who spoke near-perfect English. There was time before dark to see the first Nile crossing and the southwestern outskirts of Cairo. Then, one could shut down the lights, nurse a final after-dinner drink in darkness, and enjoy the moonlight until bedtime.
The only drawback was that the schedule was designed for a comfortable arrival time in Aswan, not Luxor. In the half light of pre-dawn, the square facing the railstation was dusty and rather run-down looking: not at all what I’d expected of Luxor. However, the attendant who awoke me at 5 a.m. had brought coffee and breakfast, cabs were readily available upon arrival, and my hotel had a room ready despite my premature arrival. On the way, the taxi followed the Nile past two of Luxor’s magnificent temple ruins. This WOULD be what I’d come for after all.
Return to Cairo was via a late-morning flight on an Egypt Air A-320. The airport appeared nearly lost in the desert, just outside the green belt that extended along the east side of the Nile. Observing the contrasts between the fertile river valley and the barren brown desert sand was an experience I’d never have had by rail. Rail out, air back had been a wise choice. The Sphinx and pyramids lie directly under the approach route to the airport at Cairo; we got a good low-altitude look at them on the way in.
One-way airfare was U.S. $125. One-way rail with private sleeper and breakfast was considerably less. (I’d had to pay cash, in Egyptian Pounds, and didn’t keep accurate spending records.)
Ramses Station in Cairo has an English-speaking information office especially for assisting foreign tourists. Ask them to translate train numbers, compartment or seat numbers, and departure instructions into Arabic and you’ll do fine. (A list of the numbers 1-9 plus 10, 20,etc. is VERY handy to carry with you.)
One precaution: Different trains and different travel days require different ticket lines. Don’t stand in the wrong one! (The travel agent at the Ramses Hilton would have had my sleeper tickets delivered for me, but it was a holiday and the messenger was off duty. Since I had a free morning, the challenge of doing it on my own was kinda fun.)
A final note: Cairo’s ‘Metro’ is modern, clean, and will get you most places you want to go. Please remember, though, that by Muslim law the front one or two cars are reserved for women travelling alone or with children.