Cairo to Abuja Austrian Airways Flights

  About Cairo

Egypt's capital and one of the largest cities in Africa, Cairo, is a favourite among tourists. The country of Egypt, with its deserts, might not attract a lot of tourists. However, the rich backstory and culture of Cairo ensure to keep the tourism industry thriving. Some of the famous and finest attractions of Egypt, such as the Great Sphinx and Giza Pyramids, are all located in Cairo. This automatically brings tourists to the capital city. While the city has some exquisite highlights, it suffers from the perils of pollution caused by excess population. It is one of the busiest cities in Egypt as it caters to the financial, economic and cultural sectors. Throughout the city, Cairo invites tourists to visit their beautiful city and drown in its serenity.

Despite all the chaos of the city and its culture, a traveller can find solace in some of its quaint cafes. Finding these cafes and restaurants would be a task as the city is always bustling with barely any corners to hide for tranquillity. The city streets are always bombarded with tourists and street vendors keeping the vibe as vibrant as possible. The city is surrounded by desert but has a rich history which intrigues many travellers. In fact, Cairo also has gorgeous bars and restaurants that could get a tourist's attention.

Best time to visit Cairo

As a desert, it is essential to know the months when the temperatures would be inviting for a tourist. In Cairo, March and April are a great time to visit the archaic city. The winter clouds start to evaporate while the city is blessed with springtime. The temperatures are also quite decent between 23 degree Celsius to 28 degree Celsius. With such temperatures, the winter breeze continues to traverse within the city, adding more charm to the trip. Although the hotel prices don't drop while the temperatures rise in the city, you can still afford them. As long as you book your hotel rooms in Cairo, three to four weeks in advance, you will be able to get some nice deals on hotels. The same goes for flight tickets to Cairo as well. The city does witness a good number of tourists during springtime because of some of the festivals that are held in the city. From the Ismailia International Film Festival to Cairo Fashion Week, these events are significant tourist attractions.

Another good stretch of months that you can opt for is the fall, between October and November. The weather goes through an interesting transition where the summer heat starts to cower while the cold winter atmosphere starts to take over. The desert city is wonderful during this time, and it also hosts more festivals that would appeal to the likes of tourists. Events namely, Cairo International Film Festival and 100 Kilometer Pharaonic Race, are some highlights that the city witnesses. This is definitely one of the ideal times to visit Cairo as everything about the city would be appealing to you.

Between December and February, the city engages more tourists within the city. The weather is ideal for those who wish to experience the desert weather. The days are hot, while the nights are cool. Due to these months being peak season, some of Cairo's tourist attractions see long queues and surge in the hotel prices. Best way to deal with this and the exorbitant hotel prices would be to make hotel reservations to Cairo in advance. A month or two in advance would be ideal as the chances of availability are high.

Place to visit in Cairo

At Cairo, the two tourist attractions that take the cake are Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. However, don't limit yourself to just two of those monuments. The city is literally a treasure trove of archaeological sites, ruins and relics. You will not be bored by any of their highlights as they all have some really intriguing tales. Sites such as Dahshur, Saqqara and Memphis are a few that you can explore, maybe not excavate. There are many religious sites too that add more charm to the city's archaic vibe. Coptic Cairo or Old City is one such neighbourhood that will pique your interest. As will Islamic Cairo, again a neighbourhood with a labyrinth of twisted alleyways and jaw-dropping architecture. The Egyptian Museum will actually be a good place for you to start before exploring the rest of Cairo. Much of the country's history and cultural insights are all locked up in the museum, which will further help you understand their monuments better. Saqqara is also an interesting site where you will get to see the Step Pyramid of Djoser, known to be the oldest pyramid made of stone.

Things to do in Cairo

Stepping away from all the historical sites, you can take a day off and relax at Al Azhar Park. It's quite the oasis of Cairo with lush green grasses and a beautiful sight of the city. The best thing you can do in Cairo is to learn more about their history. Camel safaris and relishing good food are also some of the other things that you can do. While the city is noisy and crowded, you should still opt to take a stroll around it. You will be surprised by the beautiful architecture and quaint segments. The Bazaar is another place you should hang out at for souvenirs, spices, artefacts and more. It will be quite an experience to make way through the bustling marketplace.

Food and restaurants in Cairo

As the city centre, Cairo does cater to various franchises of the world, including Pizza Hut, Burger King and McDonald's. The city also offers some of the finest cuisines from around the world such as Thai food, European and Mediterranean and Japanese, to name a few. However, they also have their own cuisine to boast. The Egyptian cuisine is very similar to the Middle East, comprising of bread, rice, vegetables and meat. However, thanks to the Nile River, they also indulge in adding fish in their cuisine. Typical restaurants in Cairo that follow the Egyptian cuisine have dishes such as aish baladi (pita bread ft. Egypt), hamam mahshi (pigeon stuffed with rice or wheat), mouloukhiya (rabbit stew or chicken stew with flavours of garlic and mallow), kushari (a wholesome mix of rice, macaroni, vermicelli, spaghetti, black lentils topped with tomato, garlic and chilli sauce), etc. Wholesome is the word to describe their meals as they do make you feel happy and satiated. While you're in the city, do not miss Ta'meya, which is basically Egyptian falafel made from fava beans.

To experience the best of Egyptian food, you should head to Abou El Sid, Sequoia, Felfela, Sabya and more. Al Khal Egyptian restaurant, Osmanly, Bab Al Qasr are also some restaurants in the city where you will find flavours of Egyptian culture. Since the city also has popular cuisine from around the world, you won't have to gorge down Egyptian meals. Even in Egypt, thanks to the river Nile, you can get the best of Japanese sushi at Shogun or Thai delicacies at Birdcage. As the city also has Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine to offer, overall, the food culture is quite impressive. You certainly wouldn't be bored with the food here as they cater to much of your moods.

How to reach Cairo

By Air

From India, the best way to reach Egypt would be to fly to Cairo. Major cities in India, such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, have flights to Cairo. There are two international airports in Egypt, in Cairo as well as Luxor. Before making your Egypt trip, it is essential for you to first list out your itinerary. Once you know what your trip's going to look like, accordingly, you can book your round trip flight tickets to Cairo or Luxor. In terms of flight deals to Cairo, it would be best to book round trips as that would give you a plethora of cheap flight ticket options. International airlines such as Lufthansa, Swiss, Singapore Airlines, Etihad and more are available and fly from India.

From the metro cities in India, there are regular flights to Cairo. However, for nonstop flights to Cairo without layovers or connecting flights, you should travel from Mumbai. There are three dedicated nonstop flights flying to Cairo from Mumbai. The flight duration to Cairo from Mumbai is comparatively less too, making travelling convenient. While you are finding the best international routes to Cairo from India, you should also take a peek at the accommodations. Since there are some lavish settings and basic but decent hotels in Cairo, you should book a room in Cairo while booking your flights.

By Road

Although there are road routes connecting Cairo and India, they come with some political concerns. The international route to Cairo from India passes through Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, parts of Jordan and Israel to reach Egypt eventually. While a road trip is possible, passing through these countries would be next to impossible. Hence, this is not a viable or recommended way to reach Cairo. Instead, flying to Cairo is ideal and comes with fewer concerns.

  About Abuja

The city of Abuja, overlooked by the dominating Aso Rock, is the capital city of Nigeria. Located right in the middle of the country, Abuja is a planned city that was developed in the 1980s. It actually managed to replace Lagos to be the new capital of Nigeria.

Best time to visit Abuja

Due to its proximity to the equator, the city of Abuja is hot through most of the year. However, out of the heat that you do face, they are pleasant and mild in some months in Abuja. The city also witnesses some moderate rainfall which adds to the humidity you might face. You will have to prepare yourself mentally concerning the heat as you will face a lot of it. The months January through July though, are pleasant. In fact, January to March is recognised as the best time to visit Abuja. The temperature is at a friendly 26 degree Celsius, and the humidity in the air is quite mild. This helps the tourism industry to attract more crowds. You will actually see a slew of tourists during these months as the mild temperatures are easy on the senses. Due to the peak season though, there is a surge in the hotel prices. You will find cheap hotels also spike up their rates during the peak season. Hence, it would be ideal for making prior hotel bookings to Abuja to avoid the last-minute surge in prices. The good thing is, the flight tickets are quite decent, irrespective of the peak season.

From May through August, you will witness a rise in the humidity level in the air. Even though the temperature is slightly mild, the humidity will make things a little difficult. Travelling within the city or engaging in tourist activities might become tough. You will have to constantly carry bottles of water and ensure that you stay hydrated throughout the day. The humidity will sap out all your energy. Avoiding these months would be the best choice. Unless you're okay with the excess heat, you should at all cost, not plan a trip to Abuja during these months. Instead, you can opt for the months of September through November. These months also see a moderate temperature where the humidity is also not too much. It would be nice to carry equipment such as moisturisers and bottles of water to survive in Abuja. But these mild months would be refreshing and paint a new colour to the vibe of Abuja. You can make prior bookings of flight tickets and accommodations in Abuja to avoid any excess cost. You might even receive some online deals.

Places to visit in Abuja

As part of your Abuja rendezvous, you can start your exploring by checking out the famous Zuma Rock. The rock is composed of gabbro and granodiorite. In the past, the Gbagyi tribe people used the rock to defend themselves from invasions and attacks from neighbouring tribes. You can take up trekking and hiking as an activity to reach the peak of the rock. You should also visit the National Mosque of Abuja. The beautiful structure has a golden dome and boasts Islamic architecture. It is Nigeria's national mosque and holds tremendous religious significance. It was constructed back in 1984 and is open to non-Muslims as well. Aso Rock is another interesting natural granitic rock that is situated on the outskirts of the capital city. Important buildings such as the Supreme Court and the Nigerian National Assembly are both located close by. Another beautiful mosque that you can visit is the An Noor Mosque. The place is quaint and quiet.

Things to do in Abuja

One of the best ways for you to spend your time in Abuja would be to hang out at the Millennium Park. The park is in proximity with the former Presidential Palace. It is beautiful and has the Zuma Rock in the background too. You can actually take a picnic basket and spend your time in leisure at the park. You can also indulge in a boating rendezvous at the Jabi Lake. The scenic landscape is sure to marvel you. You should also visit the National Children's Park and Zoo Abuja. It has some basic animals, including turtles, jackals and more. The IBB International Golf & Country Club is definitely another place that you should visit. The vast expanse is certainly a spectacular sight, plus you can also explore the golf course. Pack yourselves a nice lunch basket and head to Usuma Lower Dam for a lovely afternoon. The place is gorgeous and soothing to the senses, especially since it is not surrounded by the city's noise and bustle. You can also indulge in some waterfalls excursions. The Gurara Falls is one such place that you simply cannot miss. You also should go exploring at the Pedam Lake.

Food and restaurants in Abuja

Abuja's food culture is heavily influenced by the tribal traditions of Nigeria. You would majorly find a lot of dishes that celebrate the Nigerian cuisine and style of cooking. It would actually be a good opportunity for you to try out some exquisite authentic Nigerian cuisine. Their tribal dishes are a rage in the city of Abuja. Over the years though, they have managed to infuse much of their traditional cuisines with European flavours to promote tourism. You will find some lovely African meals favouring European-style cooking. The food culture is a trip on its own and you can make the most of it in Nigeria's capital, Abuja. You can start your culinary excursion in Abuja from the Salamander Café. It is recognised for its cool vibe and manages to attract a slew of native crowds. The quaint cafe offers not just extraordinary coffee but also books to indulge in while you sip on the beverage. The menu is also curated to serve the natives as well as the international crowd. You will find Indian cuisine also in Abuja as the city has the famous Wakkis, a restaurant that boasts Indian cuisine.

From murgh malai to tandoori chicken, if you are in no mood to experiment with the traditional Nigerian cuisine, then you can simply make regular visits to Wakkis. The staff is friendly, and the cooking styles are very indigenous to the raw Indian culture. BluCabana is an interesting restaurant that doesn't just limit to African food but also expands to Middle Eastern cuisine. You will find some exquisite Lebanese food as well as global cuisine such as sandwiches, pastas, pizzas, salads and more. The fish suya is a big seller which basically consists of grilled skewered meat that has been perfectly coated with aromatic spices. At the Bukka at the Hilton, you will find traditional African spread. The dining hall is a vast and beautiful spot which leaves enough room for the fresh breeze to pass through. Not to mention how the classic dishes such as oha soup, pounded yam, jollof rice, egusi soup, to name a few, can be found here. Other restaurants that you can check out are The Charcoal, Vanilla, Jevinik, Dunes Continental and Chez Victor.

How to reach Abuja

As the capital of Nigeria, Abuja enjoys great flight connectivity with other international cities. Abuja does witness some flight action as it is an important city. Although there are no direct flights to Abuja from Indian cities, they do have international airlines that accommodate flights to Abuja. There are many international routes connected to Abuja, such as from Addis Ababa, Kigali, Dubai and Cairo. However, Addis Ababa and Dubai are recognised as the most popular routes to Abuja. Airlines such as RwandAir, Ethiopian Airlines, EgyptAir, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Etihad Airways, Air France and British Airways have flight services to Abuja. Most of these airlines have layovers in their domestic cities. You do not need a specific transit visa when travelling to Abuja. A transit visa is only required when you are travelling from European cities. If you do pick Air France as your airlines to travel to Abuja, then you will need a Schengen transit visa. Similarly, the only other route to Abuja where you would require a transit visa is if you travel by Emirates.

The flight duration of Abuja is quite decent. It takes about 12 hours to 15 hours to reach the city. Flying to Abuja is the only way to reach the Nigerian capital. The flight tickets are a little steep. In fact, they actually start from INR 35,000 and from here, the graph only goes up. Since the flight tickets to Abuja are so pricey, the best way to go about booking a ticket would be to search for online deals. It comes in handy to find great flight deals online to Abuja. You will be surprised by the drastic drop in the ticket prices to Abuja with the addition of discounts. This means you will actually have to invest a lot of time to ensure that you get some good flight deals. You can also use this time to make hotel reservations as that would further reduce the total cost of the trip. These can be found online as various platforms and airlines have sale and discounts. Another way to go about this would be to use up your miles if you are collecting them. You might be eligible for some more discounts depending on the program.

  About Austrian Airlines

Austrian Airlines is not only the flag carrier of Austria but also a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. Its main hub is at Vienna International Airport with its focus cities at Graz Airport, Innsbruck Airport and Salzburg Airport. Austrian Airlines is basically a consortium of Austrian Airways and Air Austria which had happened in 1957. Though it is the flag carrier of Austria, the operations are carried out by Lufthansa. After running into losses for several years, the Austrian government decided to privatise it. That's when Lufthansa came in and bought the airlines. Lufthansa also implemented cost-saving initiatives and fleet expansion plans. The airline currently has 42 Airbus, 12 Boeing, 14 De Havilland Canada Dash 8-Q400 and 17 Embraer E195 are currently in service. The airline's journey right from 1957 has been quite the roller coaster. The airline's headquarters are at Schwechat, Austria. Flying a Vickers Viscount from Vienna to Zurich was the first flight the airline took after it was given the license to fly internationally.

Fleet size of Austrian Airlines

As of 2020, Austrian Airlines' fleet consists of 85 aircraft. The airline holds a mixed fleet which comprises of Airbus, Boeing, Dash 8 and Embraer. The fleet consists of seven Airbus A319-100s, 29 Airbus A320-200, three Airbus A321-100s, three Airbus A3210-200, six Boeing 767-300ER, six Boeing 777-200ER, 14 de Havilland Canada Dash 8-Q400 and 17 Embraer E195. A few aircraft from the fleet are all set to retire soon.

For the same, the airline placed orders for a few new replacements such as seven Airbus A320-200 and later, they placed an order for four more Airbus A320-200. As the operations do fall under the Lufthansa Group, the German company has ordered for some Boeing 787-9s which they are considering to shift to Austrian Airlines. The company originally ordered the new aircraft to replace their own ageing aircraft Boeing 767-300ERs and 777-200ERs. Over the years, the airline transformed its fleet tremendously as it owned a slew of different aircraft in the last.

Since it's inception, the airline owned varied aircraft such as Airbus A310-300, Airbus A330-200, Airbus A340-200, Airbus A340-300, Boeing 707-300, Boeing 737-600, Boeing 737-700, Bombardier CRJ200, Fokker 50, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, McDonnell Douglas MD-81, Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle, Vickers Viscount and Douglas DC-8-63CF, to name a few. The airline further hosted British Aerospace 146, Hawker Siddeley HS 748, Douglas DC-3 and more.

Baggage Allowance

Austrian Airlines has certain baggage allowance rules and regulations that every passenger is obligated to follow. Whether you are a first-class ticket or an economy ticket, the host is what becomes your best friend. You cannot carry more than 8 kg of hand luggage with you. However, the rules are different, just a tad bit in terms of weight in front of the police. Depending on what your seat is, you can take from 23 to 32 kgs. However, if your luggage is still exceeding the limit, you will have to pay extra depending on how much your total luggage weighs. But it is mandatory that you call the airline staff a few hours prior to your flight and not at the last minute. You can also make an enquiry or mention it in your boarding pass if you are doing your web check-in through my phone. The staff will definitely try to support you. A list of things that are prohibited for passengers to carry on the flight is already communicated to the passengers by the airlines. Make sure you don't pack your portable charger, power bank and laptop with your hand baggage and not the check-in luggage. You are also not allowed to carry anything sharp or combustible. If at all you lose your baggage somehow, the airline staff will be quick to help you out. The service is quite good, and you won't have complaints.

In-flight Services

Austrian Airlines' in-flight services are quite up to the mark and do not disappoint. Though airplanes don't have a lot of options when it comes to in-flight entertainment, they do offer the most scrumptious meals as they drive the food cart to every passenger on the train. If you are a business class or first class passenger, all the food that you order is cooked by a professional chef. In fact, you will actually be greeted with a complimentary glass of champagne or wine or other spirits of your choice. The passengers also drag her in the fight just as I'm allowed to it. Since the airline has made web check-in quite easy through your phone or through a travel agent. You can also check your Asiana Airlines flight status through the internet.

Popular routes and top cities for Austrian Airlines

In 2006, Austrian Airlines decided to clean up some of its fleets and retire a handful of its Airbus fleet. The airline's company bid farewell to some of its Airbus aircraft which included four Airbus A330-200s, two Airbus A340-200s and two Airbus A340-300s. By selling these aircraft, the operations of Austrian Airlines saw a tremendous hit as many popular routes had to be suspended. These mainly included the long haul routes to Asian countries and even the famous Kangaroo Route to Melbourne via Singapore and Sydney via Kuala Lumpur. Austrian Airlines has temporarily resumed it's Vienna Vs Sydney route in 2020 with a view to connecting Melbourne and Europe and retrieving people who were stranded during the COVID-19 pandemic's global lockdown.

Although once a great network, Austrian Airlines' has dropped several of its routes and suspended operations from various cities. Currently, these are the only cities and destinations that the airline connects to - Innsbruck, Linz, Vienna, Brussels, Minsk, Sofia, Montreal, Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Larnaca, Cairo, Hurghada, Paris, Lyon, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, Volos, Zakynthos, Budapest, Tehran, Bologna, Catania, Milan, Naples, Rome, Venice, Tokyo, Amman, Male, Bucharest, Moscow, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Stockholm, London, Manchester, Chicago, New York City and Washington DC.

Why travel by Austrian Airlines?

Austrian Airlines has played quite an essential role in shaping the aviation map of Europe and the rest of the world. Thanks to Austrian Airlines, the continent has been able to find new international route connectivity that has only helped enhance the face of aviation. Further, the airline has contributed tremendously for embarking on several new international routes to trade cargo and goods. Basically, not just in terms of passenger traffic, but Austrian Airlines has been quite an asset to the European aviation industry. Even though it is facing a significant loss at the moment while Lufthansa has taken over the operations.

While the airline's illustrious history and legacy are worth celebrating, so is travelling by it. Over the years, despite all the financial highs and lows faced by Austrian Airlines, it has triumphed and continued to serve the nation and even the continent. In fact, during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the global lockdown left many stranded in different parts of the world, away from home, Austrian Airlines saved them. Having shut down its Kangaroo route back in 2009, the airline resumed the route just to bring back the stranded Europeans in the Australian continent.

With a spirit as such, there is much more scope for the airline. Over the years, it has grown into quite the airline as it has been creatively solving management issues and even worked on expansion plans. Currently, to enable the latest technology, the airline has also acquiring web check-in services. Passengers can go to the official website of the airline and do web check-in without any hassle. In fact, the same can be accessed by phones too. Aside from web check-ins, passengers can also book an Austrian Airlines flight ticket on their official website. The perks of booking Austrian Airlines ticket is that the Lufthansa lounge can be accessed by passengers who have business class or premium accessibility of some kind.

Similarly, updates on Austrian Airlines' flight schedule along with flight status of the tickets that have been booked can also be accessed on their website. Further, details about baggage allowance and in-flight services that passengers with a certain ticket type are eligible for will also be sent across. The airline's in-flight services are just as good as their strong legacy.