Qalyubia Governorate · Egypt
Benha travel guide
Benha is a city in Qalyubia Governorate, Egypt, home to about 158,000 people.
- Best months
- November to April
- Nearest airport
- CAI44 km · Cairo International Airport
- Currency
- EGPEgyptian pound
- Time zone
- Africa/Cairo
- Language
- Arabic
About
About Benha
Banha is the capital city of the Qalyubia Governorate in Egypt. Since ancient times, Banha has been known for the production of attar of roses, an ingredient in perfume. Today it is the center of Egypt's electronics industry.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Benha
See
- Nasser Mosque
- Saiyid Bek el Qadi Mosque
- Church of St. Virgin Mary
- Church of St. John of the Beloved
- Church of St. Nicholas
- Athribis
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Benha
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Benha are November to April. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 36 °C; January is the wettest, with about 5 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Benha: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Cairo International Airport (CAI), about 44 km from the city centre in a straight line; Sphinx International Airport (SPX, 48 km) and Capital International Airport (CCE, 77 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
The city is a railway junction for the lines in the Nile Delta. From here lines lead to Cairo and to Alexandria in the western Nile Delta and Dumyāṭ in the east. The Banha train station is in the city center west of the railway tracks. Bullet trains from Cairo to Alexandria run approximately every hour to every two hours during the day. The journey time to Cairo is around half an hour and to Alexandria around 2½ hours. There are five pairs of trains to Dumyāṭ. The journey time is about 3½ hours. The city can be reached via Highway 1, Route agricole or Cairo-Alexandria Agricultural Road.
Getting around
Within the city, there is only one bridge over the Damiette arm of the Nile. It can be reached via Farid Nada St., and it connects Banhā with Kafr el-Gazār (كوبري كفر الجزار, Kūbrī Kafr al-Ǧazār). Several bridges lead over the irrigation canal at a distance of about one kilometer. The main ones are south of the train station. There is one about 300 meters north of the station underpass under the tracks, leading to the parts of the city in the east. Another underpass on the Corniche in front of the railway bridge gives access to the northern parts of the city.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
CAI · Cairo International Airport
SPX · Sphinx International Airport
CCE · Capital International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Benha
Eat
Enjoy the local cuisine: Banha is famed for its great local food, including delicacies like kushari, ful medames, and shawarma, which can be found at many local restaurants and street food sellers.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Benha: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Benha?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Benha are November to April. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 36 °C; January is the wettest, with about 5 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Benha?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Cairo International Airport (CAI), about 44 km from the city centre in a straight line; Sphinx International Airport (SPX, 48 km) and Capital International Airport (CCE, 77 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Benha?
Egyptian pound (EGP).
Nearby
Destinations near Benha
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.