The metro
Cairo's metro (the first in the Arab world) works like nothing else in the city: pristine and efficient, with a well-enforced ban on littering and smoking. Trains run every few minutes from 6am to midnight; outside of the rush hours (as above) they're no more over-crowded than in other cities around the world. The front carriage of each train is reserved for women, worth keeping in mind if you're a lone female traveller.

Stations are signposted with a large "M"; signs and route maps appear in Arabic and English. Tickets are purchased in the station (50pt for up to two stops; 80pt from the centre to anywhere; £E1.20 from one end of the line to the other); twin sets of booths cater for passengers heading in opposite directions, with separate queues for either sex. Hang onto your ticket to get through the automatic barriers at the other end. Travelling without a ticket will result in a fine (£E5).

The red metro line connects the northeastern suburb of El-Marg with the southern industrial district of Helwan (via Mubarak, Sadat, Saad Zaghoul, Saiyida Zeinab, Mar Girgis and Maadi), with the green line running from Shobra in the north to Giza (via Mubarak, Ataba, Sadat and Gezira). The yellow Salah Salim to Imbaba line (via Al-Azhar, Ataba and Zamalek) may open in the near future, and an extension of the green line from Giza to Fazal is under construction.

Taxis
The city has three kinds of taxi: black-and-white cabs , service taxis and " specials ". Though each requires different handling, some general rules apply. Firstly, choose the right sort of taxi. Secondly, try to discover the fare in advance; never start by asking how much. Third, don't expect drivers to speak English or know the location of every street. Identify a major landmark or thoroughfare in the vicinity and state that instead. If your destination is obscure or hard to pronounce, get it written down in Arabic. The best kind to use are four-seater black-and-white taxis (Fiats or Ladas), which often carry passengers collectively. Pick a major thoroughfare with traffic heading in the right direction, stand on the kerb, and wave and holler out your destination (for example, "Mohandiseen") as one approaches; if the driver's interested he'll stop and wait for you to run over. State your destination again, in more detail. If the driver starts talking money, say " maalesh " (forget it) and look for another cab; otherwise jump in. Don't be alarmed by the circuitous routes taken to avoid bottlenecks, nor by other people getting in along the way. Near the end, direct him to stop where you want (bearing in mind one-way systems and other obstacles) with " hina / hinak kwayes " (here/there's okay).

Ideally, you just hand over the money with " itfuddel, shukran " (here you are, thank you) and that's the end of it. If the driver protests, either he's trying it on and will back down if you invoke the police, or you've misjudged the fare and should pay more with good grace. Fares are determined by market rates rather than by meters (which are rarely switched on). Cairenes normally pay a £E1 minimum; £E3-5 for a downtown hop (for example, Midan Tahrir to Al-Azhar, Zamalek or Mohandiseen); and more if heading further out, especially to a prosperous area (for example £E8-10 to Heliopolis). For each extra person, you pay 25 percent again. After midnight, fares increase by 50-100 percent. Though foreigners can get away with local rates , drivers expect you to pay over the odds, especially if you are well dressed or staying in an expensive hotel: say £E5 minimum, £E5-8 across downtown or the Nile, and £E10-15 further out. The airport and the Pyramids are special cases. Fares given in the text are for a single person at tourist rates , unless indicated otherwise. Remember that taxi drivers don't generally deal with change so it's best to have the exact fare ready.

Another form of collective transport is the service taxi , which can be flagged down anywhere along its set route. Service taxis are usually vans (known as arrabeya bil nafar) or microbuses; service (pronounced "ser-veece") is the generic term for all such transport. There are some 60,000 service taxis which transport over a million Cairenes to work every day, causing appalling pollution, traffic jams (because they'll stop anywhere) and accidents. Fares range from 25pt to £E1 per person, according to the distance travelled.

The third type - not to be confused with either of the above - are "special" taxis , usually seven-seater Peugeot 504s. Found around all the major terminals and hotels, they specialize in fleecing unwary tourists and charge at least triple the rates of black-and-white cabs. Even for a short ride, they demand the " tourist minimum " (currently around £E10). Their ample seating and luggage racks are their only advantages. See "Driving" for details on renting taxis for the day.

Buses
Cairo's buses are battered, exhaust-spewing workhorses, active from 5.30am to 12.30am daily (6.30am-6.30pm & 7.30pm-2am during Ramadan). Fares are cheap enough to be affordable by everyone, so buses are usually full, and overflow during the 7-10am and 4-7pm rush hours, when passengers hang from doorways or each other and clamber in and out through windows. Though many foreigners are deterred from using buses by the risk of pickpockets and gropers, there's no denying that the network reaches virtually everywhere.

Buses are painted blue-and-white or red-and-white (the former being slightly more comfortable and more expensive), with route numbers in Arabic on the front, side and back. Those with slashed numbers (for example, #13/) may follow different routes from buses with the same number unslashed. Aside from the numbered bays on Midan Tahrir, few stops are clearly signposted (look for metal shelters, plaques on lampposts or crowds waiting), and buses generally slow down instead of halting, compelling passengers to board and disembark on the run. Except at terminals, you must enter through the rear door (which is often removed to facilitate access); at official stops, you're supposed to exit from the front. Conductors sell tickets (the flat fare on most routes is 25pt, or 50pt on longer routes) from behind a crush-bar by the rear door. The front of the bus is usually less crowded, so it's worth squeezing your way forwards; start edging towards the exit well before your destination.

New blue-and-white A/C buses are now being introduced on some routes for those who want to travel in comfort and avoid the crowds (flat fare £E2). At the moment, they serve only prosperous suburbs such as Heliopolis and Medinet Nasr and tourist sites like the Pyramids, but other routes will be added.

Most buses start from (or pass through) at least one of the city-centre terminals at Midan Tahrir, Abdel Mouneem Riyad (behind the Antiquities Museum), Midan Falaki (east of Tahrir), Midan Ramses and Midan Ataba. Write the number(s) in Arabic to show to enquiry booths or bystanders, who'll point you towards the right lane. At each of these locations, there are several bus stops, and where exactly you pick up your bus will depend on which direction it is going in, and whether it starts at the terminal or is simply passing through. In particular, note that there are two separate bus stations at Midan Ataba (one in the northern corner of the square on Sharia Clot Bey, the other in Ezbekiya Gardens opposite the Puppet Theatre) and at Abdel Mouneem Riyad (one behind the Antiquities Museum, the other right by the river). If possible, ask the conductor " Rayih &? " (are you going to &?) to make sure. At the time of writing, Midan Tahrir was being redeveloped and its future seems uncertain; if the buses listed under Midan Tahrir do move to another terminal in the next year or two, they will almost certainly leave from Abdel Mouneem Riyad.

Minibuses
During the early 1980s, the Cairo governorate introduced orange-and-white minibuses along many of the existing bus routes. Besides making better headway through traffic and actually halting at stops, they are far more comfortable and never crowded, as standing is not permitted. Tickets (25-50pt - prohibitively expensive for many Cairenes) are bought from the driver. Minibuses should not be confused with service taxis (usually smaller microbuses). There are minibus terminals alongside the big bus stations in Midan Tahrir (by the Nile Hilton and near Arab League/Omar Makram Mosque) and Midan Ataba, and minibuses usually use the same bus stops as ordinary buses.

Trams and river-taxis
As the metro and minibus systems expand, Cairo's original tram network (built in colonial times) is being phased out. Although the Heliopolis tram system remains in use throughout that area (see "The northern suburbs", for details), we've given less attention to other lines. Other routes still in use include: Saiyida Zeinab along Sharia Bur Said to Mattoreya; from Midan Ataba along Sharia el-Geish to El Wayli in Abbssiya; and from Dirasa along Sharia Saleh Salem to Heliopolis and Medinet Nasr - but it's wise to check in advance that they are still running. Like buses, they are cheap and battered, with standing room only; their Arabic route numbers are posted above the driver's cab.

The most relaxing way to reach Old Cairo is by river-taxi. River-taxis (aka waterbuses) leave from the Maspero Dock outside the Television Building, 600m north of the Antiquities Museum. Boats run every thirty to forty minutes to Old Cairo via Giza and Roda (the frequency may be slightly different during Ramadan); you can buy tickets (25pt flat fee) at the dock. On Fridays and Sundays, they also run up to the Nile Barrages at Qanatir (£E1.50 each way; see "Excursions from Cairo").

Driving
The only thing scarier than driving in Cairo is cycling, which is tantamount to suicide. Dashes, crawls and finely judged evasions are the order of the day; donkey carts and jaywalkers trust in motorists' swift reactions. Any collision draws a crowd. Minor dents are often settled by on-the-spot payoffs, but should injury occur, it's wise to involve a cop right away. Multistorey car parks, such as the one on Midan Ataba, are ignored as motorists park bumper-to-bumper along every kerb, leaving their handbrakes off so vehicles can be shifted by the local minairdy (whom they tip 25pt-£E1). Given all this, it's no surprise that few foreigners drive in Cairo.

To rent a car you must be at least 25 years old and have an International Driving Licence, held for at least a year. At last count, the cheapest of the big agencies was Budget (head office: 5 Sharia el-Makrizi, Zamalek, tel 340-0070; Cairo Airport tel 265-2395), which has Suzuki Swifts at US$50 per day, plus US$7 daily collision waiver, 12 percent tax and US20¢ per kilometre up to a maximum of 100km. A less expensive Egyptian company, Thrifty Egypt Limousine (central reservations tel 012/216-0531, with branches at the new airport and big hotels), offers the same car at about 20 percent less. Hertz, Avis and Europcar (all with offices at the airport and also found in most of the big hotels) are worth trying too.

Many of these agencies offer the preferable and reasonably priced option of rented cars with drivers . Average rates for a driver are around US$15 for a ten-hour day, plus US$2 for each extra hour of driving time. For overnight trips, you'll also be expected to pay about US$15 per night for his expenses and trouble. For shorter jaunts, consider renting a chauffeur-driven Mercedes from Misr Limousine (tel 285-6124; desks at major hotels), or Europcar (tel 347-4712), both of which charge by the hour.

Walking
The one advantage of Cairo's density is that many places of interest are within walking distance of Midan Tahrir or other transport ganglions. You can walk across downtown Cairo from Tahrir to Midan Ataba in fifteen to thirty minutes; the same again brings you to Khan el-Khalili in the heart of Islamic Cairo. Starting from here or the Citadel, you can make fascinating walks through the medieval quarter, which doesn't suit other methods of exploration.

Arguably, walking is the only way to experience the city's pulsating streetlife. Though pavements are congested with vendors and pedestrians, they weave gracefully around each other, in contrast with the bullish jostlings of Western capitals. The commonest irritants are rubbish, noxious fumes and puddles, uneven pavements and gaping drains; in poorer quarters, the last two may not even exist. Women travellers must also reckon with gropers, who strike chiefly along Talaat Harb and around the Khan. Close proximity to a male escort confers some immunity, but the best solution is to develop an instant response (see "From a woman's perspective").

To make faster headway you can walk along the edge of the road - obviously, always facing oncoming traffic. Traffic is heavy from 8am to midnight, and ceases for a few hours before dawn. Its daytime flow only diminishes during Ramadan celebrations, major football matches, and the midday prayer on Fridays, when many side streets are carpeted over and used as outdoor mosques.

At all times, crossing the road takes boldness. Drivers will slow down to give people time to dart across, but dithering or freezing midway confuses them and increases the risk of an accident. A prolonged horn burst indicates that the driver can't or won't stop. Remember that motorists obey police signals rather than traffic lights, which were only installed in the 1980s and have yet to acquire any real local credibility.