No longer feted as a triumph of nineteenth-century engineering, nor regarded as the linchpin of Britain's empire, the Suez Canal seems as Joseph Conrad described it: "a dismal but profitable ditch", connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. Except around the harbour mouths or where ships are glimpsed between sandbanks, it's a pretty dull waterway, too, relieved only by the Canal cities of Port Said and Ismailiya.

 

With its evocative waterfront, prosaic beaches and duty-free shopping, Port Said feels like Alexandria minus its cultural baggage - and a place that's somehow more authentic as a maritime city. By contrast, the canal scarcely impinges on the leafy, villa-lined streets of Ismailiya , once the residence of the Suez Canal Company's European staff and now a popular honeymoon destination. Foreigners generally overlook both cities, prejudging them on the basis of Suez , a neglected city but a vital transport nexus between Cairo, Sinai and the Red Sea Coast.

Heading to Sinai , bus passengers (or car drivers) cross the Suez Canal at either the Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel (12km north of Suez City) or the car ferry 7km north of Ismailiya; at Qantara , between Ismailiya and Port Said, there's a passenger ferry across to East Qantara, whence service taxis run to El-Arish in Sinai, though these days buses and service taxis also run direct to El-Arish from Ismailiya. Drivers should be aware that stretches of the canal are off limits and should stick to main routes to avoid questioning by the military.