Trains
from Cairo (six daily) take at least four and a half hours to reach Port Said via Ismailiya, and are grimy to boot, making it more appealing to do the 220km journey by bus (3hr). Regular A/C East Delta buses depart from Cairo's Turgoman Garage (every 30min 6.30am-6.30pm; ŁE15). East Delta (every 40min 6.30am-7.30pm; ŁE15) and Superjet (every 30min, 6.30am-5.30pm; ŁE15) buses also leave from Al-Mazah terminal in Heliopolis; East Delta buses terminate near Port Said's Ferial Gardens, while Superjet buses drop you near the train station. In the absence of direct trains
from Alexandria , seats on buses (4 daily; 6hr; ŁE17-22) from the 15th May Terminal near Sidi Gaber Station should be reserved the day before, at the East Delta kiosk on Midan Sa'ad Zaghloul.
Service taxis provide the fastest transport
from Suez and Ismailiya and augment buses
from the Delta , where Damietta and El-Mansura have the best connections. Coming
from El-Arish in north Sinai, you can catch a
service taxi (ŁE8-9) direct to the city.
Because Port Said is a duty-free port , visitors are supposed to pass through customs upon entering and leaving the city. You may not have to, but if you do pass through customs, it is advisable to declare any cameras or other gadgets, which they might think you bought at a discount here, or you may be subject to a 12 percent levy as you go out (ships' passengers are exempt). Most points of arrival are within ten minutes' walk of downtown (along and around Sharia el-Gumhorriya), except for the depot for buses and service taxis from Ismailiya, north Sinai or the Delta, which is sufficiently distant to make it worth catching a taxi into the centre (ŁE2). Orientation is straightforward, as most things of interest or use to tourists can be found on three thoroughfares: the waterfront Sharia Filastin (Palestine Street); Sharia el-Gumhorriya (Street of the Republic), two blocks inland; or Sharia 23rd July (named after the date of King Farouk's overthrow).
The tourist office (daily 9am-1.30pm & occasionally also 4-8pm; tel 066/235-289) on Sharia Filastin can supply a useful map of the town with listings of hotels and services and some historical background, while the tourist police (tel 066/228-570) are at the back of the main customs building, and have another office in the train station (both open 24 hours).
