Tourist offices
The Egyptian Tourist Authority (sometimes abbreviated as EGAPT) maintains general information offices in several countries, where you can pick up a range of pamphlets. However, most are simply intended to whet your appetite, and few hard facts can be gained from offices abroad.

In Egypt itself, you'll get a variable response from local tourist offices (addresses are given throughout the guide). The most knowledgeable and helpful ones are in Aswan, Luxor, Alexandria, and the oases of Siwa and Dakhla. Staff in Cairo are also well informed, but may need prodding. Elsewhere, most provincial offices are good for a dated brochure, if nothing else.

Travel agencies and hotels
Found in towns and cities, travel agencies can advise on (and book) transport, accommodation and excursions. Just remember that they are in business for themselves, so their advice may not be exactly unbiased.

The most ubiquitous agency is Misr Travel , the state-run tourist company, which operates hotels, buses and limos, and can make bookings for most things. Their main office is in Cairo (1 Sharia Talaat Harb, tel 02/393-0010). Misr Travel is also represented in London (2nd floor, 308 Langham House, Regent St, W1R 5AL, tel 020/7255 1087), New York (630 Fifth Ave, Suite 1460, New York, NY 10011, tel 1-800/223-4978 or 212/582-9210) and Sydney. American Express and Thomas Cook offer various services besides currency exchange.

Receptionists at hotels can also be a source of information, and maybe practical assistance. In Luxor, Hurghada and some of the Western Desert oases, most pensions double as information exchanges and all-round "fixers"; likewise, campsites and backpackers' hotels in Sinai.

 

Tourist publications
A series of regional tourist booklets under the generic heading "Night & Day" are sporadically available free of charge at tourist offices and hotels. Currently there are four, covering Cairo, Alexandria, Upper Egypt and the Red Sea, and the Canal Zone. Each contains a dubious map, notes on local sites and listings of hotels, restaurants, agencies and banks - usually years out of date.

The best guide to what's on is the monthly magazine Egypt Today, which lists activities, entertainment and exhibitions in Cairo and Alexandria, and events in Luxor and Aswan. Its feature articles cover diverse aspects of Egyptian culture and travel in Egypt. It's sold in Cairo and Alexandria. Selected events are also listed in the daily Egyptian Gazette, which is more widely available.

Maps
The best general map of Egypt , published by Freytag & Berndt (1:1,000,000), is available in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan, and good map shops abroad. The more common Bartholomew map (1:1,000,000) is less detailed and way out of date. If the former is unavailable, Kümmerly & Frey (1:950,000) makes a decent substitute. Michelin map #154 covers Egypt and the Sudan: the latter is excellent, but the Egypt section is nothing special. Mobil's Motoring Guide to Egypt (sold at Mobil stations around the country) contains road maps and a number of town plans, but is really only worthwhile if you're planning to do a lot of motoring.

Taken together, several local city plans cover Cairo in comprehensive detail. Elsewhere, however, coverage is poor or non-existent. Aside from fairly crude maps of Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan and Port Said, and photocopied handouts in Mersa Matrouh and Siwa Oasis, there are no town plans to be had.

Full-blown desert expeditions require special maps . The best Egyptian ones are published by the Geological Survey and Mining Authority in Cairo (3 Sharia Salah Salem, Abbassiya; Mon-Thurs & Sun 8am-3pm). Alternatively, buy some Tactical Pilotage Charts (available from specialist map shops) before leaving home. These include: Sinai ( TPC H-5A), Siwa, the Qattara Depression and Bahariya Oasis ( TPC H-4B), Farafra and Dakhla Oasis ( TPC H-4C), Kharga Oasis ( TPC H-5D) and the Darb al-Arba'in Desert ( TPC J-5A).