A/C West Delta and Superjet
buses drop passengers at the
15th May Station , in Sidi Gaber. To get to the centre from here take tram #25, or it's a ĢE3-5 taxi ride. However, non-A/C Delta buses might terminate instead at
Midan el-Gumhorriya . This vast square - portioned up into bus parks and taxi ranks - lies about 1km south of Midan Sa'ad Zaghloul, flanked on one side by
Masr Station . Arriving by
train , you should get off at Masr Station - don't make the error of getting off at Sidi Gaber Station in the eastern suburbs. From Masr Station/Midan el-Gumhorriya, it's ten or fifteen minutes' walk up Nabi Daniel Street to Midan Sa'ad Zaghloul, or take minibus #700 or #705 to Ramleh.
Service taxis might drop you at either square, or at
Midan Orabi , 400m west of Sa'ad Zaghloul. A taxi into the centre should cost ĢE5. Arriving at the
airport , 5km south of Alex, catch bus #203 or minibus #703 to Midan Orabi, or a taxi into the centre (ĢE8-15).
Orientation, maps and street names
Alexandria runs along the Mediterranean for 20km without ever venturing more than 5km inland - a true waterfront city. Its great
Corniche sweeps around the
Eastern Harbour and along the coast past a string of city
beaches to
Montazah and
Ma'amoura , burning out before the final beach at
Abu Qir . (The beaches to the west of Alex are dealt with in the "Mediterranean Coast" account.) Away from the beach, visitors hang around the downtown quarter of
El-Manshiya , where most of the restaurants, hotels and nightclubs are within a few blocks either side, or inland, of
Midan Sa'ad Zaghloul .
The modern city overlies the ancient one, hence there's a fine collection of Greco-Roman antiquities , but few monuments remain in situ : a Roman theatre near Masr Station, and Pompey's Pillar and the Catacombs in the Karmous quarter. The Islamic era is better represented by Fort Qaitbey and the old Turko-Arabic neighbourhoods of El-Gomruk and El-Anfushi , both of which are notable for their souks and streetlife.
The Corniche (and breezes blowing inland) make basic orientation quite simple, but the finer points can still be awkward. Unlike Cairo, downtown Alex has yet to be properly mapped. The standard Lehnert & Landrock's Map of Alexandria omits whole streets and blocks. Street names are also problematic, for signs don't always square with the latest official designation or popular usage (usually one change behind). Other street names have simply been Arabicized: Rue or Place to Sharia or Midan; "Alexandre le Grand" to "Iskander el-Akbar". In the downtown area, most of the nameplates are in French and Arabic, and people may use either variant when giving directions. For areas away from downtown there's a useful map inside Alexandria Night and Day, which also shows the locations of the beaches.
