Mairr Post Office: 55 Sarwat St., Ataba Sq. (tel. 91 00 11). Often extremely crowded. Packages require an export license from Cairo International Airport; major hotels and tourist shops also provide this service. Poste Restante located around the corner on Bidek St. (open Sat.-Thurs. 8am-6pm). Express Mail (EMS) open Sat.-Thurs. 8am-7pm, also on Bidek St., across from Poste Restante. Main post office open Sat.-Thurs. 9am-4pm. Other post offices open Sat.-Thurs. 8:30am-3pm; during Ramadan 9am-3pm.

Telephone Office: Main Office, Ramses St., 1 block north of July 26 St. Other offices on Tahrir Sq. (76 51 18), Adly St. (390 91 72), and Alfy St. (93 42 09). under the Windsor Hotel. All open 24 hrs. Collect and credit card calls to the relevant countries available at the USADirect, U.K.Direct, Canada Direct, and Japan-Direct phones in the lobbies of the Ramses Hilton, Marriott, and SemiRamis hotels. If you’re willing to pay the 25% surcharge, you can make international calls easily at the business service offices of the Meridien, Sheraton, and Nile Hilton hotels (24 hrs.). For more details on international calls, see Communications in Once There section. All major hotels have several local pay phones in the lobby, operated with expensive tokens (25-50pt.).

Telephone Code: 02.Telegraph and Telex Office: Ataba Sq., opposite the main post office. Open 24 hrs. Other offices at Tahrir Sq., 26 Ramses St., and Adly St.