Practical Information

The Al-Arish bus station is at the southeast corner of Baladiya Sq. The town’s main thoroughfare from there, July 23 St., runs north to the sea, where it meets Fouad Zakry St. The tourist office is on Fouad Zakry (tel. 34 05 69), about 1km west of its intersection with July 23 St. (Open Sat.-Thurs. 8am-2pm.) Next door is the tourist police (tel. 34 10 16); for some reason police officers are indistinguishable from employees at the tourist office. The post office (open Sat-Thurs. 8am-2pm), and the telephone office (open 24 hrs., international calls possible) are across the street from each other, two blocks east of July 23 St. and three blocks north of Baladiya Sq.

The easiest way to reach the beach from the middle of town is by minibus (5Opt) or taxi (5O-75pt). Pharmacy Fouad, on July 23 St. two blocks north of Baladiya Sq., on the west side of the street, purports to be open 24 hrs., but don’t stake your gastric tranquility on it; they can put you in touch with a local doctor. The local hospital is located on Gish St. (tel. 34 00 10 or 34 10 77), east of Souk Sq.—the first square inland on July 23 St. In case of emergency, call the ambulance (tel. 123) or local police (tel. 122).

Direct buses run to Al-Arish daily from Cairo’s Abbassiya International Station (5hr., LE21) and Ismailiya 0Hhr., LE6.25). From Port Said, you must change buses and cross the Suez Canal by the small, free passenger ferry at Qantara, about 50km south of Port Said, but it’s quicker and easier to travel from Ismailiya. Service taxis run directly from all the above locations for about the same prices. There is no transport across the peninsula to the Aqaba coast.