Sights & Entertainment

Hurghada’s main attractions are silent and submerged. Red Sea creatures flabbergast in their array of colors, shapes, and sizes. Buck-toothed trigger fish, iridescent parrot fish rays with blue polka dots, sea cucumbers, giant clams, and a million others star in this briny freak show. The shimmering, variegated blues of Hurghada’s waters have been spared the terrors of oil exploration (for the moment anyway), and the shitting colors will woo even the sternest terranean. See Underwater Adventures in Sinai for important general information on snorkeling and scuba diving.

You can reach some of the reefs without a boat. An interesting one lies off the beach to the left of the Sheraton; another lies off the string of beaches at the northern end of town. To reach Hurghada’s most brilliant scenery you must board a barge. The all-day trip to Geftun Island, the most popular excursion, usually includes two one-hour snorkeling stops near the island and a fish meal prepared on the boat during the trip. Be sure to take along a hat, suntan lotion, and potable water.

Food

Surprise-Hurghada’s seaside location makes it a prime seafood spot. Shrimp, calamari, fish, and even lobster are readily available. In general, Hurghada’s menus offer more than their counterparts in Upper Egypt, with slightly higher prices. Even so, for the cost of a burger, fries, and a Coke, you can do quite well.

Tlie cheapest meals are by the bus station, where kushari and falafel stands ring the terminal. The stand behind the buses offers a heaping plate for LEI. In the area between An-Nasr Way and Abd al-Aziz Mustafa St., traditional meals of kufta or roast chicken are served up. Meals run from LE4 to LE6. At Zeko’s, across from Happy Home, a full meal (14-chicken, macaroni in bechamel sauce, green salad, tahina salad, and bread) is LE4. Top-notch falafel sandwiches 25pt. Aly Baba’s at the northern end of Abd al-Aziz Mustafa St. offers aheap of calamari for LE8.50. Further south, a small, brightly lit sandwich shop offers kufta, sausage, cheese, livers, or falafel for 50pt (open until around lam). Those with more highbrow tastes might opt for lobster thermidor, LE30-40 around town.

Accommodations in Hotels

Susna Hotel (tel. 44 66 47), on the street parallel to An-Nasr way to the west. The only affordable hotel with A/C. Clean rooms and baths down dim’ halls, bright airy reception/sitting area. All rooms with bath and breakfast- Singles LEI 2. doubles LE25, triples LE30. A/C LE5 extra.

The cheapest place to camp is on the beach, although you’ll have to trek quite a way from town in either direction to find a secluded spot. You must first acquire a permission request form from the small Security Office behind the large mosque opposite ZAS Air. Then offer yotir passport, the form, a prayer, and LEI .30 in stamps at another Security Office on An-Nasr Way, this time across the street from the large mosque.
(Offices open daily 8am-noon and 8-9pm.) Persistence and LE5 per person may buy campers a bureaucracy-free site behind the Geisum Restaurant, with shower available; the owners have made a modestly successful effort to sequester campers from the noisy eatery uphill. In general, the beaches along the Red Sea coast are risky for campers. The military takes a dim view of unofficial crashers and; more importantly, some beaches may still harbor land mines.

Accommodations in Hotels

Gobal Hotel (tel. 44 66 23), on the corner of Abd al-Aziz Mustafa and Ash-Sheikh Sebak St., near Happy Land Hotel. A bidet! Clean but stuffy rooms with portable fans. Classy rooftop cafeteria. Free use of beach and pool at Sand Beach. Singles LE15, doubles LE25, triples LE35. Breakfast included.

Quiet Corner, abutting Beach House. Kitchen on 2nd floor, big, clean baths, and rooms with huge beds. Singles LE6 downstairs, I.E8 upstairs. Doubles LE10 and LE14. Triples LE15 and LE18.

Accommodations in Hotels

Alaska Hotel, in the block of hotels between Shakespeare and Hotel California, about 500m from the corner of Abd al-Aziz Moustafa St. Clean rooms and sparkling baths. Doubles LE15 plus 15% tax and service charge. Breakfast LE2.

My Home, Solimon Mazhar St., off An-Nasr Way 1 block east of fire station. A clean and homey place tucked awav behind a walled-in garden. LE5 per person, breakfast LE2.

Shakespeare Hotel (tel. 44 62 56), at the corner of Abd al-Aziz Mustafa St. and the street which leads to the beach. Family atmosphere. Lounges and fridges on every loor. Towels provided. Clean rooms, small garden, and roof restaurant. Doubles LL22.50, with bath LE28. Triples LE28, with bath LE34. Breakfast LE3.5O.

MAPpy House Hotel, (tel. 44 75 07), next to the Happy Home. Great location at tne souk, near both the downtown area and the beach. Clean doubles and triples Un per person. Breakfast LEI .50. Organizes fishing trips (LE35).

Accommodations in Hotels

Youth Hostel (HI) (rel. 44 24 32), 10km south of the bus station across from Son-esta Hotel. Small and inconveniently located, but relatively clean. Lockers in every room. LE5.10. HI members only.

Beach House, off Abd al-Aziz Mustafa St.; make a right by the Riviera Restaurant and continue for 150m. Mahmoud and Sally will help you relax in their crisp, clean place. (Big rooms with baths and tubs, LE5. Breakfast LEI.) According to the owners, in 1994 this will become their own home and they will open a new place (unnamed as of summer J 993) just south of the current Beach House II, with a bar, offering cheap, light food, underneath. At that point, today’s Beach House II, 100m south of Geisum Restaurant, will probably become Beach House. New, airy, carpeted comfort overlooking the public beach. Apartment-style suites with 2 doubles, bath, and kitchen LE7.50 per person. Breakfast included.

Accommodations

If there are any beds left in town, the first tiling you’ll have to do is wade through a sea of boisterous hotel-hawkers insisting that you come with them. As always, see a room and nail down a price before resting bags and body. If hotels in town are crowded, consider taking a taxi south to the harbor, where New Star, New Ramoza, Coral, and Peter hotels are viable options. Otherwise, it’s probably best to follow one of the enthusiastic card- and photo-wavers to a room in town. Before deciding, take a close look at the listings, as sequels and mimics are favorites in Hurghada. And since beaches and amenities are relatively far from each other, location may be a serious consideration. All hotel rooms have ceiling fans unless otherwise noted.

Laundry: Most hotels will send your clothes out for about 50pt per piece. Stop Shop (tel. 44 66 09) at the southernmost edge of town charges 3Opt-LE3 per piece. Open daily 8am-8pm.

Hospital: Hurghada General Hospital (tel. 44 63 32), Al-Bahr St., 50m south of Shedwan Golden Beach Hotel. Police: An-Nasr Way (tel. 122), at the northernmost end of town; another branch closer to downtown at a bend in the road 6()0m north of the bus station.

Taxis: Off An-Nasr Way, 500m north of bus station and to the left, just before the bend in the road. To Qena (2 hrs., LE8). From there you can hook up with trains, buses, and trucks to points north and south. To Suez (375km, LE15). To Al-Quseir (80km, LE3). To Safaga (60km, LE2.25). Groups may try to arrange “special” service for the 510km ride to Cairo (LE21).

Ferries to Sharm ash-Sheikh: Sat.-Thurs. at 9am. Must book at least 1 day in advance. Going to the operators, Sea Cruisers (tel. 44 62 82) and Spring Tours (tel 44 70 03), will not save vou the LE10 commission taken by the hotels, so vou’re best off arranging trips through your hotel manager (LE70). The Shark, the Muriel, and the Golden Sun, in that order, are the boats of choice. Bike Rental: Several shops in the area between An-Nasr Way and the beach rent for LE4 per day. Shops in the harbor on Sheraton St. charge LE4 for V^-day, LE5-8 for whole day.

English Bookstore: At Arlene’s (see restaurant listings).

Buses: An-Nasr Way, 100m north of the southernmost limits of the town. Book seats at least 1 day in advance.

Standing room may be available at the last minute. Buses to Cairo (8 per day, 6hr., LE2O-3O). To Suez (13 per day, 5hr., LE12-27). To Luxor (4 per day, 4hr., LE7.50). To Alexandria (7pm, 10hr., LE37). Minibuses run between town and harbor (LEI) and up and down An-Nasr Way (50pt). Catch them behind the post office and on the adjacent street, or along their route.

Post Office: An-Nasr Way, 200m north of the bus station on the right. Open Sat.-Thurs. 8am-2pm. Has orange international phones.

Telephones: An-Nasr Way. A large building on the left just after the road turns at the police station (open 24 hrs.). A few shops in the tourist bazaar offer prompt connections abroad for a small surcharge. Fax in a hut directly across An-Nasr from the phone office (fax 44 38 45; open Sat.-Thurs. 8am-2pm and 8pm-10pm.) Telephone code: 065.

Airport: 15km south of town (tel. 44 28 31 or 44 37 94). Take a taxi (LE5-10). Served by EgyptAir (tel. 44 35 92/3), on Al-Bahr St., accessible by minibus. To and from Cairo (daily, US$90). ZAS Air (tel. 44 23 50, fax 44 70 19) across from the large mosque at die northern end of An-Nasr Way, 700m north of the bus station (open daily 8am-8pm).

Passport Office: An-Nasr Way (tel. 44 07 27), entrance on the left side of the Red Sea Security Department Building at the northernmost edge of town, 1.5km north of the bus station; labeled as “Governorate” on the tourist office map. Open Sat.-Thurs. 8am-2pm and 7-9pm, and Fri. lOara-noon (afternoons and Fri. for visa business only).

American Express: One employee (home tel. 44 30 34) shares an office with a copier store, across An-Nasr from the bus station and slightly north (open Sat.-Thurs. 9am-2pm and 5-10pm, Sun. and Fri. 5pm-l0pm). Mail not held.

Tourist Office: Off An-Nasr St. (tel. 44 65 13), 750m north of the bus station in a dilapidated shack adjacent to the Ritz Hotel. Look for the sign on An-Nasr Way facing north. Will be moving in 1994 to Al-Bahr St., near the Sheraton. Branch office inside the bus station. Maps, event calenders, and brochures, but little information on diving. Open Sat.-Thurs. 8am-2pm.

Tourist Police: In the Tourist Office building (tel. 44 65 67). Open 24 hrs.

Currency Exchange: National Bank of Egypt (open Sat.-Thurs. 8:3Oam-2pm, Fri. 9-11:30am, daily 6-9pm in summer, 5-8pm in winter) and Banque Misr (open Sun.-Thurs. 8:30am-9pm, Fri. 8am-noon and 6-9pm, Sat. 10am-2pm and 6-9pm), both on An-Nasr Way, 200m north of the bus station.

Orientation & Practical Information

Although paved highways link Hurghada with the main population centers, the town is remote. From Qena, 70km north of Luxor in the Nile Valley, it’s 160 barren, m°untainous kilometers to Port Safaga on the Red Sea coast, and another 50km of empty coastline north to Hurghada. And that’s the short way-Suez lies 410km north at the far end of the Gulf of Suez, and Cairo is another 130km.

The main town of Hurghada, a cluster of hotels, restaurants, shops, and residences, lies 2km north of the harbor (dahar) of Saqala (a.k.a. As-Saqqal), originally the fishing town out of which Hurghada grew. Saqala has plenty of diving shops and cafes, but few budget hotels. If you follow the coastal road south from the harbor, you’ll pass Moon Valley resort (4km) and the Sheraton Hotel (6km). Jasmine Village (15km) is the last in a long string of tourist resorts along the coast. Convenient minibuses shuttle back and forth frequently (50pt to the harbor, LEI to the area around the Sheraton), as do taxis (LE10).
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Hurghada

Somewhere between heaven and hell, there is Hurghada (Ghardaka in Arabic). The permanent under-construction motif of its architecture, the inconvenient layout of its streets, the holidaying Germans on package tours, and the unwholesome collection of characters trying to convert Hurghada’s popularity into money for nothing might make visitors feel like one of the damned.

Nile Valley veterans, however, may appreciate the town’s relaxed character (where else can you see Egyptians in shorts?) and water you can swim in. Those who venture into the depths of the sea or just gaze at the aqtiatic splendor with mask and snorkel may feel as if they’ve caught sight of a bit of paradise. Either way, the town’s cheap and comfortable beds and relatively varied and tasty menus will please your body if” not your soul.

Red Sea Coast

Isolated outposts, the monasteries of St. Paul and St. Anthony lie 30km apart (82km by road) near the edge of the Red Sea. These centers of faith, dating from the beginning of the Christian monastic tradition, are the residences of monks who live in a austere style that differs remarkably little from that of 16 centuries ago.

You had better be serious about it if you want to reach these monasteries. Direct access is limited to private cars and tour buses from Cairo. The Cairo-Hurghada bus makes a stop at Ras Za’farna on the Red Sea, about 33km east of the turn-off to St. Anthony’s on the road from Ras Za’farna west to Beni Suef. St. Paul’s Monastery is tucked in the mountains 12km inland from the coastal road, about a 156-hour drive from St. Anthony’s. Don’t count on catching a ride with a passing brother. Instead, a group of seven can hire a taxi from Suez or Hurghada. If you can negotiate with the taxi driver directly, expect to pay LEI 10 for both monasteries. Travel agencies can arrange the trip starting at LE180.

Accommodations & Food The clean HI youth hostel (tel. 22 19 45) is on your right as you walk down Sa’ad Zaghloul St. (between Misr Palace and Bel Air hotels) from Al-Geish St.; you may want to take a private taxi (no more than LE3). (No sheets provided. Curfew 11pm. One fan per room. Dorm beds with 12 per room LE3, nonmembers LE3.5O.) The Misr Palace (tel. 22 30 3D, facing the luxury Bel Air Hotel on Al-deish St. six blocks east of the bus station, has dirt-free, furniture-free, and fan-free rooms.

Don’t get too excited about the sign for a Korean restaurant-it’s been out of business since stegosaurus DNA was last trapped in amber. (Singles LE20. Doubles with bath LE30, with A/C LE35. Breakfast included. Fans 1.E1.50.) Around the corner from the “Palace” hides the more comfortable Hotel Sina (tel. 22 03 94); rooms have ceiling fans, TVs, and phones. (Singles LE12.3O, doubles I.E16.80, triples LE21.30. Some have A/C for LE5 extra. Breakfast LE3.) The friendly Star Hotel (tel. 22 87 37), on Hotel Sina’s street, has large, spotless rooms. (Singles LE9, with bath LE12. Doubles LE12, with bath LE15. Triples LE18.)
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Practical Information

The town is centered on Al-Geish Street, the thoroughfare running east-west from the bus station to the seashore. The tourist police office is in the station (open daily 3-6pm). Service taxis gather across the street from the buses. The train station is about 4km farther west at the end of Al-Geish. The Bank of Alexandria, near the bus station, exchanges currency daily 8:30am-2pm and 6-9pm (5-8pm in summer). The National Bank of Egypt is south of Al-Geish St. on a side street between the Bel Air and Misr Palace hotels. The post office is on Hoda Sharawi St., parallel to Al-Geish and one block north (open Sat.-Thurs. 8am-3pm). The telecommunications office is about three blocks south of Al-Geish on the same side street as the National Bank (open 8am-midnight).

Buses shuttle from Suez to Cairo (every ^hr. 6am-5pm, thereafter every hr. until 8pm; LE4.5O, LE5 with A/O, to Ismailiya (every 15min. 6am-6pm; LE3), and through Cairo to Alexandria (9 and 1 lam; 5hr., LEI 1-12). Five per day run to Hurghada over the Red Sea Highway (last bus 6pm; 6hr., LE12-15). Tickets to Hurghada and Alexandria should be reserved a couple of days in advance. Service taxis travel these routes (except for Alexandria) at similar prices. These cities are also accessible by train (50pt) but the coaches are hot and uncomfortable.

Suez is the main launching ground for forays into the Sinai. Buses run daily to Sharm ash-Sheikh (11am, 12:30pm, 3pm; LE12), St. Catherine’s (1:30pm; LE14), Dahab (12:30pm; LE14), Nuweiba (noon and 3pm; LE17), and Taba (3pm; LE17).

Accommodations and Food The Nefertari Hotel, 41 Sultan Hussein St. (tel. 32 28 22), offers budget-bracketed elegance. located three blocks north of Bank Misr, the Nefertari has a restaurant, agreeable bathrooms, pastel furniture, and some rooms with air-conditioning. (Singles LE15, with bath LE20. Doubles LEI 5, with bath LE26. Breakfast included.) Another popular bargain (especially for those who detest pink, violet, and mint green) is the Isis Hotel (tel. 22 78 21) with checkerboard floors, comfortable rooms, fans, and spotless bathrooms. (Singles LE9, with bath LE13.

Doubles LE12, with bath LE20. Breakfast in the cafeteria LE3 per person.) Purchase your fare from street vendors or try Nefertiti’s on Sultan Hussein St. (tel.n4 94) south of the Nefertari Hotel (full meal LE10). For dessert, Groppi’s across t treetVtel. 32 82 28) serves tempting pastries for 85pt. (Open Sat-Thurs. 9:30am-; closed during the first half of Ramadan.)

Practical Information The city’s main road runs diagonally southeast from the train station at Orabi Sq. to the Ismailiya Canal via Goumhouriya Sq. Many of Ismailiya’s restaurants, hotels, and shops are on Sultan Hussein St., which trots north-south about five blocks east of Orabi Sq. From the train station, walk to the left (as you face it) until you reach the level crossing; turn right and the bus station will be 100m on your right. The post office (open Sat.-Thurs. 8am-4pm; closed on holidays) and the elecommunications office (open 24 hrs.) are both on Orabi Sq., and the police station (tel. 122) is in the Governorate Building along the canal on Salah Salam St., two blocks south of Goumhouriya Sq. The tourist office, on the left side of Salah Salam St., just past the intersection with Sultan Hussein, hands out largely useless maps (open Sat.-Thurs. 8am-2pm, Fri. 10am-2pm).

The easiest place to change money is at the Bank of Alexandria on the eastern side of Orabi Sq. The general hospital is appropriately located on Hospital St. in the Al-Arishayat Masr district (tel. 22 20 46/7; open 24 hrs.). Dial 123 for an ambulance. For minor maladies, go to the Ismailiya Pharmacy at 24 Sultan Hussein St. (Tel. 22 93 19; claims to be open daily 24 hrs.)
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Sights

The Port Said National Museum, at the north end of Palestine St., houses co Egyptian historical artifacts ranging from ornately painted sarraf mmad Ali’s horse carriage. It’s cool and usually empty, perfect for casual browsing. (Open Sat.-Thurs. 9am4pm, Fri. 9am-noon and 2-4pm, during nauan 8:30am-lpm. Admission LE3, students LE1.50, camera privileges LE10.)

Port Said’s Military Museum, west of the obelisk on July 23 St. (tel. 22 46 57), has dioramas of ancient pharaonic and Islamic battles but concentrates on the early Egyptian victories of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. (Open daily 9am-2pm. Admission LE2.) In front of the museum, the beach extends east to the canal. Beach chairs and umbrellas can be rented, and showers are located every 100m along the beach.

Accommodations and Food

Most of the better accommodations in town are either on or just off Goumhouriya St., which runs parallel to Palestine St. two blocks inland. Two blocks from the southern end of Goumhouriya St. is the Akri Hotel (tel. 22 10 13), where cheap, charming rooms have old-fashioned iron bedsteads and views of the canal. (Singles LE9. Doubles LE15.) About halfway up Goumhouriya St. is the enormous Hotel de la Poste (tel. 22 96 55), which has classy rooms with hardwood floors and all the amenities. (Singles LE10, facing the street LE11.55. Doubles LE13.15, facing the street LEI4.65. No breakfast, no donut.) By the beach opposite the big stadium on the comer of New Corniche and AI-Amin St. is an HI youth hostel (tel. 22 87 02, fax 22 64 33; dorm beds LE3, members only).

Port Said has a number of cheap, convenient restaurants. Popeye’s Cafe (opposite Hotel de la Poste) offers passable salads and burgers (LE2), but other dishes are overpriced. (Open daily 8am-midnight.) Farther north on Goumhouriya St. is the Galal Restaurant (tel. 22 96 68), with standard Egyptian fare at prices more reasonable than Popeye’s. Don’t miss the “camel-to-the-moon” mural. Ignore or befriend the large plastic crustaceans above your table, or avoid them entirely by dining al fresco. (Open daily 7am-lam; closed during Ramadan.) Restaurant Soufer (tel. 22 43 95), just past the Akri Hotel on Degla St. off Goumhouriya St., has superb Lebanese food and a tremendous variety of seafood. Try the shrimp platters (LE10-12) or the kabab (LE9) and kufta (LE7.5O). (Open daily 8am-midnight; during Ramadan 8am-l lpm.) Just outside the Hotel de la Poste is the Restaurant Lourdat (tel. 22 99 94) where you can get a shwarma sandwich (LEI .25) or an omelette (LEI .50). (Open daily 8am-midnight.)
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Practical Information

Most amenities are either along the canal or along the I beach at right angles to the canal. Palestine Street follows the canal; two blocks i from its southwestern end is the tourist office (tel. 23 52 89), open Sat.-Thurs. 9am-1:30pm and 4-8pm. They provide an excellent map of the city. The tourist police j (tel. 22 85 70) are located in the customs building at the southwest end of Palestine St.; there is also a branch office in the train station. (Both open 24 hrs.) There are a j number of small, reputable currency exchange offices around town. The most con- J venient place to change money is Thomas Cook, 4′i Goumhouriya St. (tel. 27 75 59. fax 23 61 11), three blocks from July 23 St. (Open daily 9am-6pm.) The emergency phone number for the police is 122; for general medical emergencies, dial 123.

Port Said’s post office for Poste Restante is at the southeast corner of Ferial Gardens. (Open Sat.-Thurs. 9am-2pm.) The telephone office is about halfway up Palestine St. (Open 24 hrs.) Port Said’s most modem hospital is Al-Mabarrah Hospital at the western end of July 23 St. (tel. 22 05 6l or 22 05 60). The At-Tadaman Hospital also serves tourists (tel. 22 17 90). El-lsaaf Pharmacy (tel. 22 79 19), on Safia Zaghloul St., one block past its intersection with Shohada St., is open 24 hours. The telephone code is 066.

Port Said (Bur Sa’id)

Gateway to the canal and the Mediterranean Sea, Port Said (Bur Sa’id) is the north-easternmost point on the African continent, and the busiest and most interesting of the Suez Canal cities. Rows of tankers, freighters, and cruise ships dock next to the white colonnade of the port authority, where the canal widens to flow into the Mediterranean. Port Said is currently under development as a beach resort, an alternative to the increasingly packed shores of Alexandria. While better beaches exist in 1 Egypt, Port Said’s proximity to Cairo and its (current) obscurity are appealing.

Red Sea Coast : Suez Canal

The strategically located Suez Canal is a miracle of 19th-century engineering, but strategically located engineering miracles aren’t that much fun for the average tour-1 ist. The canal stretches, without locks and at a depth of up to 15m, from Port Said on the Mediterranean, past Ismailiya, to Suez on the Red Sea (112km all told). Construe-tion began in 1859 under the direction of Ferdinand de Lesseps, and the canal opened 10 years later. The waterway allowed rapid travel from Europe to the Indian Ocean, and became a crucial element in the infrastructure of the British Empire.

The canal was nationalized by Nasser in 1956, precipitating a Rritish-French-Israeli invasion. In 1967, with Israeli troops on the Sinai side of the canal, Nasser blocked-it with sunken ships. It remained closed through the 1973 war. While the waterway was closed, monstrous ships too big to pass through the canal were built to travel around Africa. Upon its reopening, the canal’s clientele never fully returned; canal cities have never fully recovered.

The Suez Canal’s business is business, not tourism; Port Said, Ismailiya, and Suez live oft” ships of commerce. Located near a former international flashpoint, all three cities have suffered heavy war damage. The only evident reconstruction is IsmaiH-ya’s newly paved streets and manicured parks. In a nation as rich with sights as Egypt, this region ranks low on a traveler’s itinerary.