Arabic-L:LING:ALS Travel Info

[Dilworth Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Thu 20 Mar 2003
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1) Subject:ALS Travel Info

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1)
Date: 20 Mar 2003
From: Tessa Hauglid <tmh1 at mstar2.net>
Subject:ALS Travel Info

ALS 2003 - Alexandria
Practical information for participants
by Reem Bassiouney

Travelling to Alexandria
A) Direct connections
Alexandria has its own international airport, situated between the town  
and
Lake Mariout, about twenty minutes from the city centre. Lufthansa and
British Airways have direct flights to Alexandria from Europe, and  
Olympic
Airways offers flights to Alexandria via Athens.

While the old terminal building is being refurbished air traffic has  
been
redirected to Burj al-Arab, a military airport further inland. It is not
clear whether the city airport will reopen by the time of the  
conference in
May. If in doubt, please enquire with your travel agent which airport  
you
will arrive at.

Taxis are available from both airports to the city centre. These are
relatively cheap, but be sure to negotiate your fare before you hand  
over
your bags to one of the taxi drivers.

B) via Cairo
Many airlines fly to Cairo from Europe and America. Malev, the Hungarian
Airline usually offers the cheapest, though not the most reliable or
convenient service. Alitalia and Air France often have special offers  
on the
route to Cairo, but with the added inconvenience of a stop in Rome or  
Paris.

On your arrival in Cairo, you have two options:
1- You can take the Express Bus (called ‘Superjet’) directly to  
Alexandria.
The ticket costs around LE 35, and the journey takes 3-4 hours,  
depending on
the time of the day and the traffic. There are buses throughout the  
night.
The buses are air-conditioned, and it is worth taking a pullover or a  
jacket
inside with you

2- You can take the train from Cairo (Mahattat Ramsiis) to Alexandria.  
There
are no trains after around 9pm, so this may entail an overnight stay (on
hotels in Cairo, see below). First, you need to take a taxi to the train
station (or downtown Cairo, where the hotels are). This should cost no  
more
than LE 80-100, and be sure to negotiate your fare before you board the
taxi. Once at the station, buy your ticket on the Express train  
(Turbiinii).
First class is pleasant and affordable at ca. LE 30. The journey takes
around two hours, and is very comfortable. Get off the train at the  
terminus
(Mahattat Masr), which is ten minutes’ walk from the Cecil Hotel (see  
map).

Hotels in Cairo:
Charming and convenient places to stay are the Cosmopolitan Hotel, just  
off
Midan Talaat Harb (from the square, drive into the street opposite  
Groppi's
Cafe, to the right of the Emirates Bank. The hotel is in a side street  
to
the right, about 50 metres from the square, opposite the Mexx shop;
foreigners pay ca. US$35 a night. Address: 1 Ibn Tahlab St., Kasr El  
Nil,
Cairo Phone: +20-2-3663 Fax: +20-2-3933531), and the Windsor, a relic  
of the
colonial era where lift and telephone system date to the early 1900’s.  
The
hotel also sports an old-fashioned bar that used to be a British  
officers’
mess! (in 26 July St/Sharia Sitta wa-ashriin Yulyu, drive into the  
direction
of Opera Square/Midan al-Opera, and turn left into a small side street  
about
80 metres after the Americaine cafe. If you can’t find it, ask a local;
rooms cost from USD 29 for a single to ca USD 56 for deluxe double  
rooms;
their website with a map and more information is at
http://www.windsorcairo.com/mainpage.htm).


Staying in Alexandria
Alexandria has lots of hotels, but only those around the Cecil are  
really
convenient for participants in the conference: the hotels in Montazah,
despite their proximity to the beaches, are too far away from the Cecil.
Although Alexandria feels relatively small, it is actually a  
million-people
city that stretches along the coast for over 30 kilometres. To get from  
one
end to the other may take up an hour and a half when the traffic is bad  
-
and it often is. For a listing of Alexandria's hotels - though by no  
means
exhaustive - go to: http://www.egypthotelsdb.com/. The following are
recommended:

A) Budget hotels
The Crillion and the Union are plain and cheap, and (used to) charge in
Egyptian Pounds, not Dollars; at the same time they are above backpacker
standard, and offer simple luxuries, such as private bathrooms. What is
more, they are both on the seafront, just a few metres from the Cecil,  
and
many rooms have marvellous views over the harbour.
The Crillion Hotel
5, Sharia Adib Ishaq
Phone: ++20-3-480 0330
On the third floor of an Art Deco building overlooking the Corniche,  
two or
three blocks away from the Cecil. Most rooms appear to have private  
showers
or baths, and views to the sea. I have never stayed in this hotel, but  
it
looks respectable. I would guess it costs around LE 50 per person.

The Union
164, Sharia 26th July
Phone: ++20-3-480-7312
Fax: ++20-3-480 7350
Just a few metres away from the Cecil, in the next block along the  
seaside.
It is in a modern building, offering no style, but clean rooms and a
breakfast room overlooking the Mediterranean. Most rooms here have  
private
bathrooms and balconies to the seaside. A very popular hotel with budget
tourists, so you ought to book in advance.

B) Upmarket
The obvious choices are the Cecil, the Metropole and the Windsor Palace
hotels. All three are in beautifully restored turn-of-the-century  
buildings
right on the seafront, and offer plenty of what a brochure might call
"colonial" charm. Of the three, the Cecil is perhaps the most  
prestigious,
and prides itself of its guest list, which includes Somerset Maugham and
Winston Churchill, among others. Although they are luxury hotels, they  
are
relatively affordable, and if this is your first time in Alexandria, you
would do good to treat yourself to a couple of nights in one of them.

The Cecil
Category: * * * *
26th July St., Saad Zaghloul Sq.
Phone: +20-3-4837173 , +20-3-4834768 , +20-3-4831467
Fax: +20-3-4836401
Their somewhat complicated reservations website is at:
http://www.sofitel.com/sofitel/index.html

Paradise Inn Metropole Hotel
Category: * * * *
52, Saad Zaghloul St., El Raml Station
Phone: +20 3 4861465 , +20 3 4861466 , +20 3 4861467
Fax: +20-3-4862040

Paradise Inn Windsor Palace Hotel
Category: * * * *
17, al-Shuhada St.
Phone: +20-3-4808700, +20-3-4808123
Fax: +20-3-4809090

Delta Hotel
If the above are booked out, or too expensive for you, you could try the
Delta hotel, which is situated just a few minutes from the Cecil along  
the
tram lines towards the University. The hotel has a website at:
http://sp.tecmina.com/hoteldelta/. It is not exceedingly cheap at ca.  
USD 72
for a single, and a far cry from the elegance and style of the Cecil.  
If you
can, you had better pay the extra few dollars elsewhere; if not, this  
is a
respectable place to stay.

Money
At current rates, one dollar buys around 5 Egyptian Pounds (LE), one  
Pound
Sterling buys ca. 8 LE. Do not, under any circumstance, change money  
before
you arrive in Egypt, as the banks in Europe operate with extortionate  
rates
of exchange for the Egyptian Pound. Of course you will need some money
immediately after your arrival, to pay for the taxi etc., but in any  
case
you will have to change money before you go through the passport  
control in
order to purchase a visum. You can take your money as cash or in  
traveller's
cheques, and some banks even accept Eurocheques. The branch of the  
National
Bank of Egypt in the Cecil also does withdrawals via VISA card, and  
there is
an increasing number of ATM’s all over Alexandria (the British Bank of  
the
Middle East, a part of HSBC, has its branch and an ATM for credit card
withdrawals on Midan al-Khartum; there is another ATM just outside the
Fishmarket restaurant).
Restaurants
There are lots of restaurants around the city centre, and it would take  
a
long time to describe them all. Food in restaurants is much cheaper, and
certainly more interesting than that in the hotels. On your first day  
or so,
you can try any (or all, if you have the stamina) of the following (the
stars are not Michelin ones, but mine, and indicate the quality of the
food):

Cafe Bleik **
A well-kept secret, Cafe Bleik offers all sorts of delicacies, such as  
hot
stuffed wine leaves, chicken on almond rice, stuffed pigeons, meatballs  
in
tomato sauce etc. It is situated on the western end of Saad Zaghloul  
St., on
the left hand side as you head west, just before the Sofianopopulou  
Coffee
shop. The entrance is small, and the front part of the restaurant is a
pastry shop, so it can easily be mistaken for a bakery.

al-Ikhlas *
A traditional family restaurant offering Egyptian food. It is on the
crossroads in the middle of Safia Zaghloul St., and has a big sign.

The Elite *
Is an old Alexandrian legend, once very fashionable and frequented by
celebrities. It is run by a charming Greek lady, Madame Christine, and
regularly provides the food for parties at the Greek Consulate. It  
offers a
variety of Egyptian, Greek and French dishes, at reasonable prices.
It is situated in Safia Zaghloul St., just before the Cinema Metro

Abu Gharib *
Looks rather strange from the outside, and may be deserted at times.
However, it is famous for its liver sandwiches and its creme caramel.  
From
Midan Saad Zaghloul, follow the tramlines west for about 150 metres.  
Just as
you come to a little square, the restaurant is on the left-hand side on  
a
corner. Quite cheap.

The Fish Market Restaurant ***
One of Alexandria's best restaurants. It is situated on the corniche  
midway
between the Cecil and Qait Bey Fort, overlooking the harbour and the
corniche. As its name suggests, this is a fish restaurant, and guests  
can
select their own fresh fish from the day's catch (Daniis/Sea Bream,  
Wa'aar/?
and Miaas/Sea Bass are the best and the most expensive. Always choose a  
fish
with shiny and bulging, not sunken eyes - the drier the eyes, the older  
the
fish! On the side, order a small quantity of gambarii/prawns and
subbiiT/squid). A large selection of starters and side dishes comes  
with the
meal. A meal here is not cheap - up to 100LE per person - but probably  
the
best fish meal you will ever have. Go just before sunset, when the
restaurant has a beautiful view of the harbour.

Cafes
Alexandria is famous for its coffee-houses, of which there are literally
hundreds. Some are basic, and offer little more than tea, coffee soft  
drinks
and water pipes; others are more specialised, and offer backgammon sets  
or
dominoes, while others again provide the setting for romantic  
encounters.
Most street cafes are plain, but some date back to the 1900’s and have
spectacular interiors:

Trianon
Yet another Alexandrian legend, on Saad Zaghloul Sq underneath the  
Metropole
Hotel. It has an Art Nouveau interior (note the wall panels on the
patisserie side), and offers tea, cakes and light meals. Expensive.


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End of Arabic-L:  20 Mar 2003