Holiday FAQs

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Q: My wife and I are travelling through Egypt. We intend to head east to Fayed, from Cairo airport. Is there local transport which can take us there, e.g. bus or service taxi? And what sort of costs will be involved?

We will not have our own transport, and cannot find out any details here in New Zealand.

Rod & Yvonne

Of course, the easiest way to get to Fayed is by private car. To get there, you head out on the Ismailia Road, via the Suez Road from Heliopolis, and take the first major left after the entrance to Ismailia Governorate. A word of warning, however: though smooth and well-paved, these roads afford few opportunities to top up with petrol, food or first aid requirements. So make sure you and your vehicle are well-prepared before you set off.

However, there are other solutions. East Delta Bus Company runs buses to Ismailia every half an hour from the Torguman terminal, behind Al-Galaa Street, between 6am and 9pm daily. Once in Ismailia there are buses and service taxis to Fayed, 38kms away, leaving from the main station in the old quarter. The advantage of travelling to Fayed by way of Ismailia is that you will also have the opportunity to spend a day exploring that city's sites. If you're in a hurry, though, there are also service taxis direct to Fayed from Torguman Bus Station. If you are prepared to pay a little more, you can try and negotiate a round trip deal that will save you the trouble of having to squeeze in with numerous other passengers.

I believe that you can also negotiate with some taxi drivers at the airport to take you to Fayed, but this would be an even more expensive option. There are no fixed fees for such a journey, so the price will depend entirely on your skill in negotiating with the driver!

Write to "Holiday FAQs", Travel, Al-Ahram Weekly , Galaa St, Cairo, Egypt, or e-mail wtfaq@ahram.org.eg