Travel & Accommodation
1. Visa
Most nationalities do not need to apply for an Egyptian visa in their home
countries to enter Egypt. They can obtain a visa stamp from the airport upon
arrival. This
website provides more information and lists the visa fee. Please consult
with a local Egyptian consulate or your ministry of foreign affairs if you need
further questions. If you find that you will need to apply for a visa in your
country of residence, we recommend that you start this process as early as possible.
2. Travel
Most airlines fly to
Cairo International Airport but a few have flights to Alexandria Bourg
Al-Arab Airport. If you are arriving at Cairo airport you have the
following options to go to Alexandria, which is ~ 250 km north of Cairo:
-
Take a local flight
(trip time ~ 30 min.; fare ~ under $100). Check with your travel agent
concerning this option. You will need to allow for at least an hour
to change terminals.
-
Take a direct taxi
from the airport. The trip
time is about 3 hours and the fare is about $80-100. This can be shared by 1-3 people. A
seven-passenger van would cost about $150.
-
Take a bus from
the airport. The trip time is about 4-6 hours and the fare is
under $10. The bus schedule can
be found at this
website.
You can reserve a taxi/van through your travel agent or
through the conference later in February.
All above options are
from Cairo airport. We do not recommend going to downtown to take a
train.
If you are flying
directly into Alexandria, your options would be a taxi (trip time: 45
min.; fare ~ $30) or a bus (trip time ~ 1 hour; fare ~ < $10).
Transportation fee is
paid in Egyptian Pound (LE). $1 ~ LE 5.5. More currency conversion
options are available here.
3. Accommodation
There are a number of hotels
near the library with room rates in the range $50-$200+.
-
The following
hotels are within walking distance (~ 15 min.) from the library:
-
The following
hotels are within 15-25 min. by taxi from the library. Taxi fare is ~ LE
5.0 - 10.0, depending on the distance.
We have been informed
about this
online reservation service (based in
Australia),
which offers very competitive rates to all
Alexandria
hotels. We have not verified it though and ask that you use your own
judgment in electing to use it. If anyone used this service before,
please e-mail us your experience at ns.grb.2009@gmail.com