Port Said

Port Said (Arabic: بورسعيد bōr sa`īd) is Egypt's third largest city (603,787 people), its second largest seaport and the entry point of the Suez Canal by the Mediterranean.

Understand
Port Said has a cosmopolitan heritage and seems special in its various architectural styles for its buildings. It is on the west bank of the canal, facing its twin city, Port Fouad (Bur Fouad).



History
Port Said was founded by Sa'id of Egypt on Easter Monday, April 25, 1859, when Ferdinand de Lesseps gave the first symbolic swing of the pickaxe to signal the beginning of construction.

The Lighthouse of Port Said was built in 1869 by Francois Coignet using reinforced concrete for the first time in the history, The height of the lighthouse is 56 meters. The lighthouse now is the only original building still standing in Port Said.

Port Said flourished particularly during the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century when it was inhabited by various nationalities and religions most of them were from Mediterranean countries, they coexisted in tolerance forming a real cosmopolitan community.

Since its establishment Port Said had a prominent place among Egyptian cities and we do not exaggerate if we said among global cities as well, for instance the city was the third in Egypt to witness a film screening after Cairo and Alexandria in the year 1898, also it enjoyed electricity in 1891, nine years after New York City.

Rudyard Kipling described the vitality of Port Said's community when by saying "If you truly wish to find someone you have known and who travels, there are two points on the globe you have but to sit and wait, sooner or later your man will come there: the docks of London and Port Said".

Port Said suffered from several wars and played an historic role during the Suez crisis in 1956 that failed to achieve any of its objectives.

Today's Port Said is considered one of the Egyptian business centers, as it was declared a duty-free port in January 1976, attracting people from all over Egypt.

Climate

 * See also: Egypt

has a hot desert climate (BWh), but highly influenced by sea breeze, with sunny hot humid summers and mild slightly wet winters. The daytime can be humid in summer, with summer temperatures averaging 31 °C (88 °F), but evenings are usually cooler and breezy, especially by the Corniche. Winters can get cool, with daytime highs down sometimes to 12 °C (53 °F), with occasional rain. Humidity is high throughout the year. The best time to visit Port Said is in spring (March-June) and autumn (September-November), preferably in early autumn when the sea water is warmer, since it's at its busiest in summer, when Egyptians flock down to escape the searing heat of Cairo.

By bus
Several bus companies offer a bus service into Port Said at a very low price range: LE20-35. Buses are air conditioned and come complete with a hostess trolley service. Companies include East Delta, Super Jet and Pullman. Operating times vary from one company to another, but there are trips between Cairo and Port Said virtually every hour from early morning until midnight.

Note that while the buses themselves are perfectly comfortable, the duration of your journey from Cairo to Port Said (and vice versa) will depend on your pick-up/drop-off point. Most buses start out from the El-Torgoman Bus Station in Cairo and stop by the Almaza Bus Station in Heliopolis before finally setting out to Port Said; if you join from El-Torgoman expect a 4-hr trip rather than the average 2-3.

Port Said Bus Station is the place you can catch the bus in order to travel to Cairo and other major cities in Egypt.

By train


From Cairo, there are up to five daily trains to Port Said. Additionally, there are one to two daily direct connections from Alexandria.

By car
To travel from Cairo to Port Said by car, the journey usually takes around 3 hr, depending on speed and surrounding traffic.

The Desert road has a speed limit of 100 km/h for private cars and has 2 lanes in each direction. True to the name, this crosses the desert and is less crowded and faster. There are cafeterias every few kilometers.

The usual cautions for driving in Egypt apply; see Egypt for details.

By boat
Louis Cruise Lines used to operate a passenger ferry from Limassol (Cyprus) to Port Said. Another operator for the same connection was Salamis Lines. Both options seem to be discontinued as of October 2021.

Get around
Port Said is quiet and relatively small city; you can get pretty much anywhere by using the local transportation available anywhere.

By taxi
Port Said's white and blue taxis are a good way to travel in the city, and a cheap one as well. No taxi ride between any two points in the city should cost more than LE5.

To get into a taxi, wave at the driver and yell the name of your destination. If the driver agrees they would park at the side of the road as soon as possible. Some taxis will stop to pick you up even if they already have a passenger, but such offers are best refused. Furthermore, always check back once you get out of the taxi, there is no number to call if you lose anything of value, and nearly no chances of having it returned.

By ferry
Port Said is linked by the ferry to its twin city Port Fouad which is considered the Asian part of this Afro-Asian governorate "Port Said" on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal, the ferry is used to cross the Canal between the two cities holding both people and cars for free, the trip time between the two cities doesn't exceed 10 minutes, It is a nice journey that you can enjoy for free.

By bus
There are a variety of local bus services which have improved significantly in the past few years, but they are rather confusing for those who haven't lived in Port Said for a while. Apart from city buses, you will also find "mini-buses", which work on hop-and-go basis. They are easily recognizable 14-person buses, which will stop when you wave and stop where you need to get off. The drivers rarely speak English, so make sure you know the Arabic name of your destination or that you already know where to stop. The routes are usually along the main streets and cost between LE 2.50.

See
Most obvious sights includes the port, where some ancient facilities remain. Also, the passing of the huge container ships and supertankers into the canal is an impressive sight. The rest of the old town, bombed during the Suez crisis, is also worth a visit.

The local bazaar is a great way of spending a day looking at all the shops.

Museums




Do

 * Football: Al Masry FC (aka "Green Eagles") play soccer in the Premier League, Egypt's top tier. Their traditional home was Port Said Stadium on the north corniche, but in 2021 this was demolished. They'll be ground-sharing until a new stadium is complete, perhaps in 2024.

Buy
Some oldies from the French and English communities can be found from time to time (books...), and of course the unavoidable and omnipresent tourist collectibles.

Drink
No night life in Port Said or Port Fouad, except at the numerous chicha bars. But there are lots of nice and cheap fruit bars.



Stay safe
Although crime is rarely violent, beware of pickpockets and don't flash your valuables or wear a bum bag/fanny pack. Street kids, taxi drivers, and others may harass tourists. They will usually desist after a stern "La!" or two. Or you can say "la shukran!" (no thanks) or "emshi" (go!).

Port Said is a conservative city, so women should cover their shoulders, midriffs, cleavage and legs. Even still, women can expect to be heckled or harassed in the street, especially if walking alone. The best response is to ignore the offender and pretend you don't hear anything. Cover your head when entering places of worship.

Emergency

 * Emergency number: 123
 * Police number: 122
 * Fire HQ number: 180

Consulates

 * 🇨🇳 China
 * 🇫🇷 France
 * 🇬🇷 Greece
 * 🇹🇷 Turkey

Go next

 * Dumyat
 * Mansoura
 * Tanta
 * Zagazig
 * Port Suez
 * Arish