Surprisingly few visitors take advantage of the fleet of blue-and-white minibuses that shuttle between outlying points, constantly passing through the centre along Sharia el-Karnak. Northbound minibuses either turn off towards the taxi depot ( mogaf), or run straight on to Karnak and sometimes to the Nile Hilton. Heading in the opposite direction, they terminate at the public hospital ( moustashfa) far down Television Street, or at Awmia, beside the Sheraton. The moustafsha -bound ones detour inland via the train station, while Awmia buses stick to Sharia Ibn Khalid Walid. The tactic is to wave down any minibus heading in the right direction, shout " mogaf ", " Hilton ", " moustafsha " (or whatever), and hop in if they're going there. There's a flat fare of 25pt on all routes.

Many tourists rent bicycles from shops on Sharia al-Mahatta, Television Street and other localities, where prices vary from A?E3-7 a day in the winter to A?E4-5 over summer. Most of these bikes are one-speed only, if not defective in some respect, so you may prefer to rent a better model from the Etap, Windsor, Sheraton or Hilton (A?E5 per hour/A?E15 per day). In any case, it's always wise to check the machine and do a short test ride. A passport or other ID is generally required as security. You can also rent 150cc motorbikes from a host of places, including Sinbad, opposite the Ramoza Hotel on Sharia al-Mahatta, for about A?E30 a day. The owner doesn't care whether you've got a licence or not, but the police will. Bikes can be carried on local ferries to the west bank, for getting around the Theban Necropolis.