American Express c/o Express Travel Group, Makena House, Nkrumah Rd, PO Box 314408 tel 011/311805, fax 314408.

Banks The best rates are at any of the numerous foreign exchange bureaux springing up around the city, but you need your purchase receipt when changing traveller's cheques and few accept Visa cards. Pwani Forex, Digo Rd opposite Mackinnon Market, is efficient and seems to give the best rates for traveller's cheques (Mon-Sat 8.30am-5pm). Of the banks, the speediest is the Commercial Bank of Africa, Moi Ave (Mon-Fri 8.30am-2.30pm). Otherwise, you'll find branches of Barclays, most with ATM machines for Visa cards, throughout the city (Mon-Fri 9am-3pm, first and last Sat of the month 9-11am). Standard Chartered bank also has ATMs at its Maritime House (Moi Ave) and Treasury Square branches. Co-op Bank is on Nkrumah Rd; Postbank is east of the Tusks on Moi Ave. On Sundays you'll have to go to the airport to find a forex bureau open, unless you fancy your chances with the black market money changers hanging around the corner of Moi Avenue and Digo Road (usual rules apply: don't let them take you down a dark alley, in a shop is best, never hand over your bucks until you have the shillings in your hand and have counted them, and don't be put off checking by the old "quick, quick, the police are coming" ploy).

Bicycles Mombasa has no bike rental, but buying one is cheap enough: Omar Hussein (Mon-Sat 8.30am-1pm & 2-6pm; tel 011/225899) on Haile Selassie Ave near Maungano Rd has a good selection. A three-speed Indian roadster costs Ksh3200, with mountain bikes upwards of Ksh7000.

Bookshops Mombasa has few compared with Nairobi, and most only stock schoolbooks and stationery. Bahari Bookshop, and Kant Stationers on Moi Ave, or Citizen's Bookshop at the corner of Jomo Kenyatta Ave and Joe Kadenge St are the best. There are also quite a few stalls around town selling used books. For maps, the best place is Harria's Gift Shop on Moi Ave.

Bus company booking offices/stages Akamba Bus, Jomo Kenyatta Ave tel 011/490269 or 492696; Busscar, Abdel Nasser Rd tel 011/222854; Busstar, Abdel Nasser Rd tel 011/224739; Cat Bus (Hood), Jomo Kenyatta Ave tel 011/311075; Coast Bus, Mwembe Tayari Rd tel 011/220158; Falcon, Abdel Nasser Rd, opposite New People's Hotel tel 011/311060; Gantaal, Abdel Nasser Rd tel 072/700360; Interstate 2000, Jomo Kenyatta Ave tel 011490776; Linear Jomo Kenyatta Ave tel 011/311033; Mombasa Liners (Mombasa Raha), Abdel Nasser Rd tel 011/314823; Ocean Liners, Abdel Nasser Rd tel 011/229721; Safeways, Jomo Kenyatta Ave, opposite Fayaz bakery (no phone); Sunbird, Jomo Kenyatta Ave tel 011/491705; Takrim, Jomo Kenyatta Ave tel 011/495946; Tausi, Jomo Kenyatta Ave tel 072/787538; Tawfiq, Jomo Kenyatta Ave tel 011/432066; Tawakal, Abdel Nasser Rd tel 0733/821218; TSS, Digo Rd, opposite Elias B&L tel 011/221839; Universal Liners, Jomo Kenyatta Ave, opposite Fayaz bakery tel 011/342696.

Car rental Avenue Motors, Moi Ave, tel 011/225126, avenue@africaonline.co.ke; Avis, Moi Ave, PO Box 45456 tel 011/223048 or 220465, also at Moi Airport tel 011/434021-3 and Serena Beach Hotel tel 011/485721; Budget, Saroya House, Moi Ave tel 011/221281, fax 221282; Galu Safaris/Southern Cross Safaris, Kanstan Centre, Nyali Bridge tel 475074-6, fax 471257, www.scubamalindi.tullfan.com; Glory Car Hire, Moi Ave tel 011/313561, fax 221159, glorycarhire@net2000ke.com; Hertz/UTC, Moi Ave tel 011/316333-4, fax 314549, utcmba@africaonline.co.ke, also at Moi Airport tel 011/433211; Kedev Car Hire, Off Links Rd, Nyali tel 011/487356, fax 486378, kedev@africaonline.co.ke; Kuldip's Car Hire, Mji Mpya Rd tel 011/223780, fax 313347; Leisure Car Hire, Fisherman's Inn, Mwamba Drive, Nyali tel 011/471274, fax 474278; National Car Rental, Pearl's Arcade, Nyerere Ave tel 011/228318, fax 222139, natcarma@africaonline.co.ke; Special Lofty Safaris, 1st floor, Hassanali Building, Nkrumah Rd tel 011/220241 or 315789, fax 314397; Unik Car Hire and Safaris Fatemi Building, Maungano Rd, PO Box 89200 tel 011/314864, fax 311384.

Cinemas The Kenya, Nkrumah Rd, is the most promising. Otherwise, try the Lotus on Makadara Rd. Both survive on a diet of Indian epics and love stories, with a few American films thrown in.

Consulates Austria Mr T. Gaal, 3rd floor, Ralli House, Nyerere Ave tel 011/313386; Belgium Mr F. van Burkom tel 011/2202319 or 314531, fvanburkom@ke.safmarine.com; Canada Mr N. Tejpar (Canadian warden), Farways Safaris, Msanifu Kombo St tel 011/223307 or 9, farways@africaonline.co.ke; Denmark & Finland Mr J.H. Nielsen, c/o Comarco, Liwatoni Rd tel 011/316243; France Mr M. Smewing tel 011/4352612, smewing@transami.co.ke; Germany 4th floor, Palli House, Nyerere Ave tel 011/314732 or 228781; Greece Mr P. Ch. Lagoussis tel 011/224482, mtv@africaonline.co.ke; Hungary Mr M. Kirkland, Southern Cross Safaris, Nyali tel 011/4750746, mike@southerncrosssafaris.com; India Bank of India Building, Nkrumah Rd tel 011/224433, cimsa@swiftmombasa.com; Italy Capt. M. Esposito tel 011/227325 or 313033, esposito@alphakenya.com; Netherlands Mrs B.R. Patalia, ABN-AMBRO Bank, Nkrumah Rd tel 011/3110435, bhanu.patalia@ke.abnamro.com; Norway Mrs A. Sondhi, c/o Reef Hotel , Nyali tel 011/4717712, reefmsa@swiftmombasa.com; Poland Mr R. Noor tel 011/312056 or 226974, reshadi@interocean2000.com; Portugal Mr F. Pereira tel 011/2236914, ffkmsa@africaonline.co.ke; Seychelles Mrs M. Sonon tel 011/224923, mason@wasahlan.africaonline.co.ke; Spain Mr S. Lieman tel 011/220724, neffauto@africaonline.co.ke; Switzerland Mrs H. Saad-Bisig tel 011/474121, safarisp@africaonline.co.ke; Tanzania 3rd floor, Palli House, Nyerere Ave tel 011/228596, tancon@africaonline.co.ke; UK Mr James Knight, Seaforth Shipping, Cotts House, 2nd floor, Moi Ave tel 3137767 or 311528, jknight@africaonline.co.ke; USA Mr N.K. Mudukitsa, Moi Airport tel 011/433943, nmudukit@africaonline.co.ke.

Contraceptives Condoms can be bought in any supermarket or pharmacy. The Family Planning Association, which can supply oral contraceptives, is in Mali House, Kenyatta Ave, off Digo Rd tel 011/316937.

Courier services DHL, Ukumbusho House, Treasury Square, Nkrumah Rd tel 011/223933, fax 227837; FedEx, Diamond Trust Arcade, Moi Ave tel 011/227775; TNT Express Worldwide, Oriental Building, Nkrumah Rd tel 011/313881; UPS, Fedha Towers, Kaunda St tel 011/252200.

Dhow cruises Jahazi Marine Ltd (PO Box 89357 tel 011/472213 or 471895, jahazi@africaonline.co.ke) does "cultural trips", sailing around Mombasa in the morning, lunch at their otherwise expensive Jahazi Restaurant overlooking Tudor Creek, and afternoons spent at the floating market, visiting a traditional herbalist and dhow builder. They also offer "Mombasa by Night" dhow cruises (around $70 per person), including a son-et-lumiere performance at Fort Jesus, and a French-style lobster dinner inside served by waiters dressed up as Portuguese, supposedly to remind you of the good old days when the only tourists were heavily armed raiders.

Hospitals Pandya Memorial Hospital, Dedan Kimathi Ave (tel 011/314140-1 or 314262-3), is hygienic and efficient, and has an ambulance service, as does St John's Ambulance Service (tel 011/490625). If you're planning to be out in the wilds a lot, Africa Air Rescue (AAR), Harbour House, Moi Ave (tel 011/311009 to join, 312405-6 in an emergency) offers short-term membership of its "flying doctors" scheme.

Immigration You can get visitor's pass extensions at the Provincial Headquarters on Mama Ngina Drive (tel 011/311745), but leave enough time, as you always have to wait. If heading for Tanzania, visa issuing from the consulate is available Mon-Fri 9am-2pm and takes about an hour - you need two passport photos plus the fee ($20 for Americans, $30 for Australians and New Zealanders, $50 for Brits, and South Africans, free for Irish).

Internet access Many places around town at generally low rates (Ksh1 per minute or less - much the same as Nairobi), including Cyber Garden 77 on Makadara Rd, Blue Fin, Mombasa Coffee House , and a couple of places in the Jubilee Insurance Building. Plenty of others.

Libraries Kenya National Library, Msanifu Kombo Rd (Mon-Thurs 9am-6pm, Fri 9am-4pm, Sat 9am-5pm); Fort Jesus Museum (archeology; Mon-Fri 8am-12.30pm & 2-4.30pm); British Council, Kisumu Rd, off Moi Ave (Tues-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 10am-1pm; tel 011/223076) - has a small air-conditioned library with recent editions of British papers and temporary membership available (Ksh200 per day).

Luggage storage Apart from hotels, the only place to leave bags is the railway station, and their rates (Ksh80 per piece per day) seem excessive.

Maps The Survey of Kenya town plan Mombasa Island and Environs is useful, but it predates the new Nyali Bridge and many street name changes. More up-to-date but not hot on detail is The Streets of Mombasa Island map (1998; Ksh200-250). The street-plan book Mombasa A to Z (Kenway 1996) is best of all, but out of print: it's worth enquiring in case they do a new edition. If you want to get Survey of Kenya maps of the coast, it's the same story as in Nairobi, but authorization is unlikely to be given to tourists. The relevant addresses are the Provincial Surveyor's office, 12th floor, Bima House, Digo Rd (Mon-Fri 9am-12.30pm & 2-4pm), and the DC's office, Room 19, Provincial Headquarters, Mama Ngina Drive, which you must visit if you think it's worth trying to get "the letter of authorization". If you fail, as you probably will, return to Bima House and see if there's anything they can do to help.

Motorbike rental Gabwanja, Ocean View Plaza, Bamburi tel 072/411137; Pedo Bikes, Kongoni Rd, near Mamba Village roundabout on mainland north of Nyali Bridge tel 011/471193.

Pharmacies The staff at Diamond Arcade Pharmacy, Diamond Arcade, Diamond Trust Building, Moi Ave (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 9am-4pm; tel 011/316351), are pleasant and helpful. Yudah Pharmaceuticals, by Leejim Hotel in Duruma Rd, is open late (Mon-Fri 9am-9.30pm, Sat 9am-8pm; tel 0773/619808). Eden Pharmacy opposite the Blue Room in Haile Selassie Rd is open late and on Sundays (Mon-Sat 8.30am-9pm, Sun 2-9pm; tel 011/226947). There's no longer any 24hr cover in Mombasa: hospital dispensaries can supply necessary drugs and medicaments out of hours.

Post office and telephones (see also "Courier services"). The post office for free poste restante and main services is the General Post Office (GPO) in Digo Rd (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 9am-noon). There are cardphones here too.

Supermarkets A1 Supermarket, corner of Hospital St and Digo Rd (Mon-Sat 8.45am-6.30pm, Sun 9am-1pm); Chiquitas, Moi Ave (Mon-Sat 9am-6.30pm); Bestlady, Digo Rd, opposite Haile Selassie Rd (Mon-Sat 7.30am-8.30pm, Sun 10am-5pm).

Swimming pools The only one in town is at Hotel Sapphire (8am-8pm; Ksh200 adults, Ksh150 children). Further out, you could try the Mombasa Women's Association, Nyerere Ave, halfway to the Likoni ferry (schooldays 5-7pm; Sat, Sun & school holidays 10am-noon & 2.30-6pm; adults Ksh130, children Ksh110).

Taxis Kenatco (Ambalal House, Nkrumah Rd tel 011/227503) runs reliable 24hr taxis with fixed prices to the beach hotels. Another 24hr firm is Voda Taxis in Maungano St (tel 011/222798). Unlicensed taxis hailed in the street are cheaper if you bargain well.

Theatre The Little Theatre Club (PO Box 81143 tel 011/229258) on Mnazi Moja Rd is the occasional venue for the Shangari Players, who put on works by African playwrights. LTC Players occasionally put on African productions, but on the whole they're an outlet for amateur dramatics in the expat/settler community. Seats are about Ksh400 for non-members.

Vaccinations The Public Health Department in Msanifu Kombo St, opposite the end of Hospital Rd, gives yellow fever, typhoid and cholera jabs Mon-Fri 8am-12.30pm & -4.30pm.

Worship The Catholic Holy Ghost Cathedral is on Nyerere Ave. The Anglican Memorial Cathedral is off Nkrumah Rd, down on the right near Fort Jesus. The main Hindu temple is the new Shiva Temple by Jamhuri Park; there is also a Swaminarayan temple on Haile Selassie Rd at the corner of Bajuni Rd. The main Sikh temple is on Mwembe Tayari Rd. There are mosques all over town.