Port Said

Port Said was founded in 1859 as the Mediterranean construction base for the Suez Canal and grew into a cosmopolitan port city with its own architecture: three and four-storey buildings with deep wooden verandas and galleries running the full width of the facade, painted in pale colours, designed for shade and sea air. A good number survive along Sharia al-Gomhoreya and the waterfront. The city's permanent attraction is simply the canal: ships pass at the end of the streets, close enough to read their names, and the free ferry across to Port Fuad gives a five-minute crossing among them. A military museum and the national museum cover the city's history, and the old Canal Authority building with its green domes is the landmark on the waterfront.

What you actually see

• Wooden-galleried colonial buildings - deep verandas along whole facades.
• Ships at the end of the street - the canal entrance seen from the town.
• The free Port Fuad ferry - a short crossing among the shipping.
• The Canal Authority building - green domes on the waterfront.

When to go

April to November for the weather, though the city works year round. Mornings and evenings for walking; the ferry runs constantly. A day covers the old town, the waterfront and a museum. Ship traffic is heaviest when a convoy moves.

Honest expectations

Photography near the canal and port facilities is restricted and cameras attract attention; be careful what you point at. Many of the wooden buildings are decaying and some have been lost. The beach is mediocre. Museums keep irregular hours.

Nearby

Port Fuad is across the water; Ismailia lies south along the canal.