Getting around Tripoli

Public transport

Public buses do operate in Tripoli but they are hard to use: all the signs are in Arabic and the routes change frequently. The most popular and cheapest way to travel around town is by yellow-and-white shared taxi, which you can hail down by shouting out the destination as the driver slows down. Or take one from the taxi station on Sharia al-Corniche, west of the medina.

Taxis

Tripoli has plenty of relatively cheap private black-and-white taxis, which you can flag down in the street. There isn't an official taxi rank, but usually there is a row of taxis waiting outside the medina gates.

Car hire

None of the major car hire agencies have offices in Libya. The best local firms have an office at the airport and at the upmarket hotels. Al-Mehari Car Rental (tel: +218 21 333 4091), based at the Al-Mehari Hotel, Sharia al-Fath and Al-Mansoura, Funduq Qasr Libya, Sharia Sidi Issa (tel: +218 21 333 1180) are two options. Car hire is fairly expensive in Libya, and it is only marginally more expensive to rent a car with driver.

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Featured Hotels

Funduq al-Kebir

Centrally located and government-owned hotel within walking distance of Tripoli's monuments and with sweeping views over the harbour. The rooms are spacious and comfortable although the decor has seen better days. Bathrooms are clean and have hot water.

Funduq al-Mehari

A favourite of government officials, this is the government's most prestigious hotel. The spacious and comfortable rooms come with satellite TV and air conditioning, but service is often erratic.

Safwa Hotel

A suites-only hotel right in the centre of Tripoli. The large and clean air-conditioned rooms all come with high speed internet connection and there is a good restaurant downstairs. It is mainly aimed at businessmen.

Corinthia Hotel Tripoli

By far the best hotel in town, the luxurious Corinthia Hotel Tripoli is perfectly located near the medina, the business district, and overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. The elegant and comfortable rooms are in two modern towers, and offer all five-star amenities.

Ancient Zumit Hotel

The small Zumit, in an old, recently renovated caravanserai in the medina, is the most romantic and atmospheric hotel in town. The rooms are decorated in Ottoman style but have air conditioning and other mod-cons. The hotel has also a good seafood restaurant.

Introducing Tripoli

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