Getting around by bus and coach Route de la soie

Who has never seen a green bus with the Flixbus logo run on the highway in recent years? Offering national and international lines from Marseille, this company offers to travel in new and comfortable buses, with wi-fi and a friendly staff (not always French-speaking, it should be known). Tickets sold from 5 euros for the shortest journeys and connections from Marseille to Toulon, Nice, Genoa, Perpignan, Toulouse, Barcelona, Lyon, Paris, etc. Travelling simply and without paying a high price is more possible than ever. It is also the most economical way to get directly from Marseille to Nice airport.

Starting point to visit the Caspian region. Count 6 h for Ramsar, 10 h for northwest (Ardebil and Tabriz), 9 h for Kurdistan (Kermanshan). Some international destinations are also served: Turkey (Ankara and Istanbul) and Azerbaijan (Baku); Syria (Damascus) is currently no longer serviced because of the events there.

Venice can be reached by bus from many European destinations and all of Italy. All buses stop at the bus station in Piazzale Roma, where you will find a tourist office annex and a luggage storage room. This is the ideal stop for those staying in San Polo or Santa Croce (and even further afield). In fact, the ferry terminals for the center are almost opposite the bus terminal. From there, at the end of your stay, you can also reach the Marco Polo airport by road.

This is the most important station in the Middle of Egypt. Buses every hour for Minyeh and Assiout and some for Le (for this last destination, prefer departure from Midan Guiza; it's gone, it goes in minibus, but it's better).

Cairo Getaway (formerly Turgoman) is Cairo's main bus station. From there one leaves for Alexandria and the Mediterranean coast, the Suez Canal region, the Sinai, the deserts and the Nile valley. It is wise to buy your ticket one or two days in advance and have the time and place of departure confirmed. Prices vary somewhat depending on the airline you choose, but on average you should expect to pay around 20 Egyptian pounds for a 100 km trip.

South of Cairo, bus Station serving desert oases. Bahareyya, Oasis, Dakhla, Kharga.

Opposite a minibus station for the same destinations. Don't have to cross the city centre.

Departure for the oases Bahareyya, Oasis and Dakhla (no direct link to Siwa). Deposit at the level of the western stronghold of the citadel. It is best to book tickets in advance.

At the bus station, next to the SNCF station, you will obtain tickets for the departmental buses of the Cartreize network, the LER (regional express lines) and the international lines (Flixbus, Eurolines), as well as on the airport shuttles (ticket office n°1 open every day from 5:30 to 21:30). The ticket office is open from Monday to Friday, from 6:15 am to 7:30 pm, on Saturdays from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm, on Sundays and public holidays from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm and from 1:30 pm to 6 pm. With a few clicks on the website, you will very easily obtain more information about the website.

The main bus station in Damascus. About companies from all over Syria, except for the south. Booking is not required. All companies offer roughly the same price, reasonably cheap. To find yourself among the many companies and aggressive rabatteurs, this is the name of the main ones:

:: office on the right of the entrance, which is determined by its blue facade.

Each counter corresponds to a destination, which is marked in English and Arabic on small signs suspended in the air. Air-conditioned and well-organized premises. The oldest and most common company in the country.

Al-Ahlia: slightly on the right of the entrance.

Departures every 30 minutes for the country's main cities.

:: to the left of the entrance.

Only company serving Bulgaria, departure for Sofia on Sunday and Wednesday, 3 500 LS.

For Turkey, head to Jet, Ait or Ozhan offices.

Several buses per day towards Istanbul via Antakya, most with a departure in the evening around 22 pm. The journey lasts 24 hours and costs 2 000 LS.

South of Damascus (Ezra, Dera, Souweida). Attention, no direct link to Overnight from the garaj'Bab Moussala (take a bus in Somarieh).

For the north (Nabek-Mar Moussa), the littoral, the Orontes, the Euphrates, the Djézireh (Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Lattakia, Tartous, Deir ez-Zor, Qamichli…). But beware, buses are not comfortable, non-air-conditioned, and departures are irregular. Finally, this type of bus called Hobhob stops all the time to take or deposit customers. The only advantage is lower rates.

Large garaj where ordinary buses are found and served. At the entrance, minibus for Bukein, (40 LS) and Bloudan (45 LS). Then the big buses for Dera, Souweida, Overnight.

Shared taxis mainly provide for large distances (liaison for Beirut and Amman). Prices are to be negotiated with the driver, depending on the other passengers and his mood. Count approximately 500 LS per head for Beirut and 700 LS for Amman.

You will also find buses for these two destinations, but departures are not regular and long journey times are much longer than with a shared taxi. The price is substantially the same.

There are several garaj garaj in Damascus. Not really a bus station, more places where the main services leave, the collective white minibuses. Among other things, they can join major garaj or connect strategic points in the city. The directions are marked in Arabic, better know the name of the place where you want to go and ask the driver if he goes there.

Jisr al-Ra (the Speaker's bridge). Services to go to Doummar and then take a minibus that will take you to Ain el-Fijé or the Vallée valley.

Bilal Place, rue An-Nasirah, next to the halls. Services for Seidnaya and Maaloula.

Useful only to go to the airport. Departure every half hours. 40 LS go.

Sytral Mobilités and Les Cars du Rhône provide a high-quality network for schoolchildren and the general public throughout the Greater Paris area and the Rhône département. There are 25 regular lines covering a vast territory of 263 communes, and they can provide connections with other bus, train, metro, tramway and TCL network lines, as well as Libellule. In the Tourism tab on the carsdurhone.fr website, discover a selection of museums in the département accessible via the Cars du Rhône network.

Regular lines for Spain and Portugal.

From Alexander, the West Delta bus company serves many cities in the north of the country and Cairo. The bus company also has a ticket counter at the bus station, so don't panic if you pick up your tickets at the last minute. From the bus station, the company serves various destinations. Another office is located in Sidi Gaber, Midan Semouha. The company's buses also leave from the bus station of El Mohaf el-Gedid, 15 minutes from Saad Zaghlol (no traffic / 1 hour with traffic).

Many minibuses or shared cabs to Bukhara. Shared cabs cost a minimum of US$30, but it is not surprising that on some days the fare is US$50, US$60 or US$70, since the occupancy rate and the tourist season affect the fare. The duration of the journey has been significantly reduced in recent years. The road to Noukous is very passable. It takes about 2.5 hours to get there. Numerous departures throughout the day.

With the exception of the Ferghana valley whose road is too dangerous and forbidden to heavy goods vehicles, you can reach all the cities of Uzbekistan by bus: Termez, Samarkand, Bukhara, and even the most remote points such as Urgentch or Nukus (count not far from 20 hours). At the racecourse there are many other buses, minibuses and taxis leaving for the four corners of the country: do your market and negotiate prices boldly.