Asmara is the largest city in and capital of Eritrea.

Get in

---

Asmara currently hosts the country's only operating international airport although technically there are two more in Massawa and Assab. If you come to Eritrea as of March 2007, you will arrive at Asmara International Airport, currently served by Lufthansa three times a week from Frankfurt, Yemenia twice weekly from Sanaa in Yemen, Egyptair twice weekly from Cairo, Saudia Arabian Airlines twice weekly from Jeddah/Riyadh and the national airline Eritrean Airlines which flies to/from Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Dubai, Djibouti, Milan twice weekly as well as Rome and Jeddah once weekly (twice weekly during the summer).

Nasair, a private-state joint venture airline also serves Nairobi and Khartoum twice weekly from Asmara as well as domestic routes Asmara - Massawa and Asmara - Assab. There is an airport departure tax of $20 or 15 Euros. If you're coming on camel-back, you should probably give the camel a good parting gift for climbing all those hills for you (the city is up on 2600 meters above sea level, ie more than 8000 feet).

Get around

---

Asmara's local transportation system consists largely of the city buses. There are about 10 downtown bus-lines on distinctive Red Mercedes Benz buses with a sign in the front saying where they're headed (yes, even in English). The bus-stops
are easily identifiable (there are signs and the obvious shelter with a bench) but the buses stop running quite early in the evening (at about 7 PM). They run on 15 minute to half hour intervals during the day (every day), other than that, there is no schedule. It gets pretty jammed at rush hour (in the morning, midday and around 4 in the evening). The fare is 1 Nakfa, the entrance is in the back where one buys the ticket, it is not necessary to have exact change but try to stick with the lower denominations. Line number 1 goes between the airport 3 km south of the city, and the zoo in Biet Ghiorghis 2 Km east of the city on the eastern escarpment where the windy road to the Red Sea begins. It passes through the main streets in downtown Asmara (Independence Avenue and Martyrs Avenue). All buslines that are number twenty something, run between the marketplace downtown and the surrounding villages. There are only a few a day. So leave early to be able to come home. Only the locals know the schedule (through word of mouth), if you're lucky one of them speaks English and will be very helpful. Some villages
like Embaderho and Tselot are well worth visiting for their scenery and traditional lifestyle. There also white minibus-lines running on the main streets of the city, which also run on fixed routes but without stops or signs, they usually stop at the bus stops but you still have to hail them when you see them, just like a cab, ask them where they're headed, unless the ticket-boy (called "fottorino") doesn't beat you to it by announcing it loudly,...