Currency - Business hours - Transportation - Internet - Basic conversation guide - Langages spoken

The Libyan currency is the Libyan Dinar (LYD). The rate of exchange is established using a basket of SDR currencies with a fluctuation margin of 25%.

Automatic Teller Machines (ATM)
To find out the locations of ATMs in Libya , click on the link to your credit card: Visa, Mastercard or American Express

Business hours

The banks are open from Sunday to Wednesday from 8.00 to 13.00 then from 16.00 to 18.30.

Transportation

Road
The road network is of good overall quality but the roads are often covered with sand. Moreover, the road signs are only written in Arabic and there are not many of them outside Tripoli. There are two main ways of getting around:
- taxis, but they do not all have meters. You should therefore remember to negotiate the price of the journey beforehand. Generally, a journey in town does not exceed 4 LYD, a journey between towns does not exceed 10 LYD, and the fixed rate for a day does not exceed 100 LYD.
- Car hire: this comes to 80 LYD a day. You must have an international driving licence.
Driving is on the right side of the road.

Rail
No railway system has functioned since 1965 and the old infrastructure has since been dismantled (the government has recently announced its intention to put in place a new railway network with Chinese help). It is planned to create more than 3 000 kms of rail links between the main towns.

Air
The country has eight airports reserved for internal flights: Misurata, Syrte, El Bréga, Tobruk, Ghadamès, Ghat, El Kufra and Houn. Libyan Airlines has a monopoly on internal flights. The tariffs are not prohibitive: a return flight from Tripoli to Benghazi comes to 56 LYD or about 35 euros against 800 LYD or 500 euros by taxi. The disadvantage is the flexibility of the timetables.

Internet

The Internet suffix is: .ly

Basic conversation guide

Yes = na'am
No = laa
Please = Min Fadilak
Thank you = shokran
Excuse me = Ann Eazinak
Hello = Ahalan
Goodbye = Ma'a ElSalama
I don't understand = Ana laa Afham
What is the price? How much is that? = Bikam?
I would like to buy ... = O'reed ann ashtary
Do you accept credit cards? = Hal takibal bitakit el aitiman?
Where is ...? = Ain ...?
an airport = Matar
the station = Mahatit Al kitar
The Post Office = Markaz Barid
the bank = bank
the police station = Kissam Shorta
the pharmacy = Sidali'ia
A ticket for ..., please. = tathkara wahida min fadlik ..
Do you have any rooms available for tonight? = Hal togad Koraf Fadia Al Laila?.

Arabic is the official language. English is a language widely used by the senior administration and in business. Most Libyans have some knowledge of it.