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 can be hailed 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.

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

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: (021) 333 4091), based at the Al-Mehari Hotel, Sharia al-Fath and Al-Mansoura, Funduq Qasr Libya, Sharia Sidi Issa (tel: (021) 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.

Very few Libyans get around by bicycle and there are no places in town to rent one.