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Destination: <span>Alexandria</span>
HomeDestination: <span>Alexandria</span>

Destination: Alexandria

Egypt on the Mediterranean — a Greco-Roman city with catacombs, a fort built on the site of the lighthouse, and a modern library named for the lost one.

17 toursPrivate toursLicensed local operator
Downtown Walk in AlexandriaAlexandria
8 hoursPrivate Tour

Downtown Walk in Alexandria

1 stopPick-up from your stayLunch includedEvery day
From / person$45
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Overday Alexandria TourAlexandria
12 hoursPrivate Tour

Overday Alexandria Tour

2 stopsPick-up from your stayLunch includedEvery day
From / person$60
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About this destination

What you will find in Alexandria

Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC and spent the next thousand years as the intellectual centre of the Mediterranean. What survives is layered rather than monumental: the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, cut three levels into the rock and mixing Egyptian, Greek and Roman funerary art; Pompey's Pillar on the site of the Serapeum; and the Roman theatre at Kom el-Dikka.

On the waterfront, the Citadel of Qaitbay stands on the foundations of the Pharos lighthouse, one of the seven wonders, which came down in a series of earthquakes — blocks from it are visible in the citadel walls. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, opened in 2002, is a deliberate echo of the ancient library. The Corniche runs the length of the bay between them.

Alexandria is about three hours from Cairo by road and is usually done as a long day trip, leaving early and returning in the evening. Travellers who stay overnight get the city at its best — the seafront after dark, and the fish restaurants that are the other reason people come.

Good to know

Alexandria, explained

Alexandria is Egypt's second city and its main port, built along a Mediterranean bay rather than the Nile. Its ancient monuments were largely lost to earthquakes and rebuilding, so what remains is concentrated in a handful of sites close together: the catacombs, Pompey's Pillar, the Roman theatre and the Citadel of Qaitbay.

The drive from Cairo takes about three hours each way on the desert road, which makes a day trip long but workable — most itineraries cover the catacombs, the pillar, the citadel and the library, with lunch on the seafront. Staying a night turns it into a different trip, with time for the Corniche, the Montazah gardens and the Greco-Roman neighbourhoods.

Alexandria is noticeably cooler and wetter than the rest of Egypt, and it is the one place in the country where winter brings real rain.

FAQ

Your questions

Yes, and most people do. The drive is about three hours each way, so expect twelve hours door to door, covering the catacombs, Pompey's Pillar, the Citadel of Qaitbay and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina with lunch by the sea.
Not standing. It collapsed in earthquakes between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries and its stone was reused to build the Citadel of Qaitbay on the same spot. Blocks from the lighthouse are visible in the citadel walls, and more lie underwater in the harbour.
A modern library and cultural centre opened in 2002 near the site of the ancient one, with a reading room under a tilted glass roof and several small museums inside. It is a working library rather than a ruin.
If you have the days. One night turns a rushed twelve-hour round trip into a relaxed two days and gives you the seafront in the evening, which is when the city is at its best.
Milder than the rest of Egypt year-round, with sea breeze in summer and genuine rain between December and February. It is the coolest place in the country to visit in July and August.
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