Planning a trip to Egypt and wondering if Alexandria should be on your itinerary? This Mediterranean city offers a unique blend of history, culture, and coastal charm. Let's delve into whether Alexandria is worth visiting and what you can expect.
Like you, I once wondered ‘is it worth visiting Alexandria?’ but quickly enough, that question turned to disappointment that I couldn’t stay longer.
It’s a tricky one - Alexandria is kind of out of the way of the traditional international tourist route in Egypt, which tends to be mostly Cairo, then Luxor or Aswan and possibly Hurghada or Sharm el Sheikh on the coast. In my honest opinion, most tourists underestimate just how much there is to see and do in Egypt, and many trips can quickly turn into a rapid fire game of ‘how many temples can we see?‘.
Obviously, that’s no fun, and you don’t want to cram more activities into an already jampacked schedule, however if you do have a little extra time, and can spare a few days for Alexandria, you’ll be rewarded well with a stunning Mediterranean city, some of the best architecture in Egypt and some hearty, delicious food.
Before visiting Egypt, strangely enough, Alexandria was well and truly on my proverbial map. As a total history nerd and classics student, I was pretty obsessed with the idea of being able to see the sites of two of the Ancient Wonders of the World in one trip (the other being, of course, the Pyramids of Giza), and I was determined to shoehorn Alexandria into our itinerary come what may.
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It turns out, however, Egypt is actually really, really big, and it’s stuffed full of things to see and do, so even though we thought we had left ourselves a lot of time with a month to spare, we still ended up in a bit of a rat race at times, trying to make sure we saw everything we wanted to see. Of everywhere we had read about, Alexandria seemed to get the fewest rave reviews, so we started to question whether we should just cut it out and see more of the ‘big hitters’, so to speak.
Honestly, I am SO pleased we made the time and can’t believe we nearly missed it out.
About Alexandria
Alexandria is not a flashy, in-your-face city, like Cairo or Luxor. It’s reserved, neat, tidy, and even quiet. It’s not packed with monuments to see and explore, there aren’t tour guides on every corner offering to sell you a camel ride to a different city every day, the culture isn’t loud and ostentatious there, it’s understated and sits beneath the surface of the city.
Actually, culturally, Alexandria is quite a conservative city. Since it doesn’t receive as many tourists as Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and so on, the city really bends to accommodate tourists a lot less. Here, Muslim dress is observed quite strictly and if you’re going during Ramadan? You should prepare for lunch times, otherwise you might go hungry! This was actually the only place in Egypt where we struggled to find food to eat during the day time in Ramadan.
Perhaps what is most impressive about Alexandria is the architecture. Here, Greco-Roman ruins simply lie stretched out in the middle of the city, and everywhere you turn you’ll see the impressive and imposing Qaitbay Citadel.
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Where is Alexandria?
Alexandria is a port city around 3 hours North West of Cairo. It’s located on the Mediterranean Sea at the western edge of the Nile Delta. Surprisingly, it’s one of Egypt’s largest cities, its main seaport, and a major industrial centre, though to be honest, when you are there, it really doesn’t feel that way! Perhaps it’s the fact that there just isn’t anywhere near as much hustle and bustle, or the calm, expansive corniche, but Alexandria feels like a much smaller city to me than any of the others we visited in Egypt.
Despite being one of Egypt’s largest cities, Alexandria maintains a unique atmosphere, distinct from the bustling chaos of Cairo or the tourist-centric environments of Luxor and Aswan.
How to get to Alexandria
Traveling by train is the quickest and most straightforward way to travel to Alexandria, and it is almost as cheap as taking a public bus (costing about USD $8 for a first class, air-conditioned ticket). The trains to Alexandria are fast, reliable, comfortable, and clean. Plus, you get a great view of the Nile Delta countryside as you go.
Taking the train from Cairo to Alexandria
In case the train is sold out for the time you want (which happens), you can always take a public bus. Just listen for the bus drivers yelling “ISS-SKAN-DREY-UH!” (Alexandria in Arabic) outside the gate of Ramses Train Station, and go up to one of them. Ask how much in Arabic “bee-kam?” and hand over your luggage. A bus from the train station shouldn’t cost more than $5-10 USD one way, there are no tickets, and you pay your fare at the end. Something to note: these buses wait to move until they are full, which during a busy time can take minutes, but at a quieter time could take a half hour or more.
There are also larger bus companies that go to Alexandria, like Go Bus, and you can buy tickets in advance online or in-person. The bus station is located right next to the Ramses Hilton Hotel in downtown Cairo.
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Finally, there is an airport in Alexandria, but flights are expensive, the taxi ride from the airport to the city center is expensive, and the distance between the airport and city center is so long that the entire trip, from airport to airport to city center, takes just as long as simply taking the train. Trust me, I’ve tried it. Never again!
How to get around Alexandria
One of the beautiful things about Alex is that the city is super navigable-everything is either up or down the corniche that winds along the coast of the Mediterranean.
- Microbus: Microbuses are constantly running along the corniche. Simply get on the side of the road that matches the direction you want to travel in, and when a microbus approaches, wave your hand in the direction you want to go. The microbus will stop if there is space inside, and you can hop on and pay your fare (usually between 3-6 Egyptian Pounds) after getting settled.
- Uber: Uber runs in Alexandria just like it does in Cairo, although the GPS directions are spottier and the drivers seem to be less experienced. Still, Uber is the best way to get a ride right now without needing to worry about bargaining, and with the minimum chance for harassment (especially for solo female travelers). You can even pay by credit card, eliminating the need for cash (and change).
- Taxi: Taxis in Alexandria are much older than their Cairo counterparts, and are painted black and yellow instead of the ubiquitous Cairo white. Taxi drivers in Alex seem to never use the meter and can be difficult to bargain with, but they still will get you where you need to go.
- Streetcar: This is the last option we listed, because it is the slowest and does not make sense to take in order to get from point A to point B, but can be a nostalgic way to take in the city.
Things to do in Alexandria
Like pretty much every city in Egypt, Alexandria has a wealth of interesting historical and cultural things to do. Since I was only there for a few days, I can’t claim to know all of them, however I’ll share the best ones we did, and also some others that I wish we had been able to make more time for.
Fort Qaitbay
All of the official guides seem to list the Bibliotheca (the Library) as the number 1 thing to do and, given the history, I can understand why, but surely the most impressive site in Alexandria to me was Fort Qaitbay.
An Islamic Fortress, built on the site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria (which, by the way, was that Ancient Wonder of the World I was talking about earlier), you can see Fort Qaitbay (also know as the Qaitbay Citadel) from everywhere you stand on the Corniche in Alexandria and it is seriously cool. Though, if you think it’s looking impressive from afar, wait until you get inside. It was built in the 15th Century CE (which is around 880 in the Islamic Hijri Calendar) and holds a very strategic defence position in the city. We spent around 2 hours inside, and I think we could easily have taken our time and spent longer.
💡 Pro tip: end your visit here at sunset, for some of the best views out to the Mediterranean sea.
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Call me bonkers, but I didn’t get the appeal of this one! The modern Library of Alexandria (the Bibliotheca) stands (maybe obviously to the history nerds) as a monument to the great Library that was built down by Julius Caesar in 48 BCE in an attempt to escape Ptolemaic forces (who were pursuing Cleopatra).
That’s well and good but this modern day library didn’t fill me with the same interest as an ancient wonder might have done! It was inaugurated in 2002 as a modern reimagining of the old library and honestly, it is beautiful and no doubt a great replica. There are four museums inside, as well as innumerable rare manuscripts and artworks. It’s definitely an interesting place, so if you have time, go and see it by all means, but I think perhaps my expectations were too high.
Alexandria National Museum
Just down the road from the Greco-Roman museum (which sadly we did not have time to visit), the Alexandria National Museum is pretty cool! We loved the first few floors, which were very easy to understand and follow, particularly the gory Pharaonic section, which has an impressive selection of sarcophagi, statues and canopic jars, among other things.
The top section, while still interesting and with some impressive pieces, is a little harder to follow, just because the timeline dots around a bit. We visited a lot of museums in Egypt and this is one that stands out still, so I would recommend a visit.
Kom el-Dikka
I love a Roman Amphitheatre and Kom el-Dikka is no exception. It feels really odd to see it right in the middle of town (albeit behind high walls), since the amphitheatre is part of a large town complex within Alexandria that was uncovered in the 1950s. It’s a beautiful site and very interesting, though there isn’t much by way of information, so it is worth taking a local guide if you have an interest in the history.
The Corniche
Alexandria’s Corniche is a lovely way to unwind after a long day. The breeze is fresh, the sea calming and the views of Fort Qaitbay at the end pretty impressive. There are lots of places to eat along the Corniche too, though they do tend to be more tourist-centric than other places in Alexandria - this was a good failsafe for us during Ramadan!
Other things to do in Alexandria
Time was brief as mentioned, so we sadly didn’t have the opportunity to do everything we wanted to do in Alexandria. Our guide in Cairo recommended us a lot of different things including:
- The Graeco-Roman Museum - this is newly reopened and apparently quite small but very interesting!
- The Catacombs of Kom el-Shuqafa - we were told these are 100% better explored with a guide. They are underground tombs with some very interesting wall engravings. This is one I’d definitely want to see next time! If you do take a tour, be sure to tip, as tipping is a very important and ingrained part of Egyptian culture.
- The Serapeum and Pompey’s Pillar - this is a temple dedicated to the god Seraphis. It is completely in ruins now, but there is a sphinx nearby and a granite column. I’m pretty sure we actually passed this one, but didn’t have chance to check it out properly!
- St Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral - where St Mark himself is said to be buried! We did pass by again, but didn’t have chance to look inside.
- Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi mosque - this mosque is so pretty outside so I can only imagine how gorgeous it would be inside! It’s very important to dress appropriately when entering a mosque (modest clothing, covering shoulders and knees, and remove your shoes) and behave with respect.
How long should you spend in Alexandria?
Like any city, you can get more out of Alexandria the longer you stay. Once you’ve seen the main sights, there’s still plenty of interesting culture to experience and get to understand, plenty of great food to try and people to meet! That being said, if you are short on time in Egypt, then you can make Alexandria a shorter visit than most other cities in Egypt, which usually require longer being that there is SO much to see.
If you have the time, I would probably recommend to spend 3 days, but if you are pressed for time and need to get on with your trip, 2 would work as well to give you a good taste of the city.
On a two day itinerary, you could probably fit in most of the things I have mentioned above in the ‘things to do’ section, though possibly might need to cut out one of the museums! I definitely recommend to get to Fort Qaitbay around sunset if you can, as this is spectacular.
Can you take a day trip to Alexandria?
While you absolutely can take a day trip to Alexandria (and there are plenty of tours that offer this), I would highly recommend to spend a bit more time if you can, at least 1 night. Alexandria has a lot to offer and doesn’t benefit as much from tourist income as many other cities in Egypt do. Visiting on a day trip doesn’t tend to give the same money back to the local economy, as you’re not spending on accommodation and often pass through much more quickly.
Where to stay in Alexandria
We stayed at the Borg El Thaghr Hotel, which is a locally-owned and managed hotel very close to the Corniche. It is pretty basic with nice views, and is good for a mid-range or semi-budget stay. We really liked it, but it definitely was not high end luxury! If that doesn’t take your fancy, take a look at what’s available below.
All of these hotels are about the same price (at the time of writing between USD $60-120 per night depending on the season) and all offer impeccable views of the sea and clean and comfortable rooms.
In all cases, when given the option, pay the extra money to have a seaside-view room. It’s worth it.
- Le Metropole: Run by the same company as the Windsor Palace, Le Metropole is the most budget-friendly option of the three hotels here. It has many rooms with a seaside view, has a terrace restaurant/bar overlooking the Mediterranean, and has the lovely cafes Trianon and Delices (both are discussed below and are great for coffees, pastries, and desserts) around the corner on the ground floor. Watch out for lines at the elevator-it’s historic but it’s also tiny, and often times there will be a queue several minutes long just to get up to your room.
- WIndsor Palace: Run by the same company as Le Metropole, the Windsor Palace is a bit more expensive and has slightly larger rooms, a more opulent lobby, multiple elevators (much less of a wait!), a gorgeous terrace bar and restaurant, and a nightclub on the top floor that is popular on weekend evenings.
- Steigenberger Cecil: The Steigenberger Cecil is the most beautiful hotel in the old city center of Alexandria, and it sits diagonally from Le Metropole, the winding corniche road the only thing separating it from the sea. The Steigenberger has a similar feel, price point, and amenities to the Windsor Palace.
Alexandria does have other more recognizable hotel brands, like Hilton, Sheraton, and Four Seasons, but these are all further away from the historic heart of the city. The Four Seasons has a gorgeous, meticulously maintained private beach, but otherwise these hotels are fairly unremarkable.
Top tips for visiting Alexandria
There are some things to bear in mind when visiting Alexandria that are a little different from the rest of Egypt, here are some things to be aware of.
- Taxis: Alexandria has Uber drivers now like most of the rest of Egypt, however it is much more common for drivers to be part of an app called Careem. This is a local taxi app where you can pay in cash. Uber scams are pretty rampant in other cities in Egypt, mainly because the drivers prefer to receive money in cash, so I would spare yourself the headache and use Careem instead. Note: if you do pay in cash, you need to let the app know, otherwise it will continually remind you that you owe it money for the rest of time.
- Religion: being less visited by international tourists than many other cities in Egypt, Alexandria remains quite conservative and most residents are orthodox Muslims. In other words, it is more important than ever to wear conservative clothing (particularly in mosques) out and about and be respectful of Islamic culture.
- Ramadan: in Ramadan, this is especially important. You will likely struggle to get food to eat during the day (we did!) and it is frowned upon to eat, drink and smoke in public in between the hours of sunrise and sunset.
In my honest opinion, this depends on the time you have available during your trip. If you are staying in Egypt for 2 weeks or more, I would definitely try to fit in a visit to Alexandria, as you will see a completely different side of the country. However if you are staying around 10 days or less, then I would prioritise other places.
Alexandria is a wonderful place to explore Egypt’s rich and varied history, and you can find out a lot about the country’s past, so it will be especially interesting to history and culture enthusiasts. After our visit, we were really happy to have visited and wished we’d had even longer to stay.
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