How would you like to wake up to this view? Alexandria is not only my favorite city in Egypt, but also my favorite city in the whole world. I love the sea, the fresh seafood, the tenacity of Alexandrians, the faded grandeur (and current grandeur) of the architecture and ancient Graeco-Roman sites, and the bustle of the markets. Alexandria is a fascinating destination with layers of history. So where do you begin your visit?
Founded by Alexander the Great, this seaside city was once a center of learning and the seat of Cleopatra’s reign. It also housed the Lighthouse of Alexandria, an architectural marvel that’s one of the lost wonders of the ancient world. Alexandria is now the second largest city in Egypt (after Cairo). And it’s a dizzying blend of stately palaces, medieval citadels and charming museums. Let’s get inspired for your future trip to the jewel of the Mediterranean!
I recommend at least one night in Alexandria to enjoy the nightlife and see the city in the evening, but Alex can also be taken in on just a day trip, as long as you leave Cairo on the early morning train (around 6am) and take an evening train (around 6pm) from Alex back to Cairo. If you have more time, you can easily spend up to three nights in Alex and feel like you have enough to take in to make the time worthwhile.
Alexandria has a strange high and low season: it can be dead in the winter and spring (October-April) when temperatures are low for Egypt (but nowhere near the temperatures we have in many parts of the US), it rains more frequently, and the rest of Egypt is bustling. Then, in the summertime (May-September), Alexandria gets hit with throngs of Cairenes and other Egyptians escaping to the sea to avoid brutal heat waves. Both seasons are enjoyable times to visit Alexandria, and even with the extra hustle and bustle, the city still does not compare to the chaos of Cairo, the hassle of Luxor, and the artificiality of Hurghada or Sharm el Sheikh.
Just note that hotel prices and availability will be less ideal in the summer, and if you want to avoid crowds, the winter is a much safer bet.
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Getting There and Around
Visiting Alexandria The train from Cairo to Alexandria is super comfortable and only takes a couple of hours (though you’ll need to get a special foreigners ticket at the station in advance). 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.
Alexandria Tram
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.
A note for solo female travelers: you may be more comfortable taking the train or using a bus company like Go Bus (discussed below). 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.
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!
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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.
This is my ultimate guide to the best things to do in Alexandria - from the major sites to must-see treasures off the beaten path!
Must-See Attractions in Alexandria
1. Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Video presentation of Bibliotheca Alexandrina
This ultra-modern library with its sun disc facade is a re-imagining of Alexandria’s famous ancient library. Built near the site of the ancient library, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a cylindrical mammoth on the corniche that holds up to 1.8 million volumes. It contains one of the modern world's most ambitious libraries and a host of museums exploring Alexandria's history and heritage. Its architecture is centered around a giant sun disk, which presides over the waterfront Corniche.
It has a massive reading room and a host of fascinating exhibits to stroll through downstairs, including the Manuscript Museum with its collection of ancient scrolls and texts. There’s also an Antiquities Museum that holds a collection of Graeco-Roman statues found underwater at Alexandria’s harbor. And don’t miss the Science Museum and Planetarium for children.
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a bucket-list destination for any bookworm - from its quirky book-shaped benches to its rotating art exhibits and curiosities.
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2. Fort Qaitbey
This sparkling fortress on the Mediterranean was built in the 1480s by Sultan Qaitbey to protect the city from Crusaders. Fort Qaitbey boasts beautiful architectural details and sweeping views of the deep blue sea just beyond dotted with fishing boats. It was built on the site of the famous Pharos Lighthouse, one of the lost wonders of the ancient world that was destroyed by a tragic earthquake in 1303. Some stones recovered from the lighthouse wreckage were used to build this medieval wonder.
Walk the long shorefront Corniche road of the Eastern Harbor heading west, and you'll finally arrive at Fort Qaitbey. It may be a poor substitute for what was once the site of the mighty Pharos Lighthouse-one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, which was toppled by a violent earthquake in 1303-but this squat fort has been standing guard over Alexandria since 1480.
Climb up to the roof for some of the best views in the city, especially dazzling a sunset (the fort closes at 7pm).
Citadel of Qaitbay
3. The Corniche
No visit to Alexandria is complete without a stroll down this 3-kilometer walkway lined with lively cafes, upscale restaurants and historic hotels. Strolling the Corniche, particularly the section between the main shorefront square of Midan Saad Zaghloul to Fort Qaitbey on the Eastern Harbor's western tip, gives you a real feel for the era of cosmopolitan elegance and decadence that marked this city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Cross the busy roadway to grab a seat on the concrete blocks along the water for sweeping views of the sea - even the fort of Qaitey is visible at some points. Watch the fishermen reeling in their catch or strike up a conversation with a local - Alexandrians are always curious to meet visitors. Grab some street food from the circling vendors (like chickpeas) or enjoy lunch at one of the historic cafes across the street. You’ll spot historic landmarks like the Windsor Palace Hotel and other grand buildings that testify to Alexandria’s cosmopolitan past.
Much of the architecture from this era still stands along the Corniche, though these days, much of it is heavily dilapidated and falling into disrepair. These were once the grandest addresses in town, and both are featured in Lawrence Durrell's classic Alexandria Quartet novels that are set in the city. The Cecil, in its hey-day, is also famous for playing host to mystery author Agatha Christie, the British Secret Service and Winston Churchill during WWII, and Egypt's beloved singer Umm Khalthoum.
My favorite stretch of the corniche is alongside the Steigenberger Cecil Hotel, a vintage gem that hosted legends like Agatha Christie and Winston Churchill.
4. Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
These 2nd-century underground tombs are a dazzling fusion of Ancient Egyptian and Greco-Roman styles. Kom El Shoqafa, which literally translates to The Mount of Shards, is significantly old. Like, 2nd century ancient.
Full of burial chambers and a chapel down a spiral staircase, these ancient catacombs weren’t discovered until 1900 when a donkey accidentally fell straight into them. The catacombs were used to bury the dead - three sarcophagi have been found to date along with human and animal remains. There’s even a hall that contains tombs for the horses of Roman Emperor Caracalla.
There’s also a banquet hall where visitors to the tombs would eat and drink. They would break their dishes after the meal because they didn’t want to take them back home from a place of death.
Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
5. Montaza Palace and Gardens
This splendid 19th-century palace overlooking the sea was once the summer residence of Egyptian royalty. Today Montaza Palace is famous for its gardens with their avenues of palms, miniature palaces, pavilions and manicured flower beds. The Salamlek Palace was first built in 1892 as a hunting lodge for the royal family. The larger Haramlek Palace and gardens were later added in a beautiful mix of Ottoman and Florentine styles.
An oasis of calm on the city's eastern edge, Montazah is a lush haven of tall palm trees, trimmed lawns, and blossoming flowers that was once off-limits to all but the royal court and their hangers-on. Built as a hunting lodge in the 1890s by Khedive Abbas Hilmi, it was later extended substantially by King Fuad and replaced Ras el-Tin Palace as the royal family's summer house.
The 350-acre gardens are well worth a visit for their sea views and restaurants. And there’s also the beautiful Helnan Royal hotel right on the grounds overlooking the sea. It was built in 1964 to house dignitaries during the second-ever Arab League Summit.
6. Royal Jewelry Museum
The Royal Jewelry Museum boats an impressive collection of more than 11,000 pieces of royal jewelry, coins, clocks and portraits of Egypt’s royal family. It’s housed inside the Fatma Al-Zahra Palace, an architectural gem known for its blend of European and Islamic styles. The palace was completed in 1923 and served as a residence for the princess. It’s filled with paintings, gilded ceilings and ostentatious pieces like gold chessboards and jewelry commissioned by European designers.
The princess’s property was confiscated after the 1952 Egyptian Revolution. And it was turned into a public museum in 1986.
7. Alexandria National Museum
Alexandria's National Museum is a must-stop if you want to get to grips with the vast history of this famed city. Inside, the collection guides you from the Pharaonic era (in the basement), to the Hellenistic heyday, when Alexandria and Egypt were governed by the Ptolemy dynasty begun by Alexander the Great (on the ground floor), and up to the Byzantine and Islamic periods (on the 1st floor).
The ground floor's exhibits of statuary and artifacts from the underwater archaeological explorations of the sunken port city of Heracleion-Thonis in Aboukir Bay are the museum's major highlight. The first floor has (relatively) more recent pieces from the Coptic and Islamic periods. And don’t miss the fascinating exhibit of artifacts from the underwater excavations of the sunken city of Heracleion-Thonis, which includes a statue of Alexander the Great.
8. Pompey’s Pillar
This imposing 25-meter red granite pillar was raised as a tribute to Emperor Diocletian - and it’s truly awe-inspiring to see in real life. The pillar sits atop the ruins of the Temple of Serapis (or the Serapeion), which once honored the Greco-Egyptian deity of the sun. The temple was also used to store surplus manuscripts from the ancient Library of Alexandria. And you can still see those underground chambers today.
In Carmous, near the Catacombs of Kom el-Shuqqafa, is a hill littered with the remains of ancient walls, architectural fragments, and rubble on which Alexandria's only fully intact ancient monument is left standing. Pompey's Pillar rises from the ruins of the ancient and famous Serapeion (Temple of Serapis), which was once used to store the overflow of manuscripts from the Great Library of Alexandria. Underneath, there is not much to see of the badly ruined Serapeion, but you can clamber down some staircases into a substructure of chambers.
Pompey's Pillar
Though actually the pillar has nothing to do with Pompey! It honors Diocletian, a heroic figure who fed a starving population during a siege of Alexandria.
9. Abu Al Abbas Al Mursi Mosque
Abu Al Abbas Al Mursi is the oldest and most historic mosque in Alexandria built over the tomb of a 13th-century Sufi saint. Abu Al Abbas Al Mursi was an Andalusian sheikh who spent much of his life in Alexandria. His tomb later became a popular pilgrimage spot for Muslims heading to Mecca.
One of Alexandria's major landmarks, the Abu Abbas al-Mursi Mosque was built in 1796 over the tomb of the 13th-century Sufi holy man Abu Abbas al-Mursi. Originally from Murcia (in Spain's Andalusia region), Abu Abbas became a highly esteemed religious leader in Alexandria, and his teachings are still revered in Egypt. The mammoth cream-colored mosque that holds his name is a major pilgrimage site. For non-religious visitors, the mosque's exquisite facade of swirling Islamic calligraphy designs and motifs is the major draw-card.
A mosque was built over the shrine in 1307 and the complex was expanded over the centuries. It was finally completed in the 1940s with renovations by a pair of Italian architects. The shrine to the Sufi mystic still attracts devotees. This mosque stands in a large square just off the corniche, not far from the Qaitbay Citadel. It’s an easy sightseeing stop on your way to the citadel.
10. Stanley Bridge
Take a stroll across this Alexandrian landmark for some fresh air and gorgeous views. Stanley Bridge is 400 meters long with pairs of Italian Florentine towers at each end. It was built to ease Alexandria’s traffic congestion - and it’s now a popular local destination for evening walks and photo ops. And because it’s Egypt, you’ll find lots of street food, snacks and cafes in the area.
11. Cleopatra’s Palace
Cleopatra’s Palace is an incredible diving site where you can explore the ruins of an ancient underwater city. Book a scuba diving tour to explore the toppled columns and statues submerged underwater in what’s thought to be Cleopatra’s former residence.
Unlike diving in the Red Sea, dives in Alexandria are not about colorful coral reefs and fish life. Instead, dive sites in the Eastern Harbor area are all about ancient underwater ruins. For divers, Alexandria provides a unique opportunity to dive amid the toppled statues and columns of the ancient city. Be aware that underwater visibility is low when diving in Alexandria.
This once glorious palace met a tragic end when an enormous earthquake struck the city. It’s now filled with toppled columns, sunken sphinxes and underwater statues. It’s a surreal experience to explore these ancient underwater relics suspended just under the surface.
Alexandria for Foodies
12. Alexandria’s Seafood
Alexandria is famous for its fresh seafood - and for rich and spicy dishes that are part of the local cuisine. But this coastal city is best known for its juicy seafood - made piping hot with the daily catch from the morning fish market. Dine at one of the city’s upscale waterfront restaurants on the harbor for heaping plates of shrimp and barbouni (red mullet) with a view.
Or head to the working-class district of Anfushi for lively coffee houses and street food like grilled fish wrapped in the local baladi flatbread. I recommend the White and Blue Restaurant at the Greek Nautical Club (just a short walk from Fort Qaitbey) for its sweeping Mediterranean views and juicy sea bass.
13. Mamoura Beach
Mamoura Beach is a great central private beach where you can lounge in the soft sand with a cold drink. The beach is equipped with chairs and umbrellas, showers, restrooms and chancing cubicles that make it an easy choice in the center of town. Mamoura is one of the cleanest and nicest beaches in Alexandria - and the sand is much softer than other rockier beaches. It’s a great spot to take a breather from sightseeing and get a drink from a nearby cafe.
Other Attractions
- Ras el-Tin Palace: Sumptuous Ras el-Tin Palace was once a summer escape for Egypt's sultans when the desert heat of Cairo got too much to bear. It's also the famed location where King Farouk-Egypt's last king-officially abdicated in 1952 before sailing out of Alexandria's harbor and into exile in Italy.
- Alexandria's Main Souq: Alexandria's main souq (market) stretches through the back streets, heading west from Midan Tahrir in the central city. You'll find everything from fresh produce to silver trinkets by poking about in this district. To be fair, there isn't much on sale to interest tourists; this is a real-deal local souq, and it's a place to visit more to capture an essence of Alexandrian life than to shop. The entire souq area is a squiggle of lanes that flow off from each other, with each alley specializing in different products.
- Cavafy Museum: One of Alexandria's most famous sons, Constantine Cavafy (1863-1933), was a Greek Alexandrian poet who found fame and recognition for his writing after his death. His apartment, on what is now Sharm el-Sheikh Street, is a tribute to his life and a major attraction for anyone on an Alexandrian literary pilgrimage.
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