Alexandria Tours

Alexandria Tours explore Egypt's second largest city, a Mediterranean port with a character distinct from Cairo and the Nile valley. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, the city grew into one of the ancient world's leading centers of learning and trade, and its Greek and Roman layers still surface between the modern seafront and its older neighborhoods.

Most visitors reach Alexandria on a day trip from Cairo, a drive of around three hours along the desert road, though the city rewards a longer stay for travelers interested in its ancient and more recent history. As part of a wider Egypt itinerary, Alexandria pairs naturally with Cairo and Giza before or after time spent in the Nile valley or the Red Sea.

Ancient Alexandria

Alexander the Great founded the city in 331 BC, and under the Ptolemaic dynasty that followed his death it became a leading center of Greek learning, home to the ancient Library of Alexandria and the Pharos lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Little of that early city survives above ground, since centuries of earthquakes and rising sea levels submerged large sections of the ancient harbor, but its legacy still shapes how the city presents itself today.

Scholars associated with the ancient library, including the mathematician Euclid and the astronomer Eratosthenes, worked in the city during its height, and Alexandria remained a major seat of scholarship for several centuries before the library was lost. The Pharos lighthouse guided ships into the harbor for close to 1,600 years before earthquakes in the 14th century brought down its remains.

Top Attractions in Alexandria

Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Opened in 2002 near the site of the ancient library it honors, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a modern research library and cultural center with a distinctive sloped, disc-shaped building facing the sea. Exhibitions inside cover the history of writing, science and the ancient library itself, alongside a planetarium and several smaller museums.

Qaitbay Citadel

Built in the 15th century on the site of the ancient Pharos lighthouse, the Qaitbay Citadel used stone blocks recycled from the fallen lighthouse in its construction. The fort sits at the tip of the Eastern Harbour, and the surrounding waters still hold submerged remains of the lighthouse and other ancient structures, explored by divers and marine archaeologists.

Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa

Cut into rock beneath the city in the 2nd century AD, the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa combine Egyptian, Greek and Roman decorative styles in a single burial complex. Spiral staircases lead down through several levels of tombs, with carved figures that mix Pharaonic gods with Roman dress and Greek architectural details.

Roman Amphitheatre and the Corniche

The Kom el-Dikka Roman amphitheatre, uncovered in the 1960s, remains the only Roman theater found in Egypt, with tiered marble seating still largely intact. Along the waterfront, the Corniche stretches for several kilometers past the Eastern Harbour, the Citadel and the city's fishing fleet, offering a different pace from the more crowded historic districts inland.

Alexandria Day Trips from Cairo

Alexandria works well as a single-day excursion from Cairo, typically combining the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Qaitbay Citadel and the catacombs with lunch on the waterfront before the return drive. Travelers with more time often add Alexandria to a longer stay to see the city at a less rushed pace, particularly its 19th and early 20th century downtown architecture.

Getting to Alexandria

Trains connect Cairo and Alexandria directly, with the journey taking around two and a half to three hours through the Nile Delta. This makes Alexandria one of the more accessible day trips from the capital, alongside organized tours that handle transportation, guiding and entrance fees within a single itinerary.

Alexandria Tour Packages

Packages that include Alexandria commonly bundle the city into broader Egypt itineraries alongside Cairo, Giza and destinations further up the Nile. The Private Grand Safari And Antiquities of Egypt (10 Days) tour is one example that covers Alexandria within a longer private itinerary across the country's major archaeological sites.

Best Time to Visit Alexandria

Alexandria's Mediterranean climate makes it noticeably cooler and more humid than Cairo, with the most comfortable sightseeing conditions between March and June and again from September through November. Winter brings occasional rain and stronger winds off the sea, while summer is warm but rarely reaches the extremes felt further south in Egypt.