Alexandria Day Trip from Cairo Minimum 2 People
Leave Cairo’s rush for the Mediterranean breeze. In Alexandria, the city of Alexander the Great and Cleopatra, you descend into the catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, stand beside Pompey’s Pillar and the Roman amphitheatre, visit the modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina and walk the seafront to the Qaitbay Citadel, built where the famous lighthouse once stood. Fresh fish for lunch is almost compulsory.
About the places you'll visit
The story behind each stop, so you arrive knowing what you're looking at.
Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa2nd century AD45 minutes
Underground tombs on three levels that mix Egyptian, Greek and Roman art. They were found in 1900 when a donkey fell through the ground.
- Egyptian gods dressed as Roman soldiers
- A spiral staircase leads down the shaft
Pompey’s PillarAD 29730 minutes
A red granite column about 27 m high, raised for the Roman emperor Diocletian on the site of the Serapeum temple.
- Despite its name, it has nothing to do with Pompey
Roman Amphitheatre (Kom el-Dikka)Roman45 minutes
The only Roman theatre found in Egypt, with marble seats and the remains of baths and lecture halls around it.
- About 800 seats
- Found by chance in the 1960s
Citadel of Qaitbay14771 hour
A fortress on the tip of the harbour, built on the site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Stones from the fallen lighthouse were used to build it.
- The lighthouse stood for about 1,500 years before earthquakes destroyed it
- Great views of the Mediterranean and the Corniche
Bibliotheca AlexandrinaOpened 20021–1.5 hours
A modern library built near the site of the ancient Library of Alexandria, the greatest library of the ancient world.
- Its roof is a giant tilted disc facing the sea
- The walls are carved with letters from scripts of the whole world
- Museums inside: antiquities, manuscripts and science
Montaza Palace & gardens1892 & 19321 hour
The summer palace of Egypt’s royal family, surrounded by large gardens and private beaches.
- The palace itself is closed; the gardens are open
Included
- A/C transport
- guide
- lunch. Bibliotheca Alexandrina
- Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
- Pompey's Pillar
- Roman Amphitheatre
- Qaitbay Citadel (outside)
- Montaza gardens
Not included
- Qaitbay Citadel entry (often extra)
- tips