Mediterranean Coast
Alexandria
Skip the rushed day trip and overnight on the corniche, so the catacombs, Qaitbay and the modern Bibliotheca aren't a race against the last train back to Cairo.
Best length
1 night (or a long day trip from Cairo)
Getting there
Train from Cairo Ramses, ~2.5h on fast services
Arrival station
Sidi Gaber for the corniche/Roushdy; Misr (main) for the centre
Airport
Borg El Arab (HBE), ~50km west — mostly domestic, not the usual arrival
In short
Alexandria at a glance
Alexandria is the Mediterranean counterweight to Cairo: a faded, sea-breezy port with Greco-Roman ruins, a long corniche and the strikingly modern Bibliotheca. Most people do it as a long day trip by train (about 2.5 hours each way from Cairo Ramses), and that works, but it leaves you racing the catacombs, Qaitbay and the library against the last train home. Stay one night near the corniche or in Roushdy and the city loosens up: fish lunches by the harbour, a slower afternoon at the catacombs, and a sunset walk to the Qaitbay fort where the ancient lighthouse once stood. Skip Borg El Arab airport unless you're flying domestically; the train is the sensible arrival.
The short version
- Come by train from Cairo Ramses: the fast services take about 2.5 hours, run all day, and beat the 3-hour-plus road slog.
- Get off at Sidi Gaber, not the main Misr station, if your hotel is in the Roushdy, Stanley or San Stefano stretch.
- An overnight beats a day trip: the catacombs, Pompey's Pillar, Kom el-Dikka and the Bibliotheca don't fit one rushed afternoon.
- Stay on the corniche or in Roushdy for walkable sights and seafood; San Stefano is the upscale beach end.
- Sites are card-only now and individually cheap (£1-£3.50 each), but bring small notes for taxis and tipping.
- Spring and autumn are the sweet spot: Alexandria's Med climate is noticeably milder than Cairo or Luxor.
Alexandria is the city Egypt’s culture circuit usually skips, and that’s both its appeal and its catch. Founded by Alexander the Great and once home to the ancient library and the Pharos lighthouse, it’s now a faded, salt-streaked Mediterranean port — long on atmosphere, short on intact wonders. The famous library burned centuries ago and the lighthouse is rubble inside the Qaitbay fort, so come for the layered Greco-Roman traces and the sea-breeze change of pace from Cairo, not for a single headline ruin. The catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, the only Roman amphitheatre in Egypt, and the strikingly modern Bibliotheca are the real draws, strung along a corniche that’s best walked at dusk.
The big planning call is day trip versus overnight. The fast train from Cairo Ramses gets you here in about two and a half hours, runs all day, and makes a one-day visit genuinely possible — but the sights are spread across the city, and a day trip means racing the catacombs and Qaitbay against the last train home. One night near the corniche or in Roushdy fixes that: a slow fish lunch by the harbour, the central cluster on foot, and the eastern sites the next morning. Below, the structured planning — where to stay, what each site costs in pounds, how to arrive, and a realistic budget — picks up from here.
Keep a first trip focused: book the big timed sights, then leave room for neighbourhoods and food.
Top things to do in Alexandria
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Buy the inclusive ticket, not the cheap one. The 150 EGP non-Egyptian Main Library ticket gets you the reading room; the ~300 EGP inclusive ticket adds the Antiquities and Manuscripts museums in the same building, which are the most rewarding part of a visit. Take the free guided tour (run roughly every 45 minutes in several languages) — without it the colossal reading room is just a beautiful space you'll walk through in ten minutes. Set expectations first: this is Norway-designed architecture from 2002 on the site of the ancient library, not the ancient library itself, which burned and vanished two thousand years ago. Allow about 1 to 1.5 hours, and check the day before you go — it shuts on Egyptian public holidays and keeps short Friday and Saturday hours.
Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa
Of everything in Alexandria, the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa are the sight to make time for. A spiral shaft drops you into a three-level Roman-era necropolis where Egyptian, Greek and Roman carving collide in a single tomb — Anubis in Roman armour, classical columns over pharaonic figures. Foreigner entry runs around £3.50. It stays cool underground and is rarely crowded, so it's an easy, atmospheric hour even on a hot day. Photography rules and the lowest, flooded level vary, so check on arrival.
Where to stay first
The areas that make a first visit easier — not an exhaustive directory.
The Corniche (central)
££ mid-rangeThe seafront drag between the Bibliotheca and Qaitbay: sea-view hotels, walkable to most of the sights and the fish restaurants. Central and atmospheric, but the corniche traffic is loud, so ask for a higher floor.
Best for: First-timers, walkable sightseeing, sea views
Roushdy
££ mid-rangeA leafier district east of the centre with the city's better cafes and local restaurants, close to the Bibliotheca and the Sidi Gaber train station. The easiest base if you want an evening you can actually walk around.
Best for: Repeat visitors, food, a calmer base
Stanley / San Stefano
£££ premiumThe upscale beach end further east, anchored by the San Stefano development and beach clubs. Quieter and smarter, but further from the Greco-Roman sites, so you'll taxi in and out for sightseeing.
Best for: Beach-first stays, families, comfort
Sidi Gaber
£ valueThe district around the handier of the two train stations. Practical for an arrive-late or leave-early overnight, with cafes and quick taxi hops, but it's a transport-and-residential area rather than a scenic one.
Best for: Train-tied overnights, budget stays
Airport to city centre
| Option | Time | Cost | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train from Cairo Ramses (the usual arrival) | ~2.5h on fast Talgo services | about £1.50-£6 depending on class | Book a fast 1st/2nd-class service ahead via Egyptian Railways |
| Borg El Arab Airport (HBE) taxi to centre | ~50-60 min | agree about £8-£15 | Mostly domestic flights; agree the fare first |
| Borg El Arab Airport shuttle bus | ~1h to Muharram Bek station | about £1 | Drops ~5km south of the centre |
| Private transfer from Cairo Airport (CAI) | ~3-3.5h by road | from about £40-£60 per car | Only worth it if you fly into Cairo and skip Cairo entirely |
When to go
Sweet spot: Spring (March-May) and autumn (September-November) are the sweet spot: comfortable 20-28°C days, little rain, and a Mediterranean breeze that makes Alexandria noticeably milder than baking Cairo or Luxor. June to September is the busy local beach season, hot and humid but good for the corniche and a swim.
Alexandria flips the usual Egypt logic slightly: its Med climate means winter (December-February) is mild but the wettest stretch, with the occasional grey, blustery seafront day and short downpours — fine for the museums and catacombs, less so for the beach. Summer is when Egyptians flood the city for the sea, so corniche hotels are busiest and priciest then. Spring and autumn give you the best mix of warm-enough weather, lower prices and quieter sites.
What it costs
There's no point pricing UK-Alexandria flights: almost no UK travellers fly direct to Borg El Arab. You reach Alexandria from Cairo, so flight cost sits in the Egypt country budget (£250-£450 return to Cairo), and Alexandria itself is a cheap train and a night's hotel on top.
Daily budget per person
All EGP figures use £1 ≈ E£69 (June 2026). The Greco-Roman sites are now card-only, so carry a contactless card for tickets — but keep small EGP notes for taxis, the trams and constant tipping, the same cash-and-baksheesh rhythm as the rest of Egypt.
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Alexandria FAQs
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