Alexandria
Alexandria is a major city in Egypt.
Alexandria is a major city in Egypt. Lying at the western edge of the Nile River Delta, it extends about 40 km (25 mi) along the country's northern coast. It is Egypt's principal seaport, the second largest city after Cairo, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in 331 BC by Alexander the Great, Alexandria was one of the largest and most important cities of antiquity and a leading hub for science, culture, and scholarship.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Alexandria
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Lighthouse of Alexandria
The Pharos of Alexandria was a lighthouse built by the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus. It has been estimated to have been at least 100 metres in overall height.
2 km · lighthouse in Egypt, built in the 3rd century BC and destroyed in the Middle Ages · Wikipedia - 02Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa, also known as the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church based in Africa. Its seat is in Alexandria, Egypt, and it has canonical jurisdiction over the entire African continent.
500 m · Autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church based in Africa; one of the original Churches of the Pentarchy · Wikipedia - 03Bibliotheca Alexandrina
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina t eskendeˈɾejjæ]) is a major library and cultural center on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria, Egypt. It is a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria, once one of the largest libraries worldwide, which was lost in antiquity.
2 km · major library and cultural center in Alexandria, Egypt · Wikipedia - 04Alexandria University
Alexandria University is a public university in Alexandria, Egypt. It was established in 1938 as a satellite of Fouad University, becoming an independent entity in 1942.
1.3 km · public university in Egypt · Wikipedia - 05Lake Mariout
Lake Mariout, is a brackish lake in northern Egypt near the city of Alexandria. The lake area covered 200 square kilometres and had a navigable canal at the beginning of the 20th century, but at the beginning of the 21st century, it covers only about 50 square kilometres.
5 km · brackish lake in northern Egypt · Wikipedia - 06El-Mursi Abul Abbas Mosque
The Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi Mosque is a mosque, mausoleum, and Sufi shrine, located in the Anfoushi neighbourhood of Alexandria, on the north coast of Egypt. The 13th-century mosque is named in honour of Abu'l Abbas al-Mursi, a 13th-century mystic, who is also buried in the same place along with members of the Ashraf family.
1.3 km · mosque in Egypt · Wikipedia - 07Serapeum of Alexandria
The Serapeum of Alexandria was an ancient Greek temple built by Ptolemy III Euergetes and dedicated to the Greco-Egyptian syncretic god Serapis, who was believed to be the protector of Alexandria, Egypt. It was built during the 3rd century BCE, primarily between 246 and 222 BCE. It housed the daughter library of Alexandria.
1.8 km · temple in Alexandria · Wikipedia - 08Citadel of Qaitbay
The Citadel of Qaitbay is a 15th-century defensive fortress located on the Mediterranean sea coast, on Pharos Island in Alexandria, Egypt. It was built from 1477 to 1479 AD by Sultan of Egypt al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Qaitbay.
1.9 km · building in Alexandria, Egypt · Wikipedia - 09Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
The catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa are a historical archaeological site located in Alexandria, Egypt, and are considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages. The necropolis consists of a series of Alexandrian tombs, statues and archaeological objects of the Pharaonic funerary cult with Hellenistic and early Imperial Roman influences.
1.7 km · archaeological site in Egypt · Wikipedia - 10Alexandria Stadium
Alexandria Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Moharram Bey district of Alexandria, Egypt. It was opened in 1929 by King Fouad I. It is the oldest stadium in Egypt and Africa.
2 km · Football stadium in Egypt · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
- 01Citadel of Qaitbay
Ras el-Tin (yellow tram or microbus to Anfushi),.
- 02Mostafa Kamel Necropolis
The cemetery includes four tombs dating from the 2nd century BC, all of which are in excellent condition and beautifully decorated.
- 03Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
These catacombs were probably carved out to be a single wealthy family's mausoleum, and later expanded to take other elite funerals, from the 2nd to 4th century CE.
- 04Pompey's Pillar
An ancient monument, this 25-m-high granite column was constructed in honor of the Emperor Diocletian in AD 297.
- 05Kom
- 06Montaza Palace
Built in 1892 by Abbas II of Egypt Abbas Hilmi Pasha, the last khedive (Ottoman viceroy) of Egypt.
From Wikivoyage: Alexandria, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Sunbathe at the Maa'moura Beach or Montazah Beach. During summer the beaches are packed with Egyptian tourists, parasols and plastic chairs and it will cost to get in. At this time the sand and water may have some throwaway plastic floating around.
- 01Double decker bus ride along the Corniche
Al-Anfushi Bus Station (at the corner of Al Geish Road and Al Captain Abd Al Qader Koura Street).
- 02Montazah Royal Gardens
- 03Renaissance Royal Cinema
This movie theater in Alexandria is owned by the same people who run the Renaissance theaters in Cairo.
- 04Amir
Football: Alexandria has two soccer teams in the Premier League, Egypt's top tier.
- 05Alexandria Sporting Club
Built in 1898 and used during the British occupation, the Alexandria Sporting Club is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Egypt.
- 06Smouha Sporting Club
International Hockey Stadium, many swimming pools, a number of soccer fields, two running tracks.
From Wikivoyage: Alexandria, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Seafood restaurants line the waterfront. Alexandrian ice cream is similar to the typical soft-serve ice cream, but it is described as being a little bit 'stretchy'. It is available in numerous flavors, and according to the locals, this type of ice cream is only made in Alexandria and Greece. Try it at Bahary near Qait Bey, where popular shops include Makram, El-Sheikh Wafik, Azza and El Se'eedy.
- 01Tawn Coffe Shop
Great place on the Corniche, with a decent pizza and chairs in front of the café for "enjoying" the traffic and view.
- 02Kushari Bondok
Well known kushari joint, value for money.
- 03Meto
Fast food: pizza and its Arabic equivalent fateer.
- 04Asmak Shabaan
El Hana Tower, Al Max, Corniche,.
- 05Foul Mohamed Ahmed
17 Shakour Street (off Saad Zaghloul Street, opposite Metropole Hotel).
From Wikivoyage: Alexandria, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Alexandria
- Airports
- Alexandria (HBE), 35 km · El Alamein (DBB), 140 km · Sphinx (SPX), 155 km
- Stations
- El Nouzha Airport, 5.6 km · Alexandria Port, 1.7 km · Alexandria railway station, 1.4 km
- El Alamein → Alexandria101 km · quickest by road, 2h 9m · E£145–195
- Al Jiza → Alexandria623 km · quickest by air, 9h 44m · $770–1,150
- Cairo → Alexandria180 km · quickest by road, 3h · E£295–395
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Alexandria
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Alexandria. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inThere is also a bus from Gedid to Sidi Gaber, and from Sidi Gaber most parts of the city are accessible by minibus or tram if you are looking to save money.
- Get inYou can take a minibus from Cairo for about (October 2025).
- Get inWhile this is your cheapest option from most departure points, know that the minibuses can be hot and cramped, and your driver will likely drive like a mad person, so take them at your own risk.
- Get inBut all of these are package tourist itineraries, and not available to book as point-to-point ferries.
- Get aroundIf you are on a day trip to Alexandria, hire a taxi outside the railway station for the day.
From Wikivoyage: Alexandria, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01537 km
- 02542 km
- 03551 km
- 04560 km
- 05768 km
If you know how people move in Alexandria – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Alexandria
Alexandria is 55 km from Rosetta, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.
- Palm Sunday church bombingsBomb Coptic Churchs in the Nile Delta City of Tanta and Alexandria700 m
- Rhacotisancient city in Egypt600 m
- El Maxneighbourhood in Alexandria, Egypt4.7 km
- Shatbyneighborhood in Alexandria, Egypt2.5 km
- El Gomrokdistrict in Alexandria1.8 km
- Moharam Bekneighborhood in Alexandria, Egypt2.1 km