Things to do in Alexandria
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Alexandria
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best weather, warm sea, crowds gone and honest hotel prices, October to November is the sweet spot.
Peak summer, priciest and most crowded from domestic tourism, with the Summer Festival as compensation.
Winter storms, rain and rough seas, no swimming but empty sites, lowest prices and cafe season.
Ramadan in 2027 falls around February to March, daytime service thins and nights turn festive.
What's on
- Bibliotheca Alexandrina International Summer Festival July-August
Flagship festival of concerts, theatre, film and poetry at the Bibliotheca.
- Alexandria Mediterranean Countries Film Festival Late September to early October
Established film festival at the Bibliotheca theatre, pairing with the best weather window.
- Alexandria International Theatre Festival September
Theatre Without Production festival with regional companies at the Bibliotheca Grand Theatre.
- Alexandria International Book Fair Spring
Major book fair at the Bibliotheca, check the programme for the year's dates.
- Sham el-Nessim 3 May 2027
Spring picnic holiday filling Montazah gardens with families, coloured eggs and fesikh.
- St Mark's Day 25 April
Coptic feast with local processions, pleasant texture if dates overlap.
- Alexandria National Day 26 July
Governorate national day with official celebrations.
Best things to do in Alexandria
Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa
Spiral underground necropolis where Pharaonic, Roman and Greek styles fuse in the same carvings.
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Vast modern library on the ancient site, with a cascading seven level reading room as the main draw.
Citadel of Qaitbay
1477 fortress built on the Pharos Lighthouse site, best paired with a walk along the harbour wall.
Graeco-Roman Museum
Reopened museum explaining Greek and Roman Alexandria through mosaics, figurines and statuary.
Pompey's Pillar
Single red granite column from 297 AD over the Serapeum ruins, powerful as a short symbolic stop.
Roman Amphitheatre
Egypt's only known Roman theatre, with baths, lecture halls and the Villa of the Birds mosaics.
Alexandria National Museum
Italianate mansion walking you from Pharaonic to modern Alexandria, including harbour finds.
Royal Jewelry Museum
Palace museum of the Muhammad Ali dynasty jewels, tiaras and enamelled objects in painted rooms.
Where to stay in Alexandria
Eastern Harbour / Raml Station
first trip, all-round base
Harbour bay base with the library, museums, Qaitbay and cafe quarter all walkable or a short ride.
San Stefano / Gleem
upscale, resort base
Polished eastern Corniche with mall, marina and beach hotels, 25 to 40 minutes from central sights.
Roushdy / Kafr Abdo
quiet residential stay
Leafy embassy and villa streets inland from the Corniche, the calmest sleep with local cafes.
Montazah / Maamoura
families, beach base
Palace gardens and gated Maamoura beach with resort coves, far from the central sights.
Sidi Gaber / Smouha
transport hub, business
Practical base by Sidi Gaber station and Smouha, modern but without seafront or holiday atmosphere.
Think twice about
- Central Corniche cheap sea-view rooms, Mansheya to Chatby
Multi lane highway noise from dawn to past midnight in older budget properties fronting it directly.
- Abu Qir
Industrial port edges, thin hotel stock and a long drive from every central sight. Visit for fish only.
- Far western districts, Amreya and Agami
Seasonal villa stock with minimal hotels, heavy summer congestion and a long haul to harbour sights.
- Around Misr Station and Kom el-Dikka transport blocks
Maximum noise, crowding and taxi hassle at the rail and microbus hub. Pass through, do not sleep here.
Best restaurants in Alexandria
White and Blue Restaurant
Greek Club dining by Qaitbay with harbour views and Greek Egyptian fish dishes at sunset.
Fish Market Marina
View first seafood hall near the citadel where you pick fish from the display to be cooked.
Kadoura
Local seafood institution for grilled or fried fish chosen from the display, with seafood soup.
Mohamed Ahmed
Legendary ful and taameya breakfast house by the tram station, a few dollars for two.
Balbaa Village
Vast feast house with oriental dishes downstairs and seafood upstairs, in huge sharing portions.
Hosny Grill & Seafood
Long running grill house for charcoal cutlets, kofta and pigeon, plus fresh fish at the front.
Jeeda's
Spanish tapas, seafood paella and cocktails in a late sociable room on Horeya Avenue.
Santa Lucia
Old school white tablecloth Italian and Mediterranean fine dining from cosmopolitan Alexandria.
Outdoor things to do in Alexandria
Corniche
Dawn walk or run along the harbour curve to Stanley Bridge, with fishermen and first light.
Bahary Harbour Boat Trips
Small boats from Bahary circle the Eastern Harbour and citadel rocks for the city from sea level.
Maamoura Beach
Gated east beach with soft sand, calmer cleaner water, rentals and cafes for a proper swim day.
Stanley Beach
Tiered bathing terraces under Stanley Bridge, the classic Corniche swim and sunset postcard.
Alexandria Sporting Club
Historic members club with an 18 hole golf course inside a racetrack, plus tennis and pools.
El Alamein Military Museum
WWII museum and Commonwealth, German and Italian cemeteries marking the 1942 desert battle.
Rosetta
Quiet Ottoman Nile town of carved brick houses, mosques and the fort where the Rosetta Stone was found.
Abu Qir
Working fishing town for just landed grilled fish and an unpolished bay with sunken cities offshore.
Best hotels in Alexandria
Le Metropole Hotel
Heritage palace hotel since 1902 on the harbour, with balconied sea view rooms and French dining.
Windsor Palace Hotel
1906 heritage hotel with a rooftop breakfast terrace over the Corniche and harbour views.
Steigenberger Cecil Hotel
1929 institution on Saad Zaghloul Square, sea facing and fairly priced for its history.
Tolip Alexandria
Modern mid range tower on the Corniche for a straightforward central seafront stay.
Alexander the Great Hotel
Clean budget base near Raml and Attarine, simple rooms best taken away from the Corniche side.
Four Seasons Hotel Alexandria at San Stefano
Consensus luxury benchmark with private beach, spa and pools in the polished east Corniche.
Hilton Alexandria Corniche
Sea view Hilton with rooftop pool and private beach, a tier below the Four Seasons on price.
Golden Jewel Hotel
Mid range sea view hotel near San Stefano keeping beach access at a lower price point.
Is Alexandria expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | EGP 2,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | EGP 4,700 a person |
| Splurge | EGP 9,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Cavafy Museum: a few days ahead
- Private Egyptologist Full Day Tour: weeks ahead
- Alexandria Sporting Club: a few days ahead
- El Alamein Military Museum: a few days ahead
- Rosetta: a few days ahead
- Monastery of Saint Bishoy: a few days ahead
- Siwa Oasis: weeks ahead
- Four Seasons Hotel Alexandria at San Stefano Private Beach: a few days ahead
- Book hotels early for July and August when domestic tourism spikes prices.
- Confirm sea view upper floor rooms in writing at the Four Seasons, Cecil and Le Metropole.
- Book Bibliotheca exhibitions, planetarium and Summer Festival events via its own channels.
- Book private Egyptologist, Alamein and Wadi Natrun car days with a reviewed operator in advance.
- Reserve White and Blue terrace at sunset and Jeeda's on weekends.
Is Alexandria safe?
- Alexandria is described as one of Egypt's safest big cities with normal city sense.
- Swim only at managed beaches and respect flags, Mediterranean undertow off open rocks is real.
- Dress modestly away from beaches and carry a scarf for mosque interiors.
- Drink bottled or filtered water only and respect summer sun on the harbour wall.
- Do not photograph military, police or naval installations and avoid large gatherings.
Alexandria travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Unpriced seafood by weight, agree species, weight, price per kilo and cooking fee before grilling.
- Guide lunch funnel to overpriced set fish meals, pick your own restaurant and settle your own bill.
- Central Corniche beach entrances sold as resort beaches with crowded sand and variable water quality.
- Heracleion dive trips are prohibited for tourists, walk away from any operator offering them.
- Horse carriage rides without an agreed total price, route and duration.
Getting around Alexandria: public transport and more
- Use Uber, Careem or inDrive for fixed in-app prices and cheap Corniche rides.
- Do not plan on the historic tram, dismantled in 2026 for a replacement metro project.
- Take fast trains from Misr or Sidi Gaber station to Cairo Ramses in about 2 to 2.5 hours.
- Walk the Eastern Harbour curve between the Bibliotheca and Qaitbay in 30 to 40 minutes.
- Borg El Arab airport is 45 to 60 minutes away, pre-book a car or arrange Uber on arrival.
Who Alexandria suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Alexandria your trip
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