Things to Do in Alexandria
Prices, opening hours, best times to visit and the stuff nobody tells you, everything you need for a first trip to Alexandria, Egypt, plus one pigeon's opinions on all of it.
Right, Alexandria. Mediterranean Egypt, a city Alexander the Great named after himself without a shred of modesty, and home to one of history's great tragedies, an ancient library lost to time. This is the proper, no-nonsense guide to things to do in Alexandria: what things actually cost, when to go, what to skip, and which bits are worth the tram ride. Six main stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site to see if you were paying attention.
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
The ancient Library of Alexandria, said to have held hundreds of thousands of scrolls at its peak, was lost to history, nobody's entirely sure how or when, whether fire, war, or gradual neglect. This modern library, opened in 2002, is a deliberate, striking tribute, a vast tilted disc of a building housing millions of books and a genuinely impressive research institution.
Beyond the main reading room (one of the largest in the world), the complex includes several museums and a planetarium, easily worth a half-day if you want to see it all properly.
Hours Sat–Thu 10am–7pm, Fri 2pm–7pm
Address El Shatby, Alexandria
Official site bibalex.org
Qaitbay Citadel
A 15th-century fortress built on the exact site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which guided ships into the harbour for centuries before earthquakes eventually brought it down. Some of the lighthouse's original stone blocks were reportedly used in the citadel's own construction.
The fortress itself is worth the visit regardless of the history beneath it, sea views along the Corniche, thick medieval walls, and a proper sense of Alexandria's long relationship with the Mediterranean.
Hours Daily, roughly 9am–4pm
Address Eastern Harbour, Alexandria Corniche
Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa
One of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages, a genuinely striking underground necropolis blending Egyptian, Greek, and Roman styles, carved directly into the rock across three levels. Discovered by accident in 1900 when a donkey fell through the ground, which is a genuinely good story regardless of how much of it is embellished by now.
The lowest level is flooded and inaccessible, but the accessible sections are still extensive, tomb chambers, a banquet hall for funerary feasts, and carved reliefs mixing gods from multiple ancient traditions in a way that says a lot about Alexandria's cosmopolitan history.
Hours Daily, roughly 9am–4pm
Address Karmouz, Alexandria
Kom El Dikka & the Roman Amphitheatre
Alexander the Great founded the city and, characteristically, named it after himself, one of many cities to bear his name across the ancient world. Kom El Dikka preserves Alexandria's only surviving Roman amphitheatre, along with the remains of Roman-era baths and villas, a genuinely rare glimpse of the city's classical layer beneath the modern one.
It's a compact site, easily combined with a visit to the nearby Graeco-Roman Museum if you want the fuller context of what's been found here and across the wider city.
Hours Daily, roughly 9am–4pm
Address Central Alexandria
The Corniche
Alexandria's long waterfront promenade, curving along the Eastern Harbour past Qaitbay Citadel, and the best free way to get a feel for the city, fishing boats, sea breeze, and locals out walking at all hours. It's a genuinely different pace from Cairo, unhurried in a way the Egyptian capital rarely is.
Sunset along the Corniche, with the citadel silhouetted against the water, is one of the better free things to do in the whole city.
Best time Sunset
Montaza Palace Gardens
A former royal palace and extensive gardens along the coast east of central Alexandria, built in the early 20th century as a summer retreat for Egypt's royal family. The palace itself has restricted access, but the gardens, sea views, and beaches around it are open and genuinely pleasant for an afternoon away from the busier central sights.
It's a good spot to combine with a beach afternoon if the weather's warm enough, several small coves and beach areas sit within the grounds.
Hours Daily, daylight hours
Getting there A taxi ride east of central Alexandria
Best time to visit Alexandria
October through April gives the most comfortable weather, mild temperatures and considerably more manageable than Cairo's desert heat given Alexandria's Mediterranean coastal position. Summer (June through August) is genuinely popular with Egyptian holidaymakers escaping Cairo's heat, so expect busier beaches and higher prices along the Corniche.
Winter (December through February) can bring proper rain and rougher seas, still worth visiting, just pack for it, and note that some coastal photo opportunities work better in calmer months.
Getting around Alexandria
Alexandria's tram network is one of the oldest in Africa and a genuinely useful (and cheap) way to get around, particularly along the Corniche corridor. Walking works well for the central sights, given how much clusters near the harbour, taxis and ride-hailing apps cover everything else, including Montaza Palace further east.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Alexandria worth visiting?
- Yes, particularly as a contrast to Cairo, Mediterranean rather than desert, genuinely layered history from Alexander the Great through Roman and Islamic Egypt, and a noticeably calmer pace.
- How many days do you need in Alexandria?
- Two days covers the main sights comfortably; a day trip from Cairo works too, though it's a rushed way to see everything.
- Is Alexandria expensive?
- Generally affordable, most major sights charge similar entry fees to Cairo's attractions, and food and transport remain genuinely cheap by international standards.
- What is Alexandria famous for?
- Being founded by Alexander the Great, the ancient Library of Alexandria (one of history's great lost institutions), and the Lighthouse of Alexandria, once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
That's everything I've got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change. UK travellers can check the FCDO foreign travel advice; if you're travelling from elsewhere, check the equivalent service run by your own country's government.
