Alexandria, Egypt 2 Day Itinerary

Day 1: Exploring Ancient Wonders and Vibrant Markets

Morning:

  • Start with a proper Egyptian breakfast of ful medames, falafel, and flatbread at a local spot near your hotel rather than El Fishawy, which despite what some guides claim is actually a Cairo institution in the Khan el-Khalili bazaar, not an Alexandria address at all.
  • Visit Pompey’s Pillar, a red granite column standing nearly 27 meters tall, raised not in Diocletian’s honor as legend has it but most likely to commemorate a Roman prefect’s victory in the late 3rd century AD; entry runs about 80 Egyptian pounds for adults and the site opens from roughly 8am to 5pm.
  • Walk the nearby Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, where Egyptian funerary iconography, Roman engineering, and Greek decorative motifs collide in a genuinely strange multi-level tomb complex; entry costs around 100 Egyptian pounds and it’s open daily from 9am to 5pm.

Afternoon:

  • Head to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the modern library built near the site of the ancient original, whose actual location and full extent remain a matter of ongoing archaeological debate rather than settled fact. A general admission ticket to the halls and exhibitions runs around 70 Egyptian pounds, with the attached Antiquities Museum included; it’s open 10am to 7pm most days and closes earlier on Fridays.
  • Walk the Corniche, Alexandria’s long harbor-front promenade, timed for late afternoon when the heat breaks and the light over the Eastern Harbor turns gold.

Evening:

  • Wander the older commercial streets around Attarine and Manshiya for a feel of everyday Alexandria rather than a curated tourist strip, and expect real bargaining if you stop to buy anything.
  • For dinner, the Greek Club, officially the White and Blue Restaurant, sits right beside the Qaitbay Citadel on a terrace over the water and is the closest thing Alexandria has to an institution for fresh grilled and fried seafood; for something further out, Zephyrion in Abu Qir has been serving the same style of seafood since 1929 and is worth the taxi ride for serious food travelers.

Night:

  • Finish at the Citadel of Qaitbay, built in the 15th century on the exact spot where the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, stood until earthquakes brought it down centuries ago. The fort is lit at night and the walk along the harbor wall gives one of the best skyline views in the city; daytime entry is about 60 Egyptian pounds.

Accommodation:

  • For a comfortable mid-range to upscale stay, look at established Corniche-facing hotel chains with harbor views; several international brands operate properties along the waterfront within walking distance of the main sights.
  • Budget travelers do well with smaller family-run hotels in the Raml Station area, central enough to reach everything on foot or by tram, and considerably cheaper than the harbor-front chains.

Day 2: Discovering Alexandria’s Rich History and Modern Attractions

Morning:

  • Visit Montaza Palace and its gardens, the former royal retreat with sweeping grounds and a private beach cove below the cliffs; the palace building itself has restricted interior access, but the gardens and coastline are worth the visit on their own.
  • Nearby, the Royal Jewelry Museum houses an extensive collection assembled by Egypt’s royal family before the 1952 revolution, an unexpectedly opulent stop most visitors skip in favor of the ancient sites.

Afternoon:

  • The Alexandria National Museum, housed in a restored Italianate villa, walks through the city’s layered history from the pharaonic period through Greek, Roman, Coptic, and Islamic eras in a much more manageable scale than Cairo’s larger museums.
  • Walk through Ras El Tin, the old fishing quarter near the naval base, for a look at daily working-class Alexandria rather than the tourist corridor along the Corniche.

Evening:

  • Alexandria’s harbor marina near the library makes for a relaxed evening stroll with waterfront cafes, most doing a brisk trade in shisha and strong Egyptian coffee.
  • El Attarine market, one of the city’s oldest, is worth a final visit for spices, brass, and antiques; prices quoted to obvious tourists are typically inflated by two to three times, so counter low and expect to settle somewhere in the middle.

Things to Keep in Mind:

  • Alexandria’s Mediterranean climate is milder and more humid than Cairo’s, but summer days still call for sun protection and steady hydration.
  • Carry small denominations of Egyptian pounds; street vendors and small cafes frequently lack change for larger notes.
  • Bargaining is standard practice in markets and with unmetered taxis alike; agree on a price or insist on the meter before the ride starts, since disputes over fares are a common tourist headache here.
  • Dress modestly when visiting mosques or more traditional neighborhoods, even though central Alexandria is generally more relaxed about dress than Cairo or Upper Egypt.
  • The city’s old tram network, one of the oldest in Africa, is a cheap and genuinely useful way to cover the Corniche corridor if you’d rather skip taxis for short hops.