Stand on the Corniche at Anfushi and the Citadel of Qaitbay closes off the view, its stone walls rising where the Pharos once stood. Turn around and the eastern harbour opens up behind you, with the city's downtown curve of buildings running along the water.
Alexandria suits travellers who want layers rather than a single headline sight: Greek and Roman tombs, a modern library built on an ancient one, royal palaces and quiet synagogues, all within a city that has been a port for a very long time. This guide covers the monuments, museums and religious sites worth your time, plus how to string them together if you only have one day.
Top things to do in Alexandria
1. Citadel of Qaitbay
Set on the tip of the Anfushi/Pharos promontory, the citadel looks back over the eastern harbour and downtown Corniche. It was built in 1477 by Mameluke Sultan Abdul-Nasser Qa'it Bay, re-using the stone of the ruined lighthouse, and it saw military use as late as 1882.
There are two entrances and two admissions. The ground-floor Maritime Museum on the west side, facing your approach along the harbour mall, is of little interest; come round to the south flank facing the Corniche for the main entrance into the Citadel itself, where you pass through a fortified courtyard to a four-storey bastion. Reach it by yellow tram or microbus to Anfushi.
2. Bibliotheca Alexandrina
A huge modern library and research centre built on the site of the ancient Library of Alexandria, with a display of ancient texts of the Middle East, four museum areas, exhibition space and a planetarium. Regular tours run in English and other languages.
The Antiquities Museum inside costs extra and is particularly worth visiting if you are interested in artefacts from the Pharonic to the Islamic period. Buy tickets from the office on Dr. Abd Al Hamid Dayed St. facing the university, and enter from the small street facing the university.
3. Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
Carved out, probably for a single wealthy family's mausoleum, and later expanded to take other elite funerals between the 2nd and 4th centuries CE. The name means "mound of shards", after the earthenware bowls people brought as offerings and smashed before going home. The site has a ground-level construction that probably served as a funerary chapel, a deep spiral stairway and three underground levels.
They were discovered in 1900 when the ground gave way under a donkey. The decoration is the draw: the last of the pharonic burials transitioning into Grecian and Roman styles. If you have seen the richly decorated burial chambers around Luxor, this one will suffer by comparison. The linked Hall of Caracalla, reached when tomb-robbers tunnelled through, appears to have been a burial place for the Roman emperor's horses.
4. Kom el-Dikka
In Ptolemaic times this area was the Park of Pan, a pleasure garden surrounded by villas and baths. The highlights, built in the 2nd century CE, are the Villa of the Birds with its fine mosaics and Egypt's only Roman amphitheatre, with 13 semicircular tiers of white and grey marble, galleries and sections of mosaic flooring. Excavations continue, and a Ptolemaic temple was unearthed in 2010.
It sits just north of the railway station, which makes it easy to combine with a arrival or departure. You can see the amphitheatre well enough by peering through the railings, but you pay to get inside to see the mosaics and other small artefacts.
5. Pompey's Pillar
A 25-metre granite column constructed in honour of the Emperor Diocletian in AD 297. The confined area where the column stands also holds other ruins and sculptures, including the Serapium oracle.
Beside the site is a large shopping centre for cloth and furniture called El-Saa3a, where you can find many types of cloth or clothes. It is in Karmouz, the same district as the catacombs, so the two fit naturally into one outing.
6. Alexandria National Museum
Small but absorbing and well presented, with more than 1800 archaeological pieces. The basement is devoted to prehistoric and Pharonic times, the first floor to the Graeco-Roman period and the second floor to the Coptic and Islamic era.
Especially interesting are the artefacts raised during underwater excavations, which give a sense of a new window opening on history. It is at 110 Tariq el-Horreyya in the Latin Quarter, about a ten-minute walk east off Saad Zaghloul Street.
7. Montaza Palace
Built in 1892 by Abbas II of Egypt, Abbas Hilmi Pasha, the last khedive of Egypt. One palace building, the Haramlek, now contains a casino on the ground floor and a museum of royal relics on the upper levels, while the Salamlek has been converted into a luxury hotel. Parts of the extensive gardens are open to the public, and there is an entrance fee for the park.
Pair it with the beach: Montazah Beach is one of the places to sunbathe in summer, though the beaches are packed then with Egyptian tourists, parasols and plastic chairs, and it costs to get in.
8. Graeco-Roman Museum
A history museum with a vast collection mostly dating from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century CE, spanning the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. It is in the Latin Quarter, close to the Alexandria National Museum.
The square in front of it is a popular place for taking marriage pictures and a hang-out for young people in the evenings, so it is worth passing by later in the day even if you have already been inside.
9. El-Mursi Abul-Abbas Mosque
Built in 1775 by Algerians over the tomb of the 13th-century Sufi saint Ahmed Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi. The walls are dressed in artificial stone, and the minaret on the south side stands at 73 metres.
It is in Anfoushi, so it combines easily with the Citadel of Qaitbay and the waterfront at Ras el-Tin.
10. Royal Jewelry Museum
Royal jewellery from the Egyptian monarchy of 1805 to 1952, displayed in the former palace of Princess Fatma Al-Zahra' in the Zizenia district.
It is a good counterpoint to the archaeological collections: same city, a much more recent century.
11. Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue
There has been a synagogue at this site since 1348, and the current Neo-Gothic building has stood since 1850. The interior can be visited on some weekdays in the morning.
Because visiting hours are limited, plan this one early in the day rather than leaving it to the afternoon.
12. Museum of Fine Arts
In Moharram Bey, this museum holds mostly modern and Orientalist paintings, a change of register from the city's archaeological collections.
It is a reasonable stop if you are already heading along the eastern stretch of the city.
13. Arabic Calligraphy Museum
Inaugurated in 2015, the museum is on two levels with three rooms each, presenting manuscripts alongside paintings, ceramics, sculptures and miniatures with calligraphic scripts.
It rewards a slower visit than the larger museums, so leave time to read the labels rather than rushing through.
14. Attarine Mosque
Built as a church dedicated to Saint Athanasius in 370 AD and converted into a mosque following the Muslim conquest of Egypt.
It sits in the Attarine area, which places it conveniently among the downtown sights.
15. Alexandria Naval Unknown Soldier Memorial
A tomb of the unknown soldier honouring the military, and beyond its meaning a picturesque neoclassical monument worth a photo during the day or when illuminated in the evening. It was built between 1927 and 1938 as a memorial to Khedive Ismail, and its dedication was changed after the revolution.
It is in Mansheya, so it works as an evening stop when the lights come on.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa in the Carmouz district, then continue to Pompey's Pillar in Karmouz, where you can also look at the cloth and furniture shops of El-Saa3a. Both are in the same part of the city and open from 9AM.
Afternoon: Head north to Kom el-Dikka, just north of the railway station, to see the Roman amphitheatre and the Villa of the Birds mosaics. From there, continue to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Shatby, entering from the small street facing the university, and add the Antiquities Museum if the Pharonic to Islamic artefacts appeal.
Evening: Finish at the Citadel of Qaitbay on the Anfushi/Pharos promontory, looking back over the eastern harbour and the downtown Corniche. Come round to the south flank facing the Corniche for the main entrance. On the way, or afterwards, stop at the Alexandria Naval Unknown Soldier Memorial in Mansheya to see it illuminated, and at the El-Mursi Abul-Abbas Mosque in Anfoushi.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time of day to visit the Citadel of Qaitbay?
It is open daily from 9AM to 8PM, so a late visit lets you see the harbour and the downtown Corniche as the light goes. Note that there are two entrances and two admissions: the Maritime Museum on the west side is of little interest, and the main entrance into the Citadel is on the south flank facing the Corniche.
Are the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa worth visiting if I have seen the tombs at Luxor?
They are interesting for their plan and for their decoration, as the last of the pharonic burials transitioned into Grecian and Roman styles. But if you have seen the richly decorated burial chambers around Luxor, this one will suffer by comparison. They are open daily from 9AM to 4PM.
Can I visit the Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue?
The interior can be visited on some weekdays in the morning. There has been a synagogue at the site since 1348, and the current Neo-Gothic building has stood since 1850.
Is the Mostafa Kamel Necropolis open?
As of October 2025 the site is closed for renovations. It includes four tombs dating from the 2nd century BC, all in excellent condition and beautifully decorated.
Decide which of these you want most, check the days that suit you, and start building your Alexandria itinerary around them.