Things to Do in Alexandria

Alexandria, Egypt

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Walk Through Millennia at the Citadel and Ancient Ruins

Stand on the promontory at Citadel of Qaitbay and you are standing on recycled history. This 15th-century fortress, built by Sultan Qa'it Bay in 1477, rises from stones quarried from the ruined Lighthouse of Alexandria—one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The citadel's thick walls held off crusaders and weathered Napoleon, and the views sweep across the eastern harbour and the Corniche below. Inside, climb the 4-storey bastion and move through the fortified courtyard; the Maritime Museum occupies the ground floor, though the real draw is the structure itself and the vantage point it commands over the water.

Beyond the citadel, three other sites ground you in Alexandria's layered past. The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, carved from the 2nd to 4th centuries CE, began as one family's tomb and expanded into an underground necropolis. Descend the spiral stairway to three levels of funeral chambers where Pharaonic and Graeco-Roman styles collide in the decoration—a physical record of cultural transition. Pompey's Pillar rises 25 metres of granite in the Karmouz district, built in 297 AD to honour Emperor Diocletian; nearby stand scattered ruins and sculptures including remnants of the Serapium oracle. At Kom el-Dikka, just north of the railway station, a Roman amphitheatre with 13 tiers of white and grey marble seats speaks to the pleasures of the 2nd century CE, while the Villa of the Birds nearby preserves fine mosaics underfoot.

Museums That Reframe What You Thought You Knew

The Graeco-Roman Museum in the Latin quarter holds a vast collection spanning the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century CE—Ptolemaic and Roman pieces that anchor the city's dual heritage. The Alexandria National Museum, a short walk east off Saad Zaghloul Street, is small but absorbing, with over 1800 archaeological pieces arranged by era. The basement traces Prehistoric and Pharaonic times; the first floor moves through the Graeco-Roman period; the second floor covers the Coptic and Islamic eras. What sets it apart: artefacts raised from underwater excavations, which offer a tangible sense of discovery.

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is both monument and working library. This modern structure stands where the ancient Library of Alexandria once held the world's knowledge. Inside, you will find a wonderful display of ancient texts from across the Middle East, four museum areas, and a planetarium. The Antiquities Museum wing is worth the extra fee if you engage with artefacts spanning Pharaonic to Islamic periods. The Museum of Fine Arts in Moharram Bey leans toward modern and Orientalist painting, while the Royal Jewelry Museum in Zizenia displays jewels from the Egyptian monarchy of 1805–1952 in the former palace of Princess Fatma Al-Zahra'.

Palaces and Gardens at the Edge of the City

Montaza Palace sits on the easternmost stretch of the Corniche, built in 1892 by Abbas II of Egypt, the last khedive. The palace comprises two main buildings: the Haramlek, which now houses a casino on the ground floor and a museum of royal relics above, and the Salamlek, now a luxury hotel. But the real attraction spreads across the grounds—over 80 hectares of gardens open to the public, where you can walk among palms and Mediterranean landscaping without entering the palace buildings themselves. It is a gentler way to encounter royal Alexandria. Ras el-Tin Palace, the Presidential Palace, sits just west of Anfushi on the promontory; you can admire the exterior, but the complex is part of a naval base and closed to visitors.

Religious Sites Across Centuries

El-Mursi Abul-Abbas Mosque in Anfushi was built in 1775 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 rises 73 metres on the south side. The Attarine Mosque began as a church dedicated to Saint Athanasius in 370 AD and was converted to a mosque following the Muslim conquest. Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue has occupied its site since 1348; the current Neo-Gothic building dates to 1850 and welcomes visitors on some weekday mornings. The Menasce Synagogue, built in 1872, stands as another reminder of Alexandria's Jewish heritage. Together, these sites trace the religious layering of the city—Pharaonic, Christian, Jewish, and Islamic all present in the urban fabric.

Beaches and the Waterfront View

Alexandria stretches 40 kilometres along Egypt's northern coast. The Maa'moura Beach and Montazah Beach are the main swimming grounds; in summer they fill with Egyptian families, parasols, and loungers. There is an entrance fee during the busy season, and the facilities run the gamut from basic to developed depending on where you go. The Corniche itself is the city's spine—a long promenade facing the Mediterranean where locals walk at dusk, vendors sell snacks, and the light off the water softens the urban bustle. The Citadel of Qaitbay anchors one end; from there you can follow the waterfront east toward Montaza.

Day Trip to Taposiris Magna

A short journey from the city lies Taposiris Magna, a city established by Pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus between 280 and 270 BCE. Two monuments survive and were partly restored in the 1930s: a tower that informed the reconstruction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, and the remains of a temple of Osiris. That second temple carries legend—it is believed to be the last resting place of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The site offers a sense of Ptolemaic reach beyond the capital and a quieter encounter with that era's ambitions.

Alexandria rewards lingering. Whether you spend an afternoon at the Citadel, a morning in the museums, an evening walking the Corniche, or a day island-hopping between these layers of history, the city insists that you understand it as a place of arrival and departure, conquest and trade, monument and adaptation. Begin planning your visit now—Alexandria waits at the edge of the Mediterranean.

Sources

  1. Alexandria
  2. Wikivoyage: Alexandria

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