The Greek and Roman city
Catacombs, a Roman theatre and the Mediterranean, in a full day from Cairo.
7 stops
Alexandria was the Greek and Roman capital of Egypt, and it is the one great city where the ancient layer lies mostly underneath you. The day goes down before it comes up: into the catacombs, where Egyptian gods appear in Roman dress, then to the Roman theatre and Pompey's Pillar, and out to the sea, where Qaitbay Fort stands on the site of the Lighthouse.
Early morning
Drive to Alexandria, about 2.5–3 hours.
Cairo setting; pickup and return locations are confirmed separately.
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0. Resized for display.
Stop 2
The Roman-era catacombs, cut deep into the rock in the second century AD: a tomb built for the rich that grew into a city of the dead.
Photo: Bilal Detailz · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for display.
Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa: A tomb built for the rich that grew into a city of the dead.
Stop 3
The Roman theatre at Kom el-Dikka, in a neighbourhood of Roman and Byzantine Alexandria, then Pompey's Pillar, which has nothing to do with Pompey: the emperor Diocletian put it up around AD 297.
Photo: Codex · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized for display.
Kom el-Dikka: Roman Alexandria at street level, uncovered in the middle of the modern city.
Stop 4
Seen from outside. Blocks from the Lighthouse have been found in the water near the fort.
Photo: ASaber91 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for display.
Qaitbay Fort: A Mamluk fortress built on the ruins of the Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders.
Stop 5
Photo: Leonard J. DeFrancisci · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized for display.
Stop 6
Exterior visit. In the ancient Library, Eratosthenes measured the earth and Callimachus catalogued the books.
Photo: Azniv Stepanian · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for display.
Bibliotheca Alexandrina: Alexandria's modern library, built as a successor to the most famous library of the ancient world.
Evening
Drive back and drop-off at your hotel.
Cairo city setting for your return by road; hotel drop-off is confirmed separately.
Photo: Dr. Faris El-Gwely · CC BY 4.0. Resized for display.
Day and time labels describe the planned sequence, not confirmed departures. Your written quote confirms pickup, flights, sailing and return times for your date.
Why go
This Alexandria day tour from Cairo shows a different Egypt: the Mediterranean city founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, where Egyptian, Greek and Roman worlds met. A private Egyptologist collects you from your Cairo or Giza hotel early for the drive north, about two and a half to three hours each way.
The day begins underground at the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, where Egyptian gods are carved in Roman dress. You continue to the Roman Amphitheatre, rare in Egypt, and Pompey's Pillar, a single column of red Aswan granite. Along the seafront you see the Qaitbay Citadel from outside, built on the site of the ancient Lighthouse, and visit the Mosque of Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi before a stop at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the modern successor to the ancient Library.
The drive is around six hours in total, so tell us which sites matter most and we will give them the most time. The Bibliotheca closes on Fridays, so plan around it if it matters to you.
Our tip
Tell us the two or three sites you most want, from the catacombs to the Bibliotheca, and your guide builds the day around them.
Also consider: Stay a night in Alexandria instead: the city deserves an evening on the Corniche.
The details
Before you go
Questions
About two and a half to three hours each way, so around half of the 12-hour day is spent on the road.
It is closed on Fridays. Plan another day if visiting it matters to you.
Prices are per person and fall as the group grows: 1 person $170; 2–4 people $120 each; 5–7 people $100 each; 8–10 people $90 each. All prices are in US dollars.
Light, modest clothing and comfortable walking shoes. Shoulders and knees covered is the safe choice at every site; bring a hat, sunscreen and water.
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Send your dates and party size here. We reply with a written quote: the price for your party, what is included and the terms. Nothing is booked until you accept it.
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Bilal Detailz, CC BY-SA 4.0; Codex, CC BY-SA 3.0; ASaber91, CC BY-SA 4.0; Azniv Stepanian, CC BY-SA 4.0; Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0; Leonard J. DeFrancisci, CC BY-SA 3.0; Dr. Faris El-Gwely, CC BY 4.0; Bilal Detailz, CC BY-SA 4.0; Slyronit, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and cropped for display.
