Egypt
Alexandria
Salt-weathered Mediterranean balconies above a seafront where Cleopatra's palace lies submerged offshore.
Salt wind whips along the Corniche, rattling the shutters of faded Art Deco balconies above a seafront that has seen Greek philosophers, Roman emperors, and British officers. Below the Mediterranean surface, Cleopatra's royal quarter lies submerged — columns and statues visible to divers in the harbour's murky green water. Alexandria smells of sea spray, fried fish, and old books.
Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE and served as Egypt's capital for nearly a thousand years, housing the ancient world's greatest library and the Pharos Lighthouse. The modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina, opened in 2002, sits near the site of its ancient predecessor and holds millions of volumes alongside exhibition spaces and a planetarium. The city's Greco-Roman Museum, the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa — blending Egyptian, Greek, and Roman funerary art — and the Roman amphitheatre at Kom el-Dikka anchor its classical heritage. The Citadel of Qaitbay, a fifteenth-century fortress built on the Pharos Lighthouse foundations, guards the Eastern Harbour. Alexandria's cafe culture, European-influenced architecture, and literary history — Cavafy, Durrell, and Mahfouz all wrote about the city — give it a character distinct from anywhere else in Egypt.
Solo
Alexandria is a city for walking and reading. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the cafe where Cavafy wrote, the fish market at Anfushi — the city reveals itself best on foot, at a pace set by curiosity rather than a tour schedule.
Couple
Corniche fish restaurants at sunset, the moody grandeur of the old European quarter, and the strange beauty of the catacombs make Alexandria one of Egypt's most atmospheric escapes. The city's melancholy is part of the appeal — a place that has lost empires and kept its character.
Friends
The food alone justifies the trip — fried calamari at the harbour, liver sandwiches from streetside carts, pastries from old Greek-era patisseries. Layer in the catacombs, the citadel, and the sheer weirdness of a city built on top of a drowned palace, and Alexandria earns its place in any Egyptian itinerary.
Family
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina turns ancient history into a tangible experience for children, with a planetarium and interactive science museum inside. The Corniche seafront walk and Citadel of Qaitbay give families a full day without needing transport.
- Underwater archaeologists have mapped Cleopatra's royal quarter 6 metres below the surface of the Eastern Harbour.
- The Bibliotheca Alexandrina — opened in 2002 on the site of the ancient library — holds 8 million books and is open to the public daily.
- The Stanley Bridge neighbourhood retains intact Art Deco apartment facades from the 1930s, when Alexandria held the largest Greek population outside Greece.
- The fish auction at the western harbour runs from 6am — vendors accept bids in rapid Arabic while buyers wade between crates of the morning catch.
Fried calamari and grilled shrimp at Corniche fish restaurants, sea spray salting the tables.
Alexandria's signature liver sandwiches — spiced, seared, and tucked into baladi bread from streetside carts.
Pastries from old Greek-influenced patisseries: basbousa, konafa, and flaky filo dripping with syrup and crushed pistachios.
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