Alexandria with a population of 4.1 million, is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country’s largest seaport, serving about 80% of Egypt’s imports and exports. Alexandria is also an important tourist resort. its largest seaport and the country’s window onto the Mediterranean Sea. It’s a faded shade of its former glorious cosmopolitan self, but still worth a visit for its many cultural attractions and still-palpable glimpses of its past.
Alexandria is a main summer resort in the Middle East, visited by people from all other cities to enjoy the sun and the sea. Beaches become full of umbrellas and families and the city is usually crowded in summer. There are both public beaches (which anyone can use for free, and are usually crowded) and private beaches (which can be used upon paying a small fee). There are also private beaches that are dedicated only to the guests of some hotels.
Alexandria extends about 32 km (20 miles) along the coast of the Mediterranean sea in north-central Egypt. It is home to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (the new Library of Alexandria), and is an important industrial center because of its natural gas and oil pipelines from Suez.
Alexandria was also an important trading post between Europe and Asia, because it profited from the easy overland connection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.
In ancient times, Alexandria was one of the most famous cities in the world. It was founded around a small pharaonic town c. 334 BC by Alexander the Great. It remained Egypt’s capital for nearly a thousand years, until the Muslim conquest of Egypt in 641 AD when a new capital was founded at Fustat (Fustat was later absorbed into Cairo).
Alexandria was known for the Lighthouse of Alexandria (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), the Library of Alexandria (the largest library in the ancient world) and the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa (one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages). Ongoing maritime archaeology in the harbor of Alexandria, which began in 1994, is revealing details of Alexandria both before the arrival of Alexander, when a city named Rhakotis existed there, and during the Ptolemaic dynasty.
Alexandria has a Mediterranean climate, with warm humid summers and mild rainy winters. The daytime can be humid in summer, with summer temperatures averaging 31°C (88°F), but evenings are usually cooler and breezy, especially by the Corniche. Winters can get cold, with daytime highs down sometimes to 12°C (53°F), with frequent rain and sometimes hail. Humidity is high throughout the year. The best time to visit Alexandria is in spring (March-June) and and autumn (September-November), since it’s at its busiest in summer, when Egyptians flock down to escape the searing heat of Cairo.
Alexandria’s primary promenade is the seaside Corniche. At the western tip lies the fort of Qait Bey, built near the presumed site of the former Lighthouse (Pharos in Greek), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, while the eastern shore sprawls for miles on end with the slums and tenements of modern Alex.
Very little of the ancient city has survived into the present day. Much of the royal and civic quarters sank beneath the harbor due to earthquake subsidence, and the rest has been built over in modern times.
“Pompey’s Pillar” is the best-known ancient monument still standing today. It is located on Alexandria’s ancient acropolis a modest hill located adjacent to the city’s Arab cemetery and was originally part of a temple colonnade. Including its pedestal, it is 30 m (99 ft) high; the shaft is of polished red granite, 2.7 meters in diameter at the base, tapering to 2.4 meters at the top. The shaft is 88 feet high made out of a single piece of granite. This would be 132 cubic meters or approximately 396 tons.
The structure was plundered and demolished in the 4th century when a bishop decreed that Paganism must be eradicated. “Pompey’s Pillar” is a misnomer, as it has nothing to do with Pompey, having been erected in 293 for Diocletian, possibly in memory of the rebellion of Domitius Domitianus. Beneath the acropolis itself are the subterranean remains of the Serapeum, where the mysteries of the god Serapis were enacted, and whose carved wall niches are believed to have provided overflow storage space for the ancient Library.
Alexandria’s catacombs, known as Kom al-Soqqafa, are a short distance southwest of the pillar, consist of a multi-level labyrinth, reached via a large spiral staircase, and featuring dozens of chambers adorned with sculpted pillars, statues, and other syncretic Romano-Egyptian religious symbols, burial niches and sarcophagi, as well as a large Roman-style banquet room, where memorial meals were conducted by relatives of the deceased. The catacombs were long forgotten by the citizens until they were discovered by accident in the 1800s.
The most extensive ancient excavation currently being conducted in Alexandria is known as Kom al-Dikka, and it has revealed the ancient city’s well-preserved theater, and the remains of its Roman-era baths.
Alexandria has two airports in the immediate vicinity and is also within striking distance of Cairo. Alexandria’s main airport is El Nouzha Airport (IATA: ALY), which has a limited selection of domestic flights and fairly extensive services to cities around the Middle East. The only connection to Europe, though, is from Athens on Olympic Airlines. The airport lies 8 km (5 mi) to the south-east of the city. A taxi will take you about 20 minutes and should cost no more than 15 LE.
The city’s second airport is Borg el Arab Airport (IATA: HBE), served by Lufthansa from Frankfurt, Emirates from Dubai and (soon) Turkish from Istanbul. It’s rather less conveniently located some 25 km (16 mi) to the south-west of Alexandria, which means a one-hour journey by taxi (50 LE or less). Most travellers, however, will come via Cairo, the country’s capital, which is much better connected. Super-Jet and Western Delta operate direct buses from the airport to the Sidi-Gabr bus terminal every 30-60 minutes between 4 AM and 7:30 PM (25-31 LE).
From Cairo, frequent trains from Ramses Station are probably the best way to get to Alexandria. Trains run at least once every hour from 6 AM to 10 PM, but try to choose either an express or the pride of Egyptian Railways, the French-built Turbo, which takes only 2 hours 10 minutes for the journey. 1st/2nd class tickets LE 46/29 one-way. For the return journey, trains depart from Misr Station, a 10-minute stroll south of the Corniche along Nabi Daniel St, as well as the Sidi Gaber Station.
There are two options when traveling from Cairo to Alexandria by car. Using either route, the journey usually takes around 3 hours, depending on speed and surrounding traffic. The Agriculture road has a speed limit of 90 km/hr for private cars and has 2 lanes in each direction. This is the main road, so it can get a little crowded. Also offers access to Damnhour and Tanta. The Desert road has a speed limit of 100 km/hr for private cars and has 3 lanes in each direction. True to the name, this crosses the desert and is less crowded and faster. There are cafeterias every few kilometers.
Several bus companies offer a bus service into Alexandria at a very low price range: 20-35 LE. Buses are air conditioned and come complete with a hostess trolley service. Companies include Golden Arrow, West Delta, Super Jet, Pullman and El Gouna. Operating times vary from one company to another, but there are trips between Cairo and Alexandria virtually every hour from early morning till midnight.
Note that while the buses themselves are perfectly comfortable, the duration of your journey from Cairo to Alexandria (and vice versa) will depend on your pick-up/drop-off point. Most buses start out from the Almaza Bus Station in Heliopolis and stop by Midan Tahrir and Giza before finally setting out to Alexandria; if you join from Heliopolis expect a 4-5 hour trip rather than the average 2-3.
There are a number of bus pick-up/drop-off points inside Alexandria. These are usually either at Maw’if Gadid Station (except El Gouna, which uses Sidi Gaber station) which is a bit far from the city of Alexandria so it shouldn’t cost more than a 10 LE cab ride, 15 LE max. Don’t take a taxi with anyone that approaches you right outside of the bus. Walk outside the station and catch a taxi there if you must. There is also a bus from Maw’if Gadid to Sidi Gabr, and from Sidi Gabr most parts of the city are accessible by minibus or tram if you are looking to save money. The bus fare will run you 50 piasters.
Neighbourhoods (urban districts), Modern Alexandria is divided into 6 neighbourhoods:
- Montaza Neighbourhood
- Eastern Alexandria Neighbourhood
- Middle (or Downtown) Alexandria Neighbourhood
- Amreya Neighbourhood
- Western Alexandria Neighbourhood
- Gumrok Neighbourhood
- Borg Al-Arab city
- New Borg Al-Arab city
Neighborhoods of Alexandria include: Agami, Amreya, Anfoushi, Assafra, Attarine, Azarita (aka Mazarita; originally Lazarette), Bab Sidra, Bahari, Bachus, Bulkeley (aka Bokla), Burg el-Arab, Cleopatra, Dekheila, Downtown, Eastern Harbor, Fleming, Gabbari (aka: Qabbari, Qubbary, Kabbary), Janaklis, Glym (short for Glymenopoulos), Gumrok (aka al-Gomrok), Hadara, Ibrahimeya, King Mariout, Kafr Abdu, Karmous, also known as Karmouz, Kom el-Dik (aka Kom el-Dekka), Labban, Laurent, Louran, Maamoura Beach, Maamoura, Mafrouza, Mandara, Manshiyya, Mex, Miami, Montaza, Muharram Bey, Mustafa Kamel, Ramleh (aka el-Raml), Ras el-Tin, Rushdy, Saba Pasha , San Stefano, Shatby, Schutz, Sidi Bishr, Sidi Gaber, Smouha, Sporting, Stanley, Syouf, Tharwat, Victoria, Wardeyan, Western Harbor, and Zizinia.
Alexandria is quite a long city; you can get pretty much anywhere by using the local transportation available along the Corniche. Alexandria’s yellow and black taxis are a good way to travel in the city, and a cheap one as well. Be careful though: taxis will uniformly refuse to use meters (the rates haven’t been adjusted in years) and drivers love to take advantage of non-Alexandrians, so it’s best to agree on the fare before you get in. No taxi ride between any two points in the city should cost more than 25LE.
To get into a taxi, wave at the driver and yell the name of your destination. If the driver agrees they would park at the side of the road as soon as possible. Some taxis will stop to pick you up even if they already have a passenger, but such offers are best refused.
Alexandria has a creaky, slow but very cheap tram system that dates back to 1860 and looks the part — it’s the oldest one still running in Africa. The route map is remarkably confusing and changes on a regular basis, but one factor stays constant: the network is split into the interurban Ramleh Lines (Tram el-Raml), which use blue-and-cream trams and run across the city a few blocks back from the sea towards the eastern suburbs, and the City Lines (Tram el-Madina), which use bright yellow trams and run west and south of central Alex. The two meet at Raml Station (Mahattat el-Raml), right at the heart of Alex. For both lines, the flat fare is a whopping 25 piasters (~US$0.05), and tickets can be bought on board. Note that the middle car (out of three) in the blue trams is reserved for women only.
Probably the most useful service for tourists is yellow tram #25, which runs from Raml Station to Ras el-Tin and Fort Qait Bey. You can also hop on any blue tram west from Sidr Gabr bus/railway station to get to Raml, but not all eastbound trams stop there.
There are a variety of local bus services which have improved significantly in the past few years, but they are rather confusing for those who haven’t lived in Alexandria for a while. Apart from city buses, you will also find “mini-buses”, which work on hop-and-go basis. They are easily recognizable 14-person buses, which will stop when you wave and stop where you need to get off. The drivers rarely speak English, so make sure you know the Arabic name of your destination or that you already know where to stop. The routes are usually along the main streets and cost between LE 0.50-1.50.
The Royal Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt, was once the largest library in the world. It is generally thought to have been founded at the beginning of the 3rd century BC, during the reign of Ptolemy II of Egypt. It was likely created after his father had built what would become the first part of the Library complex, the temple of the Muses — the Museion, Greek (from which the modern English word museum is derived).
It has been reasonably established that the Library, or parts of the collection, were destroyed by fire on a number of occasions (library fires were common and replacement of handwritten manuscripts was very difficult, expensive, and time-consuming). To this day the details of the destruction (or destructions) remain a lively source of controversy. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina was inaugurated in 2003 near the site of the old Library.
Mosques: Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque, in Somouha, Bilal Mosque, al-Gamee al-Bahari, in Mandara, Hatem Mosque, in Somouha, Hoda al-Islam Mosque, in Sidi Bishr, Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi Mosque, in Anfushi, al-Mowasah Mosque, in Hadara, Sharq al-Madina Mosque, in Miami, al-Shohadaa’ Mosque, in Mostafa Kamel, Qaed Ibrahim Mosque, Yehia Mosque, in Janaklis, Sidi Beshr Mosque, in Sidi Beshr, Sidi Gaber Mosque, in Sidi Gaber, Qasr al-Islam Mosque, In Sidi Gaber, al-Qabany Mosque, In Fleming, Abo al-Nor Mosque, In Bakos, al-Manara Mosque, In Shatby, Ansar al-Haq Mosque, In Sidi Beshr, al-Sayda Amna Mosque, In Sidi Gaber, al-Sadaka Mosque, In Sidi Beshr, Tag al-Ser Mosque, Victoria, al-Fath Mosque, Semouha, and Nour al-Islam mosque in Camp Cesar.
Churches: Saint Alexander Nevsky Church (Russian Orthodox Rite), Saint Anargyri Church (Greek Orthodox Rite), Church of the Annunciation (Greek Orthodox Rite), Saint Anthony Church (Greek Orthodox Rite) Archangels Gabriel and Michael Church (Greek Orthodox Rite), Saint Catherine Church (Greek Orthodox Rite), Saint Catherine Church (Latin Catholic Rite), Pope Cyril I Church, in Cleopatra (Coptic Orthodox Rite), Cathedral of the Dormition, in Mansheya (Greek Catholic Rite), Church of the Dormition (Greek Orthodox Rite), Prophet Elijah Church (Greek Orthodox Rite), Saint Georges Church, in Sporting (Coptic Orthodox Rite), Saint Georges Church (Greek Orthodox Rite), Church of the Immaculate Conception, in Ibrahemeya (Greek Catholic Rite), Church of the Jesuits, in Cleopatra (Latin Catholic Rite), Saint Joseph Church, in Fleming (Greek Catholic Rite), Saint Joseph of Arimathea Church (Greek Orthodox Rite), Saint Mark Cathedral , in Ramleh (Coptic Orthodox Rite), Saint Mark Church, in Shatby (Latin Catholic, Coptic Catholic and Coptic Orthodox Rites), Saint Mark & Saint Nectarios Chapel, in Ramleh (Greek Orthodox Rite), Saint Mark & Pope Peter I Church (Coptic Orthodox Rite), Saint Mary Church, in Assafra (Coptic Orthodox Rite), Saint Mary Church, in Gianaclis (Coptic Orthodox Rite), Saint Menas Church, in Fleming (Coptic Orthodox Rite), Saint Mina Church, in Mandara (Coptic Orthodox Rite), Saint Nicholas Church (Greek Orthodox Rite), Saint Paraskevi Church (Greek Orthodox Rite), Saint Sava Cathedral, in Ramleh (Greek Orthodox Rite), Saint Tekle Haymanot Church (Coptic Orthodox Rite), Saint Theodore Chapel (Greek Orthodox Rite).
An extensive tramway network built in 1860 and is the oldest in Africa. A single ticket costs 25 Egyptian piastres (2008). The tram network is divided into two parts joined in the “Raml Station”. Trams working east of the “Raml Station” are painted blue and usually known as “Tram al-Raml”. The ones operating to the west of “Raml station” are painted yellow and are a little smaller, with a single tram working on both routes.
Trams are the slowest means of transport in Alexandria but are convenient for short trips, 2-3 stations. If you are a sightseer with time to spare it is the cheapest way to see most of Alexandria.
Taxis are a main means of public transportation in Alexandria. Taxis are painted black and yellow. Fare usually starts from 2 Egyptian pounds (2008). All taxis are required by law to have a meter but almost none is actually used since the fares have not changed in a very long time to keep up with inflation.
Exactly what amount to charge a taxi is not exactly known and is left to the customers to estimate how much the trip is worth (like all other cities in Egypt, including Cairo) but most Alexandrians who use taxis usually know from experience what every trip costs. This creates a problem for travelers and tourists who are usually over-billed for their trips. Tourists are always advised to ask for how much they should pay for a taxi before hailing one.
Alexandria has a bit of a crime problem, although it’s rarely violent. Beware of pickpockets and don’t flash your valuables or wear a bum bag/fanny pack. Street kids, taxi drivers, and others may harass tourists. They will usually desist after a stern “La!” or two. Or you can say “la shukran!” (no thanks) or “emshi” (go!).
Alexandria is a conservative city, so women are advised to cover their shoulders, midriffs, cleavage and legs. Still, women should expect to be heckled or harassed in the street, especially if walking alone. The best response is to ignore the offender and pretend you don’t hear anything. Cover your head when entering places of worship.
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