We went to Alexandria expecting Mediterranean views and Greco-Roman ruins. What we didn’t expect was to spend an hour talking with a monk in the desert, or to stand at the exact spot where a donkey’s misstep in 1900 led to one of Egypt’s most extraordinary archaeological finds.
Two days were enough to see Alexandria properly, without racing between sites. This is what we did, what we’d tell you to skip, what it cost, and how to get there from Cairo.
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Alexandria Map
2 Days in Alexandria at a Glance
Day One: Cairo to Alexandria via St Macarius Monastery, then the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa and Pompey’s Pillar on arrival
Day Two: Montazah Gardens, the National Museum of Alexandria, the Bibliotheca of Alexandria, a seafood lunch at the harbour, and Qaitbay Fortress
Getting to Alexandria from Cairo
We researched every option — train, taxi, group tour, and a private driver with an Egyptologist — before deciding how to spend our two days. In the end, we went with Egyptian Edu Travel, whose owner, Romani Gaballa, built our itineraries for Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, and Abu Simbel. Having a guide made the monastery stop possible in the way we experienced it — we wouldn’t have known to ask the right questions without one.
Reader discount: quote TTT2024 with Egyptian Edu Travel for 5% off. Contact: [email protected]
If a private guide isn’t for you, here’s what we found on the other options:
By bus: several companies run the route; we’d recommend Bluebus. The journey takes 3–3.5 hours depending on traffic, and their Alexandria station at Moharam Bek sits about 7km from the centre, so budget for a taxi at the other end. Check current prices and schedules.
By train: the more comfortable option, taking 2.5–3 hours between Cairo’s Ramses Station and one of Alexandria’s two intercity stations (Misr, the main one, or Sidi Gaber). Pay the extra for first-class air-conditioned carriages if you can — worth every pound on a hot day. Check schedules and book here.
By private car: the fastest and most flexible option if you want to stop at the monastery en route the way we did, since public transport doesn’t easily accommodate a detour like that.
Day One: Cairo to Alexandria
St Macarius Monastery
St Macarius Monastery grounds
This wasn’t a stop we’d originally planned much time for, and it ended up being one of our favourite moments of the whole trip. The monastery, 96km from Cairo (roughly an hour to an hour and ten minutes’ drive), was founded in 360 AD by St Macarius. During a 1969 restoration, the crypts of St John the Baptist and Elisha the Prophet were discovered here.
We were met by one of the resident monks, who runs tours for visitors and spent time walking us through daily life at the monastery — 120 monks currently in residence, ranging from 25 to 95 years old, up at 4 am and in bed between 8 and 9:30 pm, with two meals a day and Arabic as their shared language. The monastery grows its own olives, dates, figs, mangoes, bananas, corn, and wheat, keeping 5–10% of what it produces and selling the rest.
What stayed with us wasn’t any single fact, though — it was how immediately calm the place felt the moment we stepped out of the car. If you’re doing this drive anyway, we’d genuinely urge you to build in the time for this stop rather than treating it as a bathroom break.
Address: Km 92 Cairo–Alexandria Desert Road (Exit 10 from Cairo, Exit 46 from Alexandria)
Entry: no set fee, though a donation is always welcome
The Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa
The Catacombs of Alexandria
This was the stop we’d been looking forward to most, and the story of how it was found is almost as good as the site itself. In September 1900, a donkey stumbled and fell through a shaft into the buried tomb below — you can still see the spot where it happened. What it uncovered is the largest Roman burial site in Egypt, dating to the 2nd century AD and counted among the seven wonders of the Middle Ages.
There are three levels. Steps take you down to the first, walkways make the second easily accessible, and the third remains off-limits. The carvings blend Egyptian, Greek, and Roman styles in a way we hadn’t seen combined so directly anywhere else in Egypt — worth taking your time on the second level in particular.
Address: Tawfikeya Street, Ras at Tin, Alexandria
Opening hours: 9 am–4 pm
Pompey’s Pillar
Pompey’s Pillar, Alexandria
A short walk from the Catacombs on Bab Sidra Hill, this 20.75-metre red granite column was actually built in 298 AD in honour of Emperor Diocletian — the “Pompey” name is a historical mix-up with no real connection to the Roman general it’s named after; nobody seems entirely sure how it stuck. Two red granite sphinxes flank the pillar, and just past them is the Sanctuary, with its statue of the bull god Serapis dating to the Ptolemaic period.
Address: Corner of Amoud El Sawary and El Shenity Abou Mandour, Karmouz, Alexandria
Opening hours: 9 am–4:30 pm
Where We Stayed
Skyview Restaurant, Le Metropole Hotel
We checked into Le Metropole and would happily stay again — the location overlooking the Mediterranean is hard to beat. We spent our evening at the hotel’s Sky View Restaurant for rooftop drinks and dinner, watching the light change over the harbour, and it was the right way to end a full first day.
Check current prices and availability
Watch our stay at Le Metropole on YouTube. Watch our full 2-day Alexandria video
Day Two: Alexandria
Montazah Gardens
Montazah Palace
We’ll be straightforward about this one: we found it underwhelming. The palace itself was built in 1892 for the Khedive and later used as a summer palace by King Farouk, and the complex is genuinely large — smaller palaces, a mosque, a beach club, 50,000 rose bushes across 20 hectares, palm groves, and a hotel with four restaurants. On paper, it should have been a highlight. In practice, it felt more like passing through than a destination in its own right, and we wouldn’t prioritise it if your two days are tight.
If you do go, an hour to 90 minutes covers it, unless you’re planning to spend real time at the beach club or pools.
Opening hours: 8 am–midnight
Address: El-Gaish Rd, Al Mandarah Bahri, Montaza 2, Alexandria
National Museum of Alexandria
National Museum of Alexandria
We enjoyed this considerably more than the Egyptian Museum in Cairo — better laid out, clearly labelled artefacts, and noticeably cooler and more comfortable to walk through. Opened in September 2022, it displays over 1,800 items spanning the Pharaonic, Ptolemaic, Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic periods across three floors. Give it 1.5–2 hours.
Opening hours: 9 am–4:30 pm
Address: 131 El-Shaheed Galal El-Desouky, Bab Sharqi, Alexandria
Bibliotheca of Alexandria
Bibliotheca of Alexandria
The scale of this place is genuinely hard to take in without help, so book a tour — they run in English, French, and Arabic, and it made a real difference to how much we got out of the visit. We hadn’t realised you could learn the ancient Egyptian language and hieroglyphs here, or that there’s a dedicated section downstairs on President Anwar Sadat. Check what’s on before you go too; the library runs rotating exhibitions throughout the year, and it’s worth signing up for their newsletter if you want to time a visit around one.
Opening hours (Main Reading Area): Sunday–Thursday 10 am–7 pm, Saturday 10 am–2 pm
Opening hours (Museums, Planetarium, Visits): Sunday–Thursday 9:30 am–5 pm, Saturday 10 am–2 pm
Address: Al Azaritah, Bab Sharqi, Alexandria. Book a tour here
Lunch at the Fish Market
Fish Market for lunch in Alexandria
On the way to Qaitbay Fortress, we stopped at the Fish Market Restaurant on the harbour for fresh seafood, and it’s easily one of the better meals we had in Alexandria — good enough, and popular enough, that we’d recommend booking ahead. The harbour views from the table were the bonus we hadn’t planned for.
Address: El Corniche, beside the Scout Club, Alexandria
Qaitbay Fortress
Qaitbay Fortress
We ended our second day here, and it felt like the right closing note. Built between 1477 and 1479 on the site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria — one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, destroyed by an earthquake in the 14th century — the fortress was constructed to defend the city from Crusader attacks and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. On a clear day, the views from the top reportedly stretch far enough to hint at the coastlines of Italy and Greece; ours wasn’t quite that clear, but the views over the harbour alone were worth the climb. There’s also a Maritime Museum inside the complex if you want to extend the visit.
Opening hours: 9 am–5 pm
Address: As Sayalah Sharq, Al Gomrok, Alexandria
Only Have One Day?
If two days isn’t possible, here’s how we’d compress it:
Morning: Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, then Pompey’s Pillar
Afternoon: National Museum of Alexandria, then Qaitbay Fortress
You’ll miss the monastery, Montazah, and the Bibliotheca, but you’ll still get Alexandria’s strongest sites without feeling rushed between them.
What Does 2 Days in Alexandria Cost?
Rough per-person figures in USD — actual costs shift with season, group size, and whether you’re travelling independently or with a private guide.
Budget (~$30–50/day) Bus travel from Cairo, budget or mid-range hotel, self-guided entry to sites, casual restaurant meals, taxis for getting around.
Moderate (~$70–110/day) Train travel (first class) or a shared tour from Cairo, a 4-star hotel like Le Metropole, the Fish Market or similar sit-down lunch, a guided Bibliotheca tour.
Splurge (~$150+/day) Private driver and Egyptologist for both days (our choice, and the one we’d make again), harbour-view hotel dining, private transfers throughout.
Entry fees to budget for: the Catacombs, Pompey’s Pillar, the National Museum, and Qaitbay Fortress each charge separate entrance fees, typically in the $5–10 USD range per site. The monastery has no set fee, just a donation box. Site pricing in Egypt has shifted more than once in recent years, so it’s worth confirming current rates when you book.
The single biggest cost decision here is the same one we made: whether to go private-guide or independent. We don’t regret ours, particularly for the monastery stop, but independent travel by train plus self-guided sites is a genuinely workable way to see Alexandria on a tighter budget.
FAQ: Visiting Alexandria
Is Alexandria worth visiting from Cairo? Yes — it’s a different Alexandria from the ancient city of legend (very little of that remains above ground), but between the Catacombs, Qaitbay Fortress, and the modern Bibliotheca, it holds its own as more than a day trip.
Can you do Alexandria as a day trip from Cairo? Yes, though it’s tight. We’d prioritise the Catacombs, Pompey’s Pillar, the National Museum, and Qaitbay Fortress if you only have one day, and save the monastery detour and Montazah Gardens for a longer visit.
Do you need a guide for the Catacombs or the Bibliotheca? Not strictly, but we’d recommend one for the Bibliotheca specifically — it’s a large, layered space, and a guided tour genuinely changed how much we got out of it. The Catacombs are more straightforward to explore independently.
Is Montazah Gardens worth visiting? Honestly, we’d say it’s skippable if your time is limited. It’s pleasant but not a standout compared to Alexandria’s other sites, especially if you’re not planning to spend time at the beach club.
How do you get around Alexandria once you’re there? Taxis are cash-only and unmetered, so confirm a price with your hotel before you go. Uber and the local rideshare app Careem both operate in Alexandria.
When is the best time to visit Alexandria? September to November and March to April are the most comfortable months, avoiding the peak summer heat.
Visas for Egypt
Three options depending on your passport:
- On arrival at the airport (check whether your nationality is eligible)
- Via the Egyptian Government e-Visa Portal
- Through iVisa, which will arrange it for you for a service fee
Where to Next?
- Cairo in 3 Days
- Things to Do in Luxor in 4 Days
- Things to Do in Hurghada as a Solo Traveller
- Aswan in 2 Days: Feluccas, Temples, and Nubian Villages
General Travel Information
My Favourite App of all time – GPSMyCity
Now, if you want to explore a local city or town, there is an app called GPSMyCity. This is one of my favourite apps of all time. Why?
I can download city guides and maps for offline use, saving my mobile data, unreliable WiFi, and not having to carry a heavy guidebook around with me.
GPSMyCity has thousands of self-guided tours and travel articles in over 1500 locations.
As I arrive at a new location, I check out their self-guided walking tours and travel articles, download the article for my offline use and off I head – my own personal travel guide.
I now have access to local sights, restaurants, hidden gems and historical walking routes which I can enjoy at my own pace.
For a small fee, you can access its GPS navigation. This is such a cool feature, and it has saved me from getting lost many times.
This is one invaluable tool in my toolkit of travel apps.
This article is now featured on GPSMyCity.
To download this article for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the attractions highlighted in this article, go to Walking Tours in Alexandria
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Check out our YouTube video on our 2 days in Alexandria below
For flights to Cairo and Alexandria, check the latest deals, availability and schedules here
Borg El Arab International Airport Alexandria, is located 40 km from the city centre.
Individual Tours in and around Alexandria
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