Is Alexandria manageable as a day out from Cairo?

Yes. The road from Cairo takes about three hours, so a long private day covers the Citadel of Qaitbay, the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, Pompey's Pillar and the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and you are back in Cairo that evening. Staying overnight lets you take it more slowly.

Why is Alexandria famous?

Alexander the Great founded it in 331 BC, and it became Egypt's Mediterranean city. The ancient Lighthouse and the Great Library, both wonders of the classical world, stood here. Today you will find Greco-Roman ruins, the Qaitbay fortress on the seafront, belle-époque palaces and the bold modern library.

Do you collect us from our hotel?

We do, and it costs nothing extra. A driver collects you from your Alexandria hotel, or from the Nile cruise dock where that applies, and brings you back afterwards. You will find your guide waiting in the lobby, and should your plans shift, the local office behind the excursion can rearrange things that same day.

Which months suit Alexandria best?

The kindest weather falls between October and April, when days are warm, evenings are cool and walking round the sites is a pleasure. From May to September the heat builds, so excursions set off early and are done before midday, often with quieter sites and gentler prices as a reward. Alexandria excursions run in every month of the year.

Is it safe, and can we bring the children?

It is safe, and children are welcome. Our team has worked in Egypt since 1988, with offices across the country and someone on call day and night, and every one of our excursions uses guides and drivers we have checked ourselves. With youngsters along, the guide slows the pace and tells the stories at their level, and child seats or a shorter day can be arranged on request.

Will an Alexandria excursion fit around my cruise?

It will. Excursions set off from your hotel or the cruise terminal, so give us the ship's name and departure time when you reserve, and we will build the day with a comfortable margin before you sail.

Does the food walk include a sit-down meal?

It does not. The route covers about four hours on foot with a local guide, pausing at street stalls and small family places along the way. Please mention any allergies or dietary needs when you reserve.

Which is better value, the short or the long city outing?

The five-hour outing takes in the fort, the Roman theatre and the library. The eight-hour one adds the Catacombs and a relaxed lunch. If your ship is only in port briefly, the shorter one is the safer choice.

How long does the Cairo outing from Alexandria take?

Allow around 13 hours for the Pyramids and Grand Egyptian Museum, mostly spent travelling with a pause between the sights. It makes a very full day, so some travellers prefer to give Cairo its own stay.

What will I find at Rosetta?

Rosetta, also called Rashid, is an old river-mouth port with Ottoman merchants' houses and a link to the stone that took its name. The excursion lasts roughly seven hours with your guide.

Excursions to Alexandria

Alexandria Excursions

Catacombs, Citadel of Qaitbay, Bibliotheca Alexandrina & the Corniche

LengthFull & half day

From£35 / person

PickupHotel included

GuideEgyptologist

Each excursion begins in Alexandria itself, collecting you from your hotel or the cruise terminal, and there are 9 private excursions to choose from, taking in the Catacombs, a street-food walk, Rosetta and a long journey to the Pyramids. Fares begin at £35 per person, and the table below gives the length of each outing.

By the Egypt Discovery desk · Reviewed 9 October 2026

In Alexandria, curiosity pays better than spectacle. The Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa are among the ancient world's quiet marvels: three underground levels where Roman and Egyptian styles collide. The Citadel of Qaitbay occupies the site of the old lighthouse. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a modern successor to the greatest library of antiquity, deserves an hour of your afternoon.

The best excursion in Alexandria is the one somebody else has organised for you. Our people on the ground here have done exactly that since 1988.

Egypt Discovery · in Egypt from 1988

What you'll see

Alexandria, stop by stop

Two or three of these stops fit into one unhurried day. Your guide chooses the combination to suit your energy, what you most want to see and the time of year.

Citadel of Qaitbay

A 15th-century fortress on the Mediterranean shore, standing on the very site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders, and built partly from its fallen stones. Sea air, ramparts and views over the harbour make it the stop most people associate with the city.

~1.5 hrsEastern Harbour

Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Alexandria's modern answer to the ancient Library, opened in 2002: a huge sun-disc of a building that tilts towards the sea. Inside are the main reading room, museums and rotating exhibitions. It makes a sharp contrast with the old city around it.

~1.5 hrsClosed Fridays am

Montaza Palace Gardens

These were the royal gardens of Egypt's last dynasty, spread along the coast around the Florentine-style Al-Haramlik palace. It is a breezy, green place for a stroll between the historic sights, and it gives a taste of Alexandria in its belle-époque heyday.

~1 hrCoastal gardens

Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa

Three storeys of Roman burial chambers wind down underground, with Egyptian, Greek and Roman funerary art mixed as nowhere else; it counts among the 'Seven Wonders' of the Middle Ages. It is cool and dim down there, a real break from the seafront.

~1 hrUnderground · cool

Pompey's Pillar

A single red Aswan granite column, 27 metres tall, put up around 298 AD – the largest of its kind raised outside the imperial capitals. It stands by the ruins of the Serapeum temple and two granite sphinxes. The stop is short and photogenic, with plenty of Roman Egypt behind it.

~40 minRoman Alexandria

Every Alexandria excursions

How you could fill the day

Fares are per person and come from our live booking system, so each one is up to date.

Every Alexandria excursion at a glance

Trip	Duration	Shared or private	From, per person
Alexandria Food Walking Tour with a Local Guide	4 Hours	Private	From £35
Cairo and the Pyramids in a Day from Alexandria: Pyramids and Grand Egyptian Museum	13 Hours	Private	From £132
Private Rosetta Excursion from Alexandria: Ottoman Houses and Fort Qaitbay	7 Hours	Private	From £62
Wadi El Natrun Monasteries Day Trip from Alexandria: St Bishoy, the Syrian Monastery and Baramus	8 Hours	Private	From £70
Giza Pyramids and Coptic Cairo in a Day from Alexandria: Private, Port or Hotel Pick-up	13 Hours	Private	From £96
Giza, Memphis and Saqqara in a Day from Alexandria: Private, Port or Hotel Pick-up	14 Hours	Private	From £122
Islamic Cairo in a Day from Alexandria: Citadel, Sultan Hassan and Khan el-Khalili	13 Hours	Private	From £122
Private Full-Day Alexandria Excursion with Egyptologist Guide	8 Hours	Private	From £68
Private Half-Day Alexandria Excursion: Citadel, Roman Theatre and Library	5 Hours	Private	From £47

Eating out and evenings

The city has a serious food culture, and walking with a local guide is the surest way to reach the stalls Alexandrians actually use. It is a stroll rather than a seated tour.

Alexandria Food Walking Tour with a Local Guide

A private evening walk through Alexandria with a local guide who orders for you. You try ful and falafel at a counter that has served them for decades, liver sandwiches from a street stall, grilled fish near the harbour, then rice pudding and coffee in an old café. It takes about four hours on foot, with no vehicle.

From £354 Hours

Longer outings from Alexandria

Each of these outings leaves from Alexandria and has you back the same evening. Rosetta, where the Nile meets the sea, is the gentlest, and Wadi El Natrun takes you out to the desert monasteries of the Coptic Church. The rest are full days in Cairo with a private car and guide: the Pyramids paired with the Grand Egyptian Museum, with the Coptic quarter or with Saqqara and Memphis, plus a day among the mosques of the medieval city.

Cairo and the Pyramids in a Day from Alexandria: Pyramids and Grand Egyptian Museum

A full private day, driven from Alexandria or the cruise terminal to Giza and home again. You see the three Pyramids and the Sphinx, then spend the afternoon in the Grand Egyptian Museum, with an Egyptologist guide and lunch. The drive takes about three hours each way, so the day is about 13 hours from start to finish.

From £13213 Hours

Private Rosetta Excursion from Alexandria: Ottoman Houses and Fort Qaitbay

Head east from Alexandria for a private day in Rosetta, the town at the mouth of the Nile that gave the Rosetta Stone its name. You walk past restored Ottoman merchant houses, visit an old mill and bath house, and stand in the fort on the river where the stone came to light. It takes about seven hours with a guide and your own car.

From £627 Hours

Wadi El Natrun Monasteries Day Trip from Alexandria: St Bishoy, the Syrian Monastery and Baramus

A private day by road from Alexandria into the desert valley of Wadi El Natrun, where you visit three working Coptic monasteries: St Bishoy, the Syrian Monastery and Baramus. You travel with a private English-speaking guide and driver, and lunch is included. No admission is charged at the monasteries. Allow about 8 hours from pick-up to drop-off.

From £708 Hours

Giza Pyramids and Coptic Cairo in a Day from Alexandria: Private, Port or Hotel Pick-up

A private day by road from Alexandria or its cruise terminal to Cairo and back. In the morning you visit the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx, and after lunch you move on to Coptic Cairo, the old Christian quarter with its churches and synagogue. An Egyptologist guide stays with your party all day, in a vehicle that is yours alone. Allow about 13 hours from pick-up to drop-off.

From £9613 Hours

Giza, Memphis and Saqqara in a Day from Alexandria: Private, Port or Hotel Pick-up

A long private day by road from Alexandria or its cruise terminal. You see the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx, then Saqqara with its Step Pyramid, and finish at Memphis, the open-air museum on the site of Egypt's first capital. A private Egyptologist guide is with you throughout, and lunch is included. The day lasts about 14 hours, most of it in sightseeing and a good part in the vehicle.

From £12214 Hours

Islamic Cairo in a Day from Alexandria: Citadel, Sultan Hassan and Khan el-Khalili

A private day by road from Alexandria or its cruise terminal to medieval Cairo. You visit the Citadel of Saladin, the Mosque of Sultan Hassan and the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, then spend time in the Khan el-Khalili bazaar. A private Egyptologist guide is with you all day, and lunch is included. Allow about 13 hours from pick-up to drop-off.

From £12213 Hours

Around the city

The Catacombs, Qaitbay fort, the Roman theatre and the new library are spread across the city. A private guide links them for you, either over a full day or in a shorter morning.

Private Full-Day Alexandria Excursion with Egyptologist Guide

A full private day in Alexandria with your own Egyptologist guide and car. You go underground at the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, stand beside Pompey's Pillar, climb through the Citadel of Qaitbay on the harbour and finish in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Lunch is a fish meal by the sea. The day runs for about eight hours and starts from your Alexandria hotel or the cruise port.

From £688 Hours

Private Half-Day Alexandria Excursion: Citadel, Roman Theatre and Library

A private morning in central Alexandria with a guide and your own car. You visit the Citadel of Qaitbay on the Eastern Harbour, the Roman Theatre and mosaics at Kom el-Dikka, and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. It takes about five hours and starts at your hotel or the cruise port, which makes it a good fit for a short port call.

From £475 Hours

Who these excursions suit

Passengers off a cruise shipYour guide waits at the terminal and has you back for sailing.
Keen eatersA four-hour walking tasting route through local districts with a resident guide.
Anyone who enjoys ancient historyRoman tombs and a Roman theatre, plus the spot where the old lighthouse stood, with an Egyptologist at your side.
Holidaymakers based on the Delta coastRosetta and the Pyramids each fit into one private day from Alexandria.

Egypt Discovery is a home-grown Egyptian operator, in business since 1988. We trade under ETAA Licence No. 718 (Category A), hold IATA accreditation, and keep six offices: Cairo · Luxor · Aswan · Hurghada · Marsa Alam · Sharm El Sheikh.

Sort the rest of your holidayWhere to stay in Alexandria Transfers from Alexandria airport

Worth knowing beforehand

The practical bits

What to wear

Mosques and churches ask for shoulders and knees to be covered. Wear sturdy closed shoes, as the ground is rough stone in places and soft sand in others.

Tipping

Most guests give their guide about £2–4 for the day, with something smaller for the driver. It is your choice entirely, since the excursion fare already covers everything.

Heat & water

Bring at least a litre and a half of water each. By ten in the morning there is little shade at the sites, which is why we set off early: it is cooler as well as quieter.

Cameras & fees

Some sites ask for a camera ticket at the entrance, and a handful of tombs and inner rooms carry their own charge. Ordinary admission to each site is part of your fare.

What guests ask us