Private Alexandria Day Trip from Cairo with Egyptologist Discount Tickets

Get your discount tickets for the Private Alexandria Day Trip from Cairo with Egyptologist, save up to 18% !

Overview

Alexandria is a different Egypt: Mediterranean, Greco-Roman, sea-sprayed, and about 2.5 hours north of Cairo. This private day trip gives you the city in full. Your Egyptologist drives you up and walks you through 2,000 years of layered history. You descend into the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, a three-level Roman tomb cut into bedrock; stand under Pompey's Pillar at the old temple of Serapis; look out from Qaitbay Citadel, built where the Lighthouse of Pharos once stood; and take in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the modern echo of the ancient library. The seafront and Abu al-Abbas Mosque round it out. It is a long day with real driving on either side, all private and at your pace. Ideal for travelers based in Cairo who want the sea, the Greco-Roman story, and a break from the desert.

Pickup Information

Please share your hotel name and address when booking. Your guide will meet you at the hotel lobby in the morning for the approximately 3-hour drive each way to Alexandria. This is a full-day tour with about 6 hours of total driving and 4-5 hours of sightseeing. Comfortable shoes and a light jacket for sea breezes recommended.

Language Offered

English-GUIDE

French-GUIDE

Spanish-GUIDE

Itinerary

1. Cairo
Your day begins with a convenient pickup from your accommodation in Cairo or Giza. You’ll meet your professional Egyptologist tour guide and driver, then relax in a private, air-conditioned vehicle for the scenic 3-hour journey to Alexandria.
Duration: 180 mins
2. Catacombs Of Kom El Shoqafa
You descend a spiral staircase into the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, a Roman burial complex cut three levels deep into the rock around the 2nd century AD. The carvings are a strange, brilliant blend: Egyptian gods in Roman dress, Anubis in a legionary's armor, where two cultures met underground. Lost for centuries until a donkey reportedly fell through the roof in 1900, it is one of Alexandria's most atmospheric sights, cool and dim after the street above.
Duration: 60 mins
3. Pompey's Pillar
You start at Pompey's Pillar, a single column of red Aswan granite nearly 27 meters tall, raised around 298 AD and the largest of its kind built outside the imperial capitals. Despite the name it has nothing to do with Pompey; it honored the emperor Diocletian. It stands on the mound of the Serapeum, the temple of Serapis that once held part of Alexandria's great library, with two granite sphinxes nearby. Your guide sets the scene of Roman Alexandria around you.
Duration: 40 mins
4. Bibliotheca Alexandrina
You finish at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the bold modern library that opened in 2002 as a tribute to the ancient one that made Alexandria the knowledge capital of the old world. Its tilted glass roof faces the sea, and the main reading room cascades down eleven terraces under the light. Your guide connects it back to the lost library of antiquity. It is a fitting, hopeful place to end before the drive back to Cairo.
Duration: 60 mins
5. Citadel of Qaitbay
Out on the harbor's edge stands Qaitbay Citadel, a 15th-century fort built on the exact spot where the Lighthouse of Pharos, one of the Seven Wonders, stood for over 1,500 years until earthquakes brought it down. Some of the lighthouse's fallen stone is built into the fort's walls. Your guide explains the lost wonder while the Mediterranean breaks against the rocks below. The sea views from here are the best in the city.
Duration: 45 mins
6. Mosque of Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi
A short stop brings you to the Mosque of Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi, the largest and most beloved mosque in Alexandria, its cream stone and high minaret rising over the old fishing harbor. Built over the tomb of a 13th-century Sufi saint and rebuilt in its current grand form in the 1940s, it anchors the city's old Muslim quarter. You admire it from outside, or step in respectfully if dress and timing allow. Modest dress is needed to enter.
Duration: 30 mins
7. Cairo
After a full day of exploration, enjoy a relaxing drive back to Cairo. You will be dropped off at your original pickup location or another preferred drop-off point within Cairo or Giza.
Duration: 180 mins

Inclusion

Licensed Multilingual Egyptologist guide

All Service charges & taxes

Hotel pickup and drop-off in private air-conditioned vehicle (Cairo hotels)

Entrance fees

Snack bag ( Water - Chips- Biscuits)

Lunch

Exclusion

Any extras not mentioned in the itinerary

Gratuities for guide and driver (optional)

Bibliotheca Alexandrina interior entry (we view the exterior), personal expenses

Cancellation Policy

Check mark icon Refundable tickets

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

  • 100% refund if cancelled 1+ days before the start date
  • 0% refund if cancelled less than 1 day(s) before the start date

Additional Info

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

May be operated by a multi-lingual guide

Please note: pickup reconfirmation is required upon booking, please refer to voucher for further details

Supplied by Egypt Day Tours

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