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Alexandria

The Mediterranean, fish picked off the ice, and a nostalgia that clings to the walls.

Two and a half hours by train from Cairo, and a different country. The Corniche, Qaitbay at the end of the breakwater, Anfoushi for fish picked off the ice. Of the Greek and Roman city, most of what is left sits below street level or underground: the theatre dug out in mid-town, and the catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa on three levels. Come in May or September — in August the whole of Egypt is on the beach.

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Photo : Hmkree (Wikimedia Commons) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Pyramids, temples, museums, mosques, Coptic churches

Monuments & sites

  • Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa

    Our favourite

    A Roman necropolis on three levels, where Anubis wears a legionary's armour.

    AlexandriaKarmouz

    €€ Mid-rangeHistoric venue

  • Roman Theatre

    Egypt's only surviving Roman theatre: thirteen tiers of marble in the middle of downtown.

    AlexandriaKom el-Dikka

    €€ Mid-rangeBest in the morning

  • Bibliotheca Alexandrina

    A 2002 library that has nothing of the ancient one but its name, and a reading room on eleven terraces.

    AlexandriaShatby

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly

  • Montazah Palace

    A royal park by the sea where you visit the gardens, not the palace.

    AlexandriaMontazah

    €€ Mid-rangeSunset

  • Qaitbay Citadel

    A Mamluk fortress of the 1470s at the harbour point, over the ruins of the Pharos.

    AlexandriaAnfoushi

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view

  • The Bibliotheca's museums

    Three museums and a planetarium tucked beneath the great reading room.

    AlexandriaChatby, Alexandria

    € BudgetHistoric venue
  • Pearl necklaces, gold brooches and chased silver boxes heaped on a black background.

    The Royal Jewellery Museum

    The jewels of Mohamed Ali's family, in a palace with extraordinary stained glass.

    AlexandriaZizinia, Alexandria

    € BudgetHistoric venue

  • The Cavafy Museum

    Off the beaten track

    The Alexandrian Greek poet's flat, as he wrote "Ithaka" in it.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    € BudgetHistoric venue

  • The Mustafa Kamel tombs

    Off the beaten track

    Four Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs, in a neighbourhood garden.

    AlexandriaRushdy, Alexandria

    € BudgetHistoric venue

  • Kom el-Dikka

    Egypt's only Roman theatre, with its baths and ancient lecture halls.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    € BudgetHistoric venue
  • An ancient mosaic floor with geometric patterns, worn by time.

    The Villa of the Birds

    Off the beaten track

    A Roman house whose mosaics show nine birds, protected under a shelter.

    AlexandriaKom el-Dikka, Alexandria

    € BudgetHistoric venue

Feluccas, desert, diving, markets, cruises

Outings & activities

  • The Bibliotheca's museums

    Three museums and a planetarium tucked beneath the great reading room.

    AlexandriaChatby, Alexandria

    € BudgetHistoric venue

  • Kom el-Dikka

    Egypt's only Roman theatre, with its baths and ancient lecture halls.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    € BudgetHistoric venue

  • The Alexandria tram

    Our favourite

    Africa's oldest tram, overhauled after a hundred and fifty years of service.

    AlexandriaFrom Raml to Victoria, Alexandria

    € BudgetHistoric venue
  • Blue fishing boats moored on both sides of a canal lined with houses.

    El Max

    Off the beaten track

    A fishing village built on a canal, nicknamed Alexandria's Venice.

    AlexandriaEl Max, west of Alexandria

    € BudgetWhere locals go

  • The Montazah gardens

    A hundred and fifty hectares of pines and palms by the sea, around the royal palace.

    AlexandriaMontazah, Alexandria

    € BudgetFamily-friendly
  • An orange-and-white striped beach parasol seen from below against a blue sky.

    Maamoura beach

    The Alexandrians' family beach, sheltered and shallow.

    AlexandriaMaamoura, east of Alexandria

    € BudgetSea view

Parks, water parks, things to do with children, swimming pools

Family outings

  • Antoniadis Gardens

    The garden of a nineteenth-century Greek villa: ruled walks, marble statues, old palms.

    AlexandriaSmouha

    € BudgetHistoric venue

  • Shallalat Gardens

    A sunken garden wrapped around what is left of Alexandria's medieval city wall.

    AlexandriaShallalat

    € BudgetWhere locals go

  • Alexandria Zoo

    An early twentieth-century pleasure garden in Nouzha: come for the palm walks.

    AlexandriaNouzha

    € BudgetFamily-friendly

  • The Montazah gardens

    A hundred and fifty hectares of pines and palms by the sea, around the royal palace.

    AlexandriaMontazah, Alexandria

    € BudgetFamily-friendly
  • An orange-and-white striped beach parasol seen from below against a blue sky.

    Maamoura beach

    The Alexandrians' family beach, sheltered and shallow.

    AlexandriaMaamoura, east of Alexandria

    € BudgetSea view
  • An infinity pool at the edge of a garden, two empty loungers and the blue sea on the horizon.

    Four Seasons San Stefano — pool day passes

    The one hotel in Alexandria that publishes, in black and white, the price of a day at the pool with no room booked.

    AlexandriaSan Stefano, on the Corniche

    €€€ High endFamily-friendly
  • A blue pool in the foreground, a row of straw parasols, palm trees and the sea behind.

    Aifu Resort El Montazah — the day-use pool

    A day in the pool on the Montazah Corniche, no room booked, for the price of a lunch.

    AlexandriaMontazah, on the Corniche, opposite the park gate

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly

  • The Alexandria Engineers Syndicate club pool

    The pool people take for public and which is not: it is reserved for syndicate engineers and their families.

    AlexandriaAlexandria — the syndicate does not publish the club's address

    € BudgetFamily-friendly

Egyptian, street food, fine dining, brunch

Restaurants

  • Grilled fish

    Kadoura

    You pick your fish off the ice, they grill it, you eat facing the harbour.

    AlexandriaAnfoushi / Corniche

    4.4Ratingour own rating€€ Mid-rangeSea view

  • Athineos

    A Belle Époque room facing the sea, with a view of the bay and of a century of Alexandria.

    AlexandriaCorniche, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeHistoric venue

  • Mohamed Ahmed

    Alexandria's breakfast: foul, taameya and eggs, in a room that never empties.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    € BudgetVegan options
  • A market stall piled with small fresh red mullet.

    Abou Ashraf

    Fish picked off the ice, grilled in the alley, eaten at plastic tables.

    AlexandriaAnfoushi, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • Grilled squid and a prawn, with a roasted lemon wedge.

    Cap d'Or

    Our favourite

    An Art Nouveau tavern serving beer and prawns for a century.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    € BudgetHistoric venue
  • A plate of small fried fish, lemon and white sauce

    The tables of Abu Qir

    Alexandria's fish eaten where it lands, facing Nelson's bay.

    AlexandriaAbu Qir, east of Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • Three glasses of fruit juice — strawberry, orange, lime — on a wooden table.

    Farghaly

    Fresh juices, ice cream and fruit salads, in overflowing displays.

    AlexandriaAlexandria and Cairo

    € BudgetBudget
  • A dish of large grilled prawns with lemon, garlic and tomatoes.

    Samakmak

    Our favourite

    Alexandria's fish table, run by a former singer who became a neighbourhood legend.

    AlexandriaAnfoushi, Alexandria

    €€€ High endWhere locals go
  • A restaurant terrace of laid tables, facing the sea.

    Zephyrion

    A Greek taverna from 1929 at the water's edge, on the Abu Qir point.

    AlexandriaAbu Qir, Alexandria

    €€€ High endSea view
  • Two whole grilled fish with lemon wedges on a metal plate.

    The Greek Club

    A terrace above Qaitbay fort, with the whole bay in front.

    AlexandriaAnfoushi, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • A tomato, mozzarella and basil pizza on a wooden board, one slice pulled away.

    Chez Gaby

    An Alexandrian trattoria from the 1980s, checked tablecloths included.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeAlcohol served
  • A large mixed grill platter — skewers, chops and chicken — with bread, salad and sauces.

    Balbaa Village

    Alexandrian grills in a big family room, open late.

    AlexandriaCairo road, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly
  • Grilled chicken pieces lined up on flatbread with charred pepper, tomato and onion.

    Hosny

    Neighbourhood kofta and kebab, served on a production line for decades.

    AlexandriaAlexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • A mound of tabbouleh — parsley, tomato, onion and bulgur — on a white plate.

    Hassan Bleik

    Off the beaten track

    A Lebanese house in the centre, open at lunchtime only, as fifty years ago.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • Whole red fish laid out on crushed ice.

    Fish Market

    Fish by weight with a panoramic view over the eastern bay.

    AlexandriaCorniche, Alexandria

    €€€ High endSea view
  • Meat, pepper and onion skewers on a charcoal grill.

    Tikka Grill

    Grills and seafood facing the sea, steps from the Bibliotheca.

    AlexandriaCorniche, near the Bibliotheca

    €€€ High endSea view
  • Straw parasols and white loungers on a sandy beach facing the sea.

    Sea Gull

    Fish and grills on an Agami beach, far from the centre's crowds.

    AlexandriaAgami, west of Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • A hand holding an ice cream cone with a pink scoop and a cream scoop, out in the street.

    Alexandria's ice cream houses

    Buffalo-milk and mastic ice cream, a Greek tradition that stayed Alexandrian.

    AlexandriaCorniche and city centre

    € BudgetFamily-friendly
  • Dough worked by hand, rolling pin and flour

    Alexandria's baladi fiteer

    The Egyptian layered pastry, sweet or savoury, stretched by hand in front of you.

    AlexandriaWorking-class districts, Alexandria

    € BudgetWhere locals go
  • A flatbread stuffed with minced meat, oven-browned and cut into wedges on a plate.

    Alexandria's hawawshi

    Baladi bread stuffed with spiced minced meat, oven-baked until crisp.

    AlexandriaBahary and working-class districts

    € BudgetWhere locals go
  • A row of chicken and pepper skewers

    Sidi Bishr's grills

    The district where Alexandria has dinner on weekdays, away from the tourist Corniche.

    AlexandriaSidi Bishr, east of Alexandria

    € BudgetWhere locals go

Parks, gardens, beaches, reefs, walks

Nature & downtime

  • Antoniadis Gardens

    The garden of a nineteenth-century Greek villa: ruled walks, marble statues, old palms.

    AlexandriaSmouha

    € BudgetHistoric venue

  • Shallalat Gardens

    A sunken garden wrapped around what is left of Alexandria's medieval city wall.

    AlexandriaShallalat

    € BudgetWhere locals go

  • Alexandria Zoo

    An early twentieth-century pleasure garden in Nouzha: come for the palm walks.

    AlexandriaNouzha

    € BudgetFamily-friendly
  • Blue fishing boats moored on both sides of a canal lined with houses.

    El Max

    Off the beaten track

    A fishing village built on a canal, nicknamed Alexandria's Venice.

    AlexandriaEl Max, west of Alexandria

    € BudgetWhere locals go

  • The Montazah gardens

    A hundred and fifty hectares of pines and palms by the sea, around the royal palace.

    AlexandriaMontazah, Alexandria

    € BudgetFamily-friendly
  • An orange-and-white striped beach parasol seen from below against a blue sky.

    Maamoura beach

    The Alexandrians' family beach, sheltered and shallow.

    AlexandriaMaamoura, east of Alexandria

    € BudgetSea view
  • An infinity pool at the edge of a garden, two empty loungers and the blue sea on the horizon.

    Four Seasons San Stefano — pool day passes

    The one hotel in Alexandria that publishes, in black and white, the price of a day at the pool with no room booked.

    AlexandriaSan Stefano, on the Corniche

    €€€ High endFamily-friendly
  • A blue pool in the foreground, a row of straw parasols, palm trees and the sea behind.

    Aifu Resort El Montazah — the day-use pool

    A day in the pool on the Montazah Corniche, no room booked, for the price of a lunch.

    AlexandriaMontazah, on the Corniche, opposite the park gate

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly

Specialty coffee, historic ahwas, rooftops

Cafés & tea houses

  • The Metropole hotel on Saad Zaghloul square — the Trianon occupies its ground floor

    Trianon

    An early twentieth-century patisserie and brasserie, painted ceilings intact, on Saad Zaghloul Square.

    AlexandriaSaad Zaghloul, Raml

    €€ Mid-rangeHistoric venue

  • Délices

    A Greek patisserie of the 1920s: you pick from the chilled cabinet, prices on the labels.

    AlexandriaSaad Zaghloul

    €€ Mid-rangeWhere locals go
  • Roasted coffee beans spilling out of a burlap sack.

    Sofianopoulo Coffee Store

    A Greek roaster in Alexandria where you drink your coffee standing, in front of the sacks of beans.

    AlexandriaAttarine, Alexandria

    € BudgetHistoric venue
  • A shot of espresso runs from the machine into a small white cup at the counter.

    Brazilian Coffee Store

    A 1929 counter where coffee is drunk standing, in three minutes, as in Naples.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    € BudgetHistoric venue

  • Athineos

    A Belle Époque room facing the sea, with a view of the bay and of a century of Alexandria.

    AlexandriaCorniche, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeHistoric venue
  • Tables and chairs on a deck, right at the water

    The Corniche cafés

    Tea facing the Mediterranean, on chairs set between pavement and sea wall.

    AlexandriaCorniche, Alexandria

    € BudgetSea view
  • An empty cafe room: a leather banquette, round tables and wooden chairs.

    Coffee Roastery

    A comfortable café overlooking Stanley bay, to work or to linger.

    AlexandriaStanley, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • Three glasses of fruit juice — strawberry, orange, lime — on a wooden table.

    Farghaly

    Fresh juices, ice cream and fruit salads, in overflowing displays.

    AlexandriaAlexandria and Cairo

    € BudgetBudget
  • A hand holding an ice cream cone with a pink scoop and a cream scoop, out in the street.

    Alexandria's ice cream houses

    Buffalo-milk and mastic ice cream, a Greek tradition that stayed Alexandrian.

    AlexandriaCorniche and city centre

    € BudgetFamily-friendly

Souks, fair-trade crafts, concept stores

Shopping

  • Roasted coffee beans spilling out of a burlap sack.

    Sofianopoulo Coffee Store

    A Greek roaster in Alexandria where you drink your coffee standing, in front of the sacks of beans.

    AlexandriaAttarine, Alexandria

    € BudgetHistoric venue
  • Cones of spices in their basins, and baskets of seeds

    The Attarine souk

    Our favourite

    Alexandria's antiques market: furniture, chandeliers and china from houses that closed.

    AlexandriaAttarine, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeHandmade
  • Rolls of fabric in every colour, stacked one on top of another.

    Zanket el-Settat

    "The women's lane": a one-metre-wide alley, packed from morning to night.

    AlexandriaManshiya, Alexandria

    € BudgetWhere locals go
  • Crates of silver fish on the stall

    The Anfoushi fish market

    The fishing port's auction at dawn, before the city wakes.

    AlexandriaAnfoushi, Alexandria

    € BudgetWhere locals go

  • City Centre Alexandria

    Alexandria's big mall, with a hypermarket and international brands.

    AlexandriaCairo road, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly

Recent openings, new concepts, addresses that have just arrived

What's new

  • The Alexandria tram

    Our favourite

    Africa's oldest tram, overhauled after a hundred and fifty years of service.

    AlexandriaFrom Raml to Victoria, Alexandria

    € BudgetHistoric venue

Bars, pubs, clubs, lounges — local rules flagged

Nightlife

  • Alexandria Corniche

    Our favourite

    The whole city's evening walk: grilled corn, salted lupins, anglers on the parapet.

    AlexandriaEastern Harbour

    € BudgetSea view
  • Grilled squid and a prawn, with a roasted lemon wedge.

    Cap d'Or

    Our favourite

    An Art Nouveau tavern serving beer and prawns for a century.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    € BudgetHistoric venue

  • Spitfire Bar

    Alexandria's sailors' bar, walls covered in stickers and badges from all over the world.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    € BudgetHistoric venue

  • Alexandria Opera — Sayed Darwish Theatre

    A 1921 Italian-style auditorium, the city's finest stage.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeHistoric venue

  • The taverns of central Alexandria

    The city's last Greek and Italian bars, within three streets of each other.

    AlexandriaCity centre, Alexandria

    € BudgetHistoric venue
  • Two whole grilled fish with lemon wedges on a metal plate.

    The Greek Club

    A terrace above Qaitbay fort, with the whole bay in front.

    AlexandriaAnfoushi, Alexandria

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view