• Sunbathe at the Maa'moura Beach or Montaza Beach.

• Hire a boat and go cruising at Ras el-Tin.

• Have a long walk by the beautiful Corniche by the Mediterranean Sea.

Sports

• Alexandria Sporting Club (right in the heart of Alexandria), [4]. Sports club originally built by the British in 1898. Features a large golf course, but regrettably it's members (and their guests) only. edit

• Smouha Sporting Club, Smouha, [5]. International Hockey Stadium, many swimming pools, a number of soccer fields, two running tracks and many more. Members and guests only. edit

• Rent scuba gear from Alexandra Dive [6] and dive through the East Harbour's ancient remains. Be prepared for poor visibility, nonexistent safety procedures and total disregard for historical artifacts though.

• Go swimming in the Country Club or Lagoon Resort, in front of Carrefour.

Historical monuments

• Citadel of Qait Bey, Ras el-Tin (yellow tram #25), ☎ +20-3-4809144. One of the icons of the city at a beautiful location, the fortress overlooks the Mediterranean Sea and the city itself. Built by Mameluke Sultan Abdul-Nasser Qait Bey in 1477 AD but razed and reconstructed twice since.This citadel was built in 1480 by Sultan Qaitbey on the site of the Pharos Lighthouse, to protect the city from the crusaders who used to attack the city by sea. LE 12/2 foreigners/Egyptians.  edit

• Cemetery of Mostafa Kamel. The cemetery includes four tombs dating from the second century BC, all of which are in excellent condition and beautifully decorated. The cemetery bears the name of Mostafa Kamel, one of Egypt's largest political twentieth century legends. It was he who pronounced the famous phrase: "If I was not born as an Egyptian, I would like to be an Egyptian." edit

• Roman Catacombs, Kom-el-Shuqqafa. .A stunning set of catacombs with a fascinating mix of Roman and Egyptian iconography. Best viewed early in the morning or late afternoon when no one else is around. Bring a flashlight and shoes that can get muddy. edit

• Pompey's Pillar, Karmouz. An ancient monument, this 25-meter-high granite column was constructed in honor of the Emperor Diocletian in AD 297. edit

• Roman Theatre, Kom El-Dikka, ☎ +20-3-3902904. Built in the 2nd century AD, this Roman amphitheater has 13 semicircular tiers made of white and gray marble, with marble seats for up to 800 spectators, galleries and sections of mosaic-flooring. In Ptolemaic times this area was the Park of Pan, a pleasure garden surrounded by Roman villas and baths. LE 15/2 foreigner/Egyptian.  edit

• Montaza Palace, El Montaza, ☎ +20-3-5477153 or +20-3- 5473056. Built in 1892 by Abbas II of Egypt Abbas Hilmi Pasha, the last khedive of Egypt. One of the palace buildings, the Haramlek, now contains a casino on the ground floor and a museum of royal relics on the upper levels, while the Salamlek has been converted into a luxury hotel (see Sleep). Parts of the extensive gardens (over 200 acres) are open to the public. edit

• Ras el-Tin Palace, Ras el-Tin. Not open to visitors, alas. edit

• Presidential Palace, El Maamoura.  edit

Museums

• Alexandria National Museum, Raml station, ☎ +20-3-4835519 or +20-3- 4838035. .History Museum with more than 1800 archaeological pieces exhibited chronologically: the basement is devoted to Prehistoric and Pharonic times; first floor to the Graeco-Roman period; second floor to the Coptic and Islamic era that highlights artifacts raised during recent underwater excavations. edit

• Graeco-Roman Museum, Raml station, ☎ +20-3-4865820 or +20-3-4876434. .A history museum with a vast collection mostly dating from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD, spanning the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. edit

• Museum of Fine Arts, Moharram Bey, ☎ +20-3-3936616. It contains a lot of royal and precious jewels. edit

• National Institute For Oceanography & Fisheries, El Anfoushy (beside Qait Bey), ☎ +20-3-4801499. Aquarium and museum displays. edit

• Royal Jewelry Museum, zezenia, ☎ +20-3-5828348. It contains a lot of royal and precious jewels. edit

Religious sites

• Attarine Mosque, El Attarin.  edit

• Abou el-Abbas al-Mursi mosque, Bahary. Built in 1775 by Algerians, the mosque was built over the tomb of the thirteenth century Sufi saint Andalusan Murcia, Ahmed Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi (Abul Abbas). The walls of the mosque are dressed in artificial stone, while the minaret, located on the south side, stands at 73 metres. edit

• Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Mansheya, [1]. The head church of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa. edit

• Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Mahatet El Raml, [2]. Founded in 60 AD and the historical seat of the Pope of Alexandria, although in 1971 — after nearly 2000 years here — the seat was moved the Hanging Church in Coptic Cairo. Saint Mark the Evangelist (yes, the one who wrote the Gospel of Mark) founded the church and was buried here, but the body was stolen by the Venetians in 828 to be enshrined in St. Mark's Basilica in Venice. The head was kept though, and its shroud was ritually changed by every new Patriach, but it too was later lost. Not much of this history remains today: the cathedral has been rebuilt at least five times and the present building dates from 1952. edit

Modern Alexandria

• Bibliotheca Alexandrina, East of the Corniche, ☎ +20-3-4839999, [3]. Open daily except Tuesday 11 AM to 7:00 PM, but opens only at 3 PM on Friday and Saturday. .A huge modern library and research center constructed on the site of the former Library of Alexandria (see History). It has also a big conference center and a planetarium. LE 10 (non-Egyptians).  edit

• Corniche. The Corniche is a glorious 15km walkway (wharf/pier/boardwalk) along the harbour dotted with restaurants, markets and historic sights. edit

Alexandria is easily reached by plane, train or bus.

By plane

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).

By train

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.

By car

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.

The usual cautions for driving in Egypt apply; see Egypt for details.

By bus

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.

By boat

There are no scheduled ferry services to Alexandria, although cruise ships do stop by occasionally.

Alexandria is quite a long city; you can get pretty much anywhere by using the local transportation available along the Corniche.

By taxi

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.

Fast Call taxis can be booked by phone at 19559 or 0800-999-9999 (toll free). These are pricier but generally much better than ordinary black and yellow cabs.

By tram

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 (محطة الرمل 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.

By bus

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.

Many places seem to follow set shopping hours. Winter: Tues, Wed, Fri and Sat 9AM-10PM, Mon and Thurs 9AM-11AM. During Ramadan, hours vary, with shops often closing on Sunday. Summer: Tues, Wed, Fri-Sun 9AM-12:30PM and 4-12:30 PM.

• International Language Bookstore, 18 Abd el-Hamid el-Dib Street, Tharwat tram station (Ramleh Tram). A small and pleasant little bookstore, if maddeningly difficult to find. It has a pretty decent selection of English-language books if you are into classics, and a lot of good reference books. Decent enough for children's books and beach reads. edit

• El Maaref Establishment, Saad Zaghloul St. Raml station (Yellow tram or Taxi), ☎ +20-3-4853055.  edit

• Alex Book Centre, Semouha, ☎ +20-3-4294362. A big publisher and distributor of English language teaching and school curriculum materials. edit

Shopping malls

• Carrefour City Center. Shopping mall with huge hypermarket, coffee shops and cinemas. Take a taxi to get here. edit

• Mirage Mall. A small high-end mall in front of Carrefour. Clothes shops including Adidas and Timberland factory outlets, plus some popular cafes and restaurants including Chili's and Pasadena Roof. edit

• Deeb Mall, Roushdy. Midrange shopping mall with cinemas and a food court. edit

• Family Mall. Midrange shopping mall in Janaklees Station. edit

• Green Plaza (next to Hilton Hotel). Big shopping mall with many shops, restaurants, cinemas and a court for videos games and bowling. edit

• Kirosez Mall, Mostafa Kamel. A midrange shopping mall. edit

• Mina Mall, Ibrahimia. Another midrange shopping mall. edit

• Maamoura Plaza Mall, Maamoura. Some restaurants. edit

• San Stefano Grand Plaza Mall, San Stefano (eastern Alexandria, next to Four Seasons Hotel). Perhaps the largest shopping mall in Alexandria. Luxury shopping, 6 cinemas, large food court. edit

• Wataniyya Mall, Sharawy St (Lauran). Small shopping mall. edit

• Zahran Mall. Cinemas and coffee shops. edit

Alexandria is famous for having the best seafood restaurants in the country. A few other Alexandrian specialties worth looking out for:

• Alexandrian ice cream is similar to the typical soft-serve ice cream, but it is described as being a little bit 'stretchy'. It is available in numerous flavors, and according to the locals, this type of ice cream is only made in Alexandria and Greece. Try it at Bahary near Qait Bey, where popular shops include Makram, El-Sheikh Wafik and Azaa.

• Corn on the cob (dorra mashwey), available at street vendors lining the Corniche.

Budget

If you want to eat cheaply in Alexandria, try the places where the locals eat.

• Gad, 2 Amr Azmi Street (Raml Station), ☎ +20-3-4820135. Specializes in fuul (fava bean paste) and taamiyya (the same deep-fried). edit

• Kushari Bondo, Smouha (beside Fathalla supermarket). Alexandria's best-known kushari joint, serving up this classically Egyptian dish of layered macaroni, rice, lentils and tomato sauce. edit

• Meto, 273 Gamal Abdel Nasser St, ☎ 20-3-5506667. Pizza and its Arabic equivalent fateer. edit

• Mohamed Ahmed, Ramleh station. Another well-known fuul/taamiyya joint. edit

Mid-range

Mid-priced by Egyptian standards, Western fast-food chains like Pizza Hut, McDonalds and KFC can all be found in the city's larger malls, but there are more interesting options as well.

• Abo Fares (in front of Carrefour). Delicious Syrian food. edit

• Abou Shakra, Smouha Green Plaza (and other branches), ☎ +20-3-4261777, [7]. Popular Egyptian chain specialing in local grills like shwarma (10 LE) and set meals of kebab/kofta, fries and salad (25 LE). edit

• Elite, 43 Sofia Zaghoul, ☎ +20-3-4863592. Once the favorite hangout of Alexandria's intelligentsia including D.H. Lawrence, Laurence Durrell, and Edith Piaf, but now bears a distinct resemblance to an American road diner complete with vinyl seating and chipped white plastic tables. The staff are still French-speaking and appropriately snotty. Try the plat du jour. edit

• Hosny, Gamal Abd El-Nasser St (El Mandara), ☎ +20-3-5506655. Middle Eastern food. edit

• Pastroudis, 39, Al Horriya Road (Raml Station), ☎ +20-3-3929609. 8 AM-1 AM. Bakery with a sideline in desserts and ice cream. edit

• Tekka Grill (Eastern Port, beside Diving Club). Delicious Egyptian food, with views of the harbor and Fort Qait Bey. Try the shish kebab and the wara' el enab (stuffed vine leaves). edit

Splurge

Many of Alexandria's high-end restaurants are located in its hotels.

• Athineos, 21 Saad Zaghloul Sq (on the Corniche, near the Italian Consulate), ☎ 03-4860421, [8]. The "Mermaid of Alexandria" is a local legend frequented by both Durrell and Cavafy, but alas, it has fallen far since its glory days. The views are still amazing, and the Greek motifs in the gilded friezes and stenciled frescoes give some character, but the food is, despite the Greek names on the menu, almost entirely Arabized: order souvlaki and you'll get kebab. edit

• Al-Farida Restaurant, El-Salamlek Palace Hotel, ☎ +20-35-477999. Open 24 hours a day, with dinner served until 5 AM.. Italian and international food, served in the palace garden with sea views. edit

• Al-Farouk Restaurant, El-Salamlek Palace Hotel, ☎ +20-35-477999. Lunch noon-4 PM, dinner 8 PM-1 AM. French food served in what used to be King Farouk's office at the palace. edit

• Chez Gaby au Ritrovo, 22 El Horreya St. (Raml Station), ☎ +20-3-4874404. 9 PM-1 AM. Possibly the best Italian restaurant in town, serving up pizza and pasta since 1979. edit

• Dynasty Restaurant, 544 El Geish Avenue (Renaissance Alexandria Hotel), ☎ +20-35-483977. Open 24 hours a day, with dinner served until 5 AM.. Alexandria's top Chinese restaurant. edit

• San Giovanni Restaurant, 205 El Gueish Ave (San Giovanni Hotel), ☎ +20-3-5467775. Open 24 hours a day, with dinner served until 5 AM.. West-East fusion. Views of Stanley beach, classical music performed live nightly. edit

Bars

50 years ago a maze of bars and nightclubs filled the city, but visitors to today's Alexandria often complain that it can be hard to find a decent watering hole. Frequent travellers recommend a number of reliable establishments:

• Spitfire Bar, Sa'ad Zaghloul St. - easy to overlook despite its obvious location on the corner of a square on this busy street. The building looks slightly derelict but is clearly marked above the doors. Walk west along Sa'ad Zaghloul St. from the square. for a few blocks until the road opens up in front of you into the beginning of a square. Turn right and the bar is a few doors down on the right.

• Cap D'Or, located right by the Spitfire. It's one of the oldest bars in Alexandria but you must pay attention to your bill as they will try and rip you off.

Hotels and most tourist restaurants throughout Alexandria and most of Egypt are home to bars and discos; and to buy your own booze drop by Drinkie's, a famous liquor store ideally located on the Corniche strip and home to every local drink and Heineken.

Cafes

In addition to local options, there's a Starbucks in San Stefano Grand Plaza and a Costa Coffee near Stanley Bridge.

• Brazilian Coffee Shop, Raml station. An Egyptian spin on Starbucks, with fancy, relatively expensive but tasty coffee. Medium latte LE 7.5. edit

• Cafe Trianon, Saad Zaghlul square (''by the seashore''), ☎ +20-3-4868539 , +20-3-4835881 , +20-3-4860986 or +20-3-4860973. The poshest cafe in Alexandria, famed for the best om ali in Egypt — although LE 14 for what is essentially a bowl of sweet cornflour pudding is little steep. The food is also good and slightly more reasonably priced, try the moussaka for LE 13. edit

Coffee shops

The humble ahwa, serving up coffee, tea and shisha (water pipe) is an Egyptian tradition and there are plenty to be found in Alexandria as well. Try a puff, play a little backgammon or dominoes, and watch the world pass by. These are largely a male domain though, and women will rarely been seen in them.

• El-Farook, Bahary.  edit

• El-Sman, Bahary.  edit