Private Alexandria Day Trip from Cairo with Egyptologist
Description
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.
Tour Options
Itinerary
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
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.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- 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
Reviews(9)
This was the second of the 2 tours we booked from Egypt Day Tours, during late November/early December. We were picked up from our Cairo hotel at 7 in the morning with a luxurious minivan (we were 2 people and had 12 seater minivan for ourselves) by our driver and a local guide. The guide, welcomed us, explained the itinerary and left. We were then driven in comfort to Alexandria, where the local guide Sara (there are too many Saras in this company, apparently!) waited for us and started our tour from the catacombs. She was extremely knowledgeable and woould explain everything in detail, including the monuments' history, the progress of the archaelogical digs and restorations. Under her recommendation, we forewent the Pompay's pillar (under restoration) for the roman amphitheater, which was excellent, we continued to the library and its extensive exhibitions and completed the tour with the Faros citadel and the Abo El Abbas Mosque. Sara also made a point to explain the history of the city and show us as many of its landmarks as possible! The tour included a great meal at the Fish Market, with its amazing city views and a return to Cairo at early evening. We were impressed with the professionalism of everyone involved with the tour and we highly recommend it, if you have a day to spare. And I will say it again: I highly recommend Egypt Day Tours. They were easy to communicate via email, transparent about the itinerary and pricing and they all went above and beyond to help us have a great time. Whenever I'll return to Egypt to visit Luxor, I will contact them.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that you felt safe and well cared for throughout your 7-day Cairo & Nile Cruise adventure. It was our pleasure to make your trip seamless and memorable, and we truly appreciate your recommendation. If you ever plan to visit Egypt again, we’d love to welcome you back for more unforgettable experiences!
Nice experience. The driver was very polite and took us to the main highlights in Alexandria, however he did not speak enough english and communication was a bit tricky.
Very nice day next to the Guide Mahmoud “the gabry” Very friendly, explained everything very well in Spanish. Excellent Service.
Estimado viajero Estamos muy contentos de que haya disfrutado de su estadía en nuestro hermoso país y esperamos tener otra oportunidad de recibirlo en Egipto, y una vez más, ¡gracias por sus comentarios positivos!
My daughter wanted to visit after hearing about my previous Egypt Day Tour in 2018. Come to find out that our guide Kahled was my guide then as well. Egypt Day Tours allowed us to modify our schedule several times due to schedule changes and items added to the wish list. Kahled was able to show us pyramids in Giza and Saqqara (and BEWARE entering the Bent Pyramid will physical test!) Kahled has studied Egyptology and Tourism (and he has a deep knowledge of Islam). All of these elements blend in ancient and modern Cairo. It was great for our family to learn a little bit about how it all comes together. You will enjoy your tour, and you will learn. As far as Egypt goes as a whole, the people are great, very friendly and everyone wanted to help (and take pictures of us). Two thumbs up to a great trip; I look forward to when I can schedule my third.
Great day spent exploring Alexandria, my guide Loay tailored the tour to my interests and was friendly and knowledgeable. Will definitely recommend this tour to all my friends!
We had a great time with this tour. Despite covid restrictions and tourism finally starting to pick up again we were able to see all the things we wanted except one which we were able to see from the outside just couldn’t go in. Mona and the driver were both very friendly and attentive to us all day. They were more than willing to accommodate anyway they could. We actually asked to walk part of the tour, just so we could get some steps in, and they came with us as we walked the Mediterranean. Recommend this company if you are looking for tours in Egypt.
It was really great experience with the tour. Especially Mahmood badr tour guide taken care of each and every point in trip. Awesome fast support from Ahmed. Everything is really good
Our driver picked us up from our hotel in Cairo and we set out for Alexandria, my husband, 19 month old and 8-month pregnant self! Once we arrived in Alexandria we picked up our guide Sarah who was absolutely lovely and so knowledgable. Our day was great overall, we saw the sites we needed to see but what was most meaningful to us was our real purpose for visiting Alexandria. My father and his parents were born in Alexandria and I had a few documents which started their addresses on them from the late 30's and 40's. I provided the information to Sarah ahead of time and she went above and beyond to help us find these address so I could see where they lived. We drove around and around until we found them (as far as we could tell) as the way addresses were written 70+ years ago had changed. Sarah took my husband to take upclose photos of the buildings and to ask around on the street if the current tenants had any information. It was really special and meaningful for us. She answered any question we had with ease, no hesitation whatsoever - her knowledge was incredible. All in all we had a great experience with Sarah as our guide and would 100% recomend her to anyone visiting Egypt.
Hidden gem in Egypt with so much diverse attractions to see. Had a great time with Amr, who was very knowledgeable and attentive. Felt safe and secure as we were driven from Cairo and through the streets of Old Alexandria. Very memorable trip!
