Skip to content
Locrawl

Historic places in Alexandria

11 historic buildings, sites and memorials in Alexandria.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Historic places in Alexandria

  1. See

    Alexandria National Museum

    Small but absorbing, well-presented museum with more than 1800 archaeological pieces. The basement is devoted to Prehistoric and Pharonic times, first floor to the Graeco-Roman period, second floor to the Coptic and Islamic era. Especially interesting are artefacts raised during underwater excavations: there's a sense of a new window opening on history.

    Daily 9AM-4:30PMEGP 100, students EGP 50

  2. See

    Bibliotheca Alexandrina

    Alexandrina

    A huge modern library and research centre constructed on the site of the ancient Library of Alexandria. Wonderful display of ancient texts of the Middle East. Includes four museum areas, exhibition space, and a planetarium. Regular tours in English and other languages. The Antiquities Museum costs (EGP 100 extra and is particularly well worth visiting if you're into artefacts from the Pharonic to the Islamic period.

    Sun-Thu 9:30AM-5PM, Sat 10AM-2PMEGP 150 for foreigners and EGP 10 for Egyptians - buy tickets from the office on Dr. Abd Al Hamid Dayed St. facing the university

  3. Eat

    Chicken Tikka

    Tikka Grill

    Delicious Egyptian food, with views of the harbour and Fort Qait Bey. Try the shish kebab and the wara' el enab (stuffed vine leaves). There is a second restaurant of this chain in 426 El-Gaish Rd., Luran.

    Daily 11AM-2AM

  4. Do

    Double decker bus ride along the Corniche

    The Corniche stretches from the Citadel in the west about 30 km along the seaside to the east. Its core is a 15 km promenade along the bay dotted with restaurants, markets and historic sights. Take one of the red double decker buses that start from Al-Anfushi Bus station and enjoy the ride along the promenade.

    EGP 25

  5. See

    Graeco-Roman Museum

    A history museum with a vast collection mostly dating from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century CE, spanning the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. The square in front of it is a popular place for taking marriage pictures and as a hang-out for young people in the evenings.

    Daily 9AM-5PMEGP 150 for foreigners and EGP 40 for Arabs and Egyptians

  6. See

    Montaza Palace

    Built in 1892 by Abbas II of Egypt Abbas Hilmi Pasha, the last khedive (Ottoman viceroy) 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 80 ha/200 acres) are open to the public. There is an entrance fee for the park.

    EGP 25

  7. Do

    Montazah Royal Gardens

    Though the gardens are a part of the more than three hundred and fifty acre grounds (61 ha) of the large royal home known as the Muntazah Palace, the Montazah Royal Gardens take up more than half of the property. Montazah Royal Gardens are situated along the shore as well, which means access to the lovely beaches and warm Mediterranean Sea waters nearby. The Montazah Royal Gardens are a bit unique where city parks and public spaces are concerned as they are rigorously landscaped, and well-stocked with benches and wading or swimming pools that are open for the public to enjoy.

  8. See

    Pompey's Pillar

    An ancient monument, this 25-m-high granite column was constructed in honor of the Emperor Diocletian in AD 297. The confined area where the column stands also has other ruins and sculptures such as the Serapium oracle. Also beside this area is a very big shopping center for cloth and furniture called "El-Saa3a," where you can find many types of cloth or clothes.

    EGP 150, students EGP 75

  9. See

    Ras el-Tin Palace

    Presidential Palace

    Admire the exterior but it's now part of a naval base and not open to visitors.

  10. See

    Royal Jewelry Museum

    Royal jewelry from the Egyptian monarchy of 1805 to 1952 displayed in the former palace of Princess Fatma Al-Zahra'.

  11. Eat

    Trianon

    Historic, posh cafe and restaurant in the heart of Alexandria dating back to 1905, this is where the creme de la creme of Alexandrian society like singer Om Kolthoum and Cavafy used to hang around. The glory days are long over, but Trianon remains famous for what is said to be the country's best om ali, a rich Egyptian take on bread pudding.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Alexandria (CC BY-SA 4.0).