Day Trips to Alexandria from Cairo

Visiting the city of Alexandria is a delight for the senses and an excursion that I recommend you to take under serious consideration during your next trip to Egypt. As you will see, Alexandria is a very different destination, endowed with its own personality; it is possibly the Egyptian city with more Mediterranean influence in addition to having a unique cuisine and an exciting historical past.

But... What excursion options to Alexandria can you find from Cairo? Fortunately, several! Here I proceed to describe the most interesting and popular ones.

Among the best excursions to do from Cairo is the classic day trip to Alexandria. This represents the popular option that most tourists visiting the city stick to, so you will find many tour operating companies offering this service.

What these tours usually include

Day tours to Alexandria usually start early in the morning with pick-up from your hotel accommodation in Cairo or Giza; almost all companies offer this service as well as a guide who is an expert in Egyptology and trained to speak your language. You can find companies offering this type of experience in English, Arabic, German, French, Spanish and more.

The Alexandria adventure includes stops to see some of the most important tourist attractions; although these may vary depending on the company operating the tour, some of the archaeological monuments you can expect to see in this time itinerary are: the catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, the famous column of Pompey, the citadel of Qaitbay, the new Library of Alexandria (erected in honor of the old one) or the mosque of Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi. Many companies can also include lunch in the price to be paid.

Useful information

• Price: This type of excursion can be found in a variety of prices ranging from 50€ to 130€. Be sure to read carefully what is included in each of the alternatives.
• Duration of the excursion: As the name indicates, it is a full day excursion, the tour together with the exploration of Alexandria usually takes about 10 to 12 hours approximately.
• Recommended if... You want to know the most essential of Alexandria, this is one of the shortest excursions you can find to this destination. They are also usually the most economical.

A two-day trip to the city is ideal to see all the attractions and enjoy this destination to the fullest. Alexandria is located at a distance of only 220 km by road from the capital, this means that visiting Alexandria from Cairo does not take too long, between 2.5 and 3 hours by road is usually enough.

What these tours usually include

Generally, the first day of the excursion starts with an expert guide in Egyptology who picks up travelers directly at their hotel, most companies offer pick up for accommodations located in Cairo and also in Giza; they also usually have expert guides in several languages being the most popular: English, German, Spanish and French. Other benefits such as overnight accommodation in Alexandria, all transfers between destinations, lunch and entrance fees to museums or attractions are usually included in the price.

While it is true that the travel itinerary is adjusted to the plan offered by the company, it is also true that most companies offer travelers the opportunity to see the best of Alexandria and a little more; this includes: the famous catacomb of Komel-Shokafa; the Pillar of Pompey, the Citadel of Qaitbay, the new Library of Alexandria, the Museum of the city, the Roman Amphitheater and more.

Useful information for travelers

• Price: This type of experience is available from 180€ per traveler.
• Duration of tour: The itinerary includes approximately two days of sightseeing.
• Recommended if... You have a travel plan that includes several days in Egypt and you can dedicate two days to an excursion to Alexandria from Cairo. This plan with time to explore each of the attractions can be the best investment of your money.

Alamien is a small town located 118 km from Alexandria, approximately 1.5 hours drive; it is one of the favorite vacation destinations for locals living in the capital as well as those living in Alexandria. The cool waters of Alamien can be a good escape if you visit Cairo during the warmer months such as July or August; during your trip consider taking an excursion that will allow you to appreciate that Egypt is much more than its monumental pyramids.

What these tours usually include

As with other excursions to Alexandria, the trip usually begins early in the morning when the expert guide designated as escort picks up the traveler in private transportation; be sure to find a company whose guide speaks a language you are fluent in, if it is Spanish, all the better.

We recommend reading carefully the itinerary of the company you hire, however, as a general rule, the first day is usually focused on getting to know the best of Alexandria, which includes one or more of the following stops: the Library of Alexandria, the Pillar of Pompey or the Citadel of Qaitbay. In Alamein, your excursion may include enjoying the coastline and eating some delicious food by the sea, but you may also visit the famous War Museum, where the history of Egypt and its role in World War II is told.

Useful information

• Price: The price to pay for this experience is approximately 250€ per traveler.
• Duration of the tour: Visiting both cities from Cairo includes two full days of travel; departing the morning of the 1st day and returning the night of the 2nd.
• Recommended if... Your intention of the trip to Egypt is to see as many cities and destinations as possible. This tour will take you through two very peculiar and totally different cities so that you will get to know the whole face of Egypt.

What do you think about the idea of visiting the city of Alexandria using a less traditional transportation? The city of Alexandria is located about 220 km north of Cairo, following the natural course of the river it is possible to connect both destinations without major complications. This hard to match adventure combines two of the best thingsto see and do in Cairo: A cruise on the Nile and a visit to the wonderful Alexandria, so you can easily find tour companies in Cairo that offer this service.

What these excursions usually include

Usually, the adventure starts with the pick up by the guide at your hotel accommodation; depending on the company you hire you can find guides in English so I recommend to study carefully the available alternatives.

Depending on the previously agreed itinerary, in the city of Alexandria you will visit some of the highlights including the Catacomb of Komel-Shokafa, the famous Pillar of Pompey, the fort and citadel of Qaitbay, the new Library of Alexandria and more. You will have a lunch break which often includes a seafood restaurant on the coast of Alexandria; sometimes the price of lunch is not included in the price so you will have to investigate with the company you hire. At the end of the day exploring Alexandria, the return trip to the city is contemplated, arriving in the evening.

Useful information

• Price: In this type of tour, one-day experiences are available from 80 € per traveler; three-day tours can cost around 150 €.
• Duration of the excursion: The minimum time required for a Cairo-Alexandria cruise tour is one day.
• Recommended if... you want to see Egypt from a new and interesting perspective and save money in the process. By combining both experiences you may get a better price than booking each of them separately.

To spare travelers the need to plan every detail of their trip, some tour companies offer visitors a package tour of all the main attractions in Cairo, nearby cities such as Giza and Dashur, and destinations a little further afield such as beautiful Alexandria. Is it your first time in Egypt and you want to experience it all without bothering to plan details and coordinate schedules? Then seriously consider hiring this service.

What these tours usually include

This type of experience takes place over several days, depending on the company you hire it can be between 3 and 5. In this way, the companies offer the traveler an itinerary with the activities timed day by day, agreeing on the arrivals and departures of each of the attractions or monuments.

Keep in mind that the order of the activities and the number of tourist attractions to be visited may vary depending on the number of days and the way the company organizes trips. However, when organizing the experiences are usually always contemplate the destinations most demanded by tourists which implies: Visit the Pyramids of Giza and the pyramids of Dahshur and Saqqara southwest of Cairo; In the city perhaps explore the Cairo Museum, the Khan Al-Khalili, some important religious temples and Saladin; In Alexandria usually include the ancient Catacombs, the new Library and the Pillar of Pompey.

Useful information

• Price: For this type of experience you will have to pay approximately €260 per person.
• Duration of the tour: It may vary depending on the company you hire but the minimum duration to include as many activities in and out of Cairo is 3 days.
• Recommended if... You are traveling to Cairo for the first time and you are looking for a simple way to live all the adventures possible; the money you pay is compensated 100% when you explore everything the company offers and the individual cost of each of the excursions.