Meet your tour guide after having breakfast at the hotel to start your Cairo day trip to Alexandria from Cairo, the shining pearl of the Mediterranean and the second-largest city in Egypt, the city is named after its founder, the Macedonian leader Alexander the Great, who conquered Egypt in 332 B.C.
Your Egyptologist guide will accompany you to Alexandria by a modern car for about 2 hours driving and we will stop for a break on the way where you can rest and drink something or even stretch your legs.
First, you will visit Pompey’s Pillar, the only remaining pillar from the Roman temple known anciently as the Serapeum, then you will move to The Citadel of Qaitbay, built by the Mamluk rulers to fortify the Mediterranean seacoast against the Ottomans, on the same spot where Alexandria’s ancient lighthouse once stood one of the seven wonders of the ancient world that no longer exist. After that you will visit the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, the largest Roman cemetery in Egypt consists of three layers of tombs and chambers cut out of the rock under the ground and the beautifully decorated burial of a rich romanized Egyptian family.
You will also be surprised by the Bibliotheca of Alexandria. It was not only an important ancient library, but also the Centre of learning and scientific research in the ancient world. It was a destination for scholars from all over the Mediterranean and beyond, comprising 8 million books. The new Bibliotheca is the most important modern project in Alexandria, built adorning the sea boulevard like the sun of knowledge is rising upon the Mediterranean from Alexandria.
You will be transferred to see the church of St. Mark, one of the oldest churches in Africa, and to see the old downtown of Alexandria where you can enjoy walking through the old city center.
Take a walk at the local markets where everything and anything is sold including traditional Egyptian sweets and treats. The architecture locally has baroque style designs and Italian and French-style properties.
We will take you to pass through the oldest market area in Mansheya and see the traditional ladies' markets (zan'et elsetat) with very thin and narrow streets. The gold market also exists here where everyone buys their wedding and engagement jewelry.
The car will then take you to visit the prettiest and biggest mosque in the city, the Abbo Elabbas Mosque, and the strangest sight outside it, an old funfair where children play on very antique funfair rides and eat candy floss. The opposite is the corniche and the old harbor where you can see the old fishing boats, men fishing, and traditional fishermen making nets. The photos taken here are amazing.
Finally, enjoy your seafood lunch in a high-quality local restaurant. After that, you will be transferred back to Cairo and you will have a break on the way.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch