Alexandria, Egypt
Quick port decision
Can I DIY?
Conditional
Hard on your own
Main attraction
The Citadel of Qaitbay and the Corniche
Getting from the ship
Transport needed
Public transport: Not practical
Return risk
Moderate
Top sights
Ancient History & Ruins
Citadel of Qaitbay
1-1.5 hrs
A 15th-century fort on the Mediterranean, built on the site of the Pharos lighthouse at the end of the eastern harbour. Open daily 09:00-20:00, so it fits almost any call.
Ancient History & Ruins
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
1.5-2 hrs
The modern library on the Corniche answering the ancient one, with museums and galleries inside the same disc-shaped building. On the coastal road, so it pairs naturally with the Citadel.
Ancient History & Ruins
Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
1 hr
A Roman-era necropolis cut three levels into the rock, where Egyptian and Greco-Roman funerary art meet. Inland from the harbour and reached by taxi, close to Pompey's Pillar.
DIY vs. excursion
Can I DIY this?
Conditional
Getting around
Hard
Excursion
Recommended
A real berth city rather than a gateway, but not a step-off-and-wander one. Calls are at the Western Harbour, a working commercial port that is gated and controlled, so leaving means a taxi or arranged transport rather than a walk into town. Once out, the Corniche sights — the Citadel of Qaitbay, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Graeco-Roman Museum — sit along one coastal road and make a genuinely good day. Cairo and Giza are roughly 220 km away by desert road and sold as a full-day excursion; that is a long drive each way and leaves nothing for Alexandria itself.
Return risk
Moderate
Getting from the ship
To The Citadel of Qaitbay and the Corniche
Public transport: Not practical
Walkable from ship: No
Tender port: No
Exploring Alexandria, Egypt
Official transport links
Practical notes
Recommended visit duration
A full day. Alexandria's own sights are spread along the Corniche and need a taxi between them; Cairo takes the entire call and more.
Accessibility
The port is gated and industrial with nothing walkable outside it, and passports are generally required to pass the gate. Plan on transport from the moment you step off.
Weather
Mediterranean rather than desert, but high summer is hot and the Corniche sites offer little shade.
Crowds
Site hours shorten during Ramadan — the Graeco-Roman Museum closes its ticket window at 15:00 — so check before building a day around a late visit.
Worth booking ahead?
Yes
From other cruisers
What cruisers are saying
Independent videos showing what the port day is actually like.
One Day In Port - Alexandria Egypt
Nigel Trafford - World Traveller And Film Maker · YouTube
Videos by independent YouTube creators.
Cruises calling here
2 routes in Galythia's catalogue include Alexandria, Egypt.