Can I do Alexandria as a day trip from Cairo?

Yes – Alexandria is about three hours from Cairo by road, so a long full-day private tour comfortably takes in the Citadel of Qaitbay, the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, Pompey's Pillar and the modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina, returning to Cairo the same evening. An overnight stay lets you slow the pace.

What is Alexandria known for?

Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, Alexandria is Egypt's Mediterranean city – once home to the ancient Lighthouse and the Great Library, two wonders of the classical world. Today it blends Greco-Roman ruins, the seafront Qaitbay fortress, belle-époque palaces and the striking modern library.

Is hotel pickup included?

Yes. Pickup and drop-off at your Alexandria hotel (or Nile cruise dock, where relevant) are included at no extra cost. Your guide meets you in the lobby; if your plans change, the local office that arranged the day tour can adjust it on the day.

When is the best time to visit Alexandria?

October to April is the most comfortable season, with warm days and cool evenings ideal for sightseeing. May to September is hotter, so day tours start early to beat the midday heat – and you'll often find fewer crowds and lower prices. We run day tours in Alexandria year-round.

Is it safe, and are families welcome?

Yes on both counts. We've operated in Egypt since 1988 from offices nationwide, with 24/7 in-country support, and day tours run with our own vetted guides and drivers. Families are very welcome – guides adjust the pace and content for children, and we can arrange car seats and shorter itineraries.

Can I join an Alexandria trip from a cruise ship?

Yes. The tours start from your hotel or the cruise port, so tell us your ship and its sailing time when you book and we will plan the day to get you back on board with room to spare.

Is the food walk a restaurant meal?

No, it is a walk of about four hours on foot with a local guide, stopping at street stalls and small local places. It suits curious eaters. Tell us about allergies or dietary needs beforehand.

Full day or half day in the city?

The half day covers the fort, the Roman theater and the library in about five hours. The full day, about eight hours, adds the Catacombs and a slower lunch. Choose the half day if you are on a short port call.

How long is the day to Cairo from Alexandria?

The Pyramids and Grand Egyptian Museum day lasts about 13 hours, most of it on the road with a break between sights. It is a long day, and you may prefer to split Cairo off as its own stay.

What is there to see in Rosetta?

Rosetta, or Rashid, is an old port town on the Nile mouth, known for its Ottoman merchant houses and the find that gave the Rosetta Stone its name. The trip takes about seven hours with your guide.

Day tours to Alexandria

Alexandria Day Tours

Catacombs, Citadel of Qaitbay, Bibliotheca Alexandrina & the Corniche

LengthFull & half day

From$48 / person

PickupHotel included

GuideEgyptologist

Every trip here starts in Alexandria, at your hotel or the cruise port, and we run 9 private day tours: the Catacombs and the fort, a food walk, Rosetta, and a long day to the Pyramids. Prices start at $48 per person, and the table below lists each trip with its length.

By the Discovery Tours Egypt desk · Reviewed October 10, 2026

Alexandria rewards curiosity over spectacle. The Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa are one of the ancient world's great surprises – three tiers of tombs where Roman and Egyptian styles collide underground. The Citadel of Qaitbay stands where the ancient lighthouse once rose. And the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the modern revival of antiquity's greatest library, is worth an hour of anyone's afternoon.

The best day tour in Alexandria is the one you don't have to organize yourself. We've been arranging them, in this country, since 1988.

Discovery Tours Egypt · since 1988

What you'll see

Alexandria, in the order that makes sense

A full day comfortably covers two or three of the stops below – your guide tailors the mix to your pace, interests and the season.

Citadel of Qaitbay

A 15th-century fortress on the Mediterranean, built on the exact spot – and partly from the fallen stones – of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders. The sea air, the ramparts and the harbor views make it Alexandria's signature stop.

~1.5 hrsEastern Harbor

Bibliotheca Alexandrina

The modern reincarnation of the ancient Library of Alexandria – a vast sun-disc of a building tilted toward the sea, opened in 2002. Inside: the main reading room, museums and changing exhibitions. A striking counterpoint to the city's ancient layers.

~1.5 hrsClosed Fridays am

Montaza Palace Gardens

The royal gardens of Egypt's last dynasty, sprawling along the coast with the Florentine-style Al-Haramlik palace at their center. A green, breezy place to walk between the historic sites – and a glimpse of Alexandria's belle-époque heyday.

~1 hrCoastal gardens

Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa

A three-level Roman necropolis spiralling underground, where Egyptian, Greek and Roman funerary art fuse like nowhere else – one of the medieval world's 'Seven Wonders' of the Middle Ages. Cool, atmospheric, and a complete change of register from the seafront.

~1 hrUnderground · cool

Pompey's Pillar

A single 27-meter column of red Aswan granite, raised around 298 AD – the largest of its kind ever erected outside the imperial capitals – beside the ruins of the Serapeum temple and two granite sphinxes. A quick, photogenic stop with deep Roman-Egypt history.

~40 minRoman Alexandria

Every Alexandria day tours

Ways to spend the day

Prices are per person. They load live from our booking system, so each figure is current.

Every Alexandria day tour at a glance

Trip	Duration	Shared or private	From, per person
Alexandria Food Walk – Private Tasting Tour of Street Food, Seafood & Old Cafés	4 Hours	Private	From $48
Cairo Day Trip from Alexandria – Private, Giza Pyramids, Sphinx & Grand Egyptian Museum	13 Hours	Private	From $179
Rosetta (Rashid) Day Trip from Alexandria – Private, Ottoman Houses & Fort Qaitbay	7 Hours	Private	From $84
Wadi El Natrun Monasteries Day Trip from Alexandria – Private, Three Coptic Monasteries	8 Hours	Private	From $95
Giza Pyramids & Coptic Cairo Day Trip from Alexandria – Private, Port or Hotel Pick-up	13 Hours	Private	From $129
Giza, Memphis & Saqqara Day Trip from Alexandria – Private, Port or Hotel Pick-up	14 Hours	Private	From $165
Islamic Cairo Day Trip from Alexandria – Private, Citadel, Sultan Hassan & Khan el-Khalili	13 Hours	Private	From $165
Alexandria Full-Day Private Tour – Catacombs, Pompey's Pillar, Qaitbay Citadel & the Library	8 Hours	Private	From $92
Alexandria Half-Day Private Tour – Qaitbay Citadel, Roman Theatre & Bibliotheca Alexandrina	5 Hours	Private	From $63

Food and evenings

Alexandria eats well, and a guide on foot is the easiest way to find the places locals queue at. This is a walk, not a sit-down tour.

Alexandria Food Walk – Private Tasting Tour of Street Food, Seafood & Old Cafés

A private evening walking tour of how Alexandria eats. With a local guide who orders for you, you try ful and falafel at a long-standing counter, liver sandwiches from a street stall, grilled fish near the harbor, and rice pudding and coffee in an old café. All tastings at five or more stops are included.

From $484 Hours

Day trips out of Alexandria

These longer days start and end in Alexandria, at your hotel or the cruise port. Rosetta is the short one, and the Coptic monasteries of Wadi El Natrun make a quiet day in the desert. The others go to Cairo and back by private car: the Pyramids with the Grand Egyptian Museum, with Coptic Cairo, or with Saqqara and Memphis, and a day in Islamic Cairo.

Cairo Day Trip from Alexandria – Private, Giza Pyramids, Sphinx & Grand Egyptian Museum

A long private day by road from Alexandria or its cruise port to Giza and back. You have your own vehicle, driver and Egyptologist guide, and visit the three Pyramids of Giza, the Great Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum, with lunch at a local restaurant. Entrance tickets and bottled water are included.

From $17913 Hours

Rosetta (Rashid) Day Trip from Alexandria – Private, Ottoman Houses & Fort Qaitbay

A private day east of Alexandria to Rosetta, the Nile-mouth town where the Rosetta Stone was found. You have your own vehicle, driver and Egyptologist guide, and walk through restored Ottoman merchant houses, the old mill and hammam, and the Fort of Qaitbay on the river. Entrance tickets and bottled water are included.

From $847 Hours

Wadi El Natrun Monasteries Day Trip from Alexandria – Private, Three Coptic Monasteries

A private day by road from Alexandria into the desert valley of Wadi El Natrun to visit three working Coptic monasteries: St Bishoy, the Syrian Monastery and Baramus. You travel with your own vehicle, driver and English-speaking guide, and stop for lunch at a local restaurant. No entrance fee is charged at the monasteries, and bottled water is included.

From $958 Hours

Giza Pyramids & Coptic Cairo Day Trip from Alexandria – Private, Port or Hotel Pick-up

A private day by road from Alexandria or its cruise port to Cairo and back. With your own vehicle, driver and Egyptologist guide, you see the Great Pyramid, Khafre and Menkaure, the Great Sphinx, and then the old churches and the synagogue of Coptic Cairo. Lunch at a local restaurant, the Giza ticket and bottled water are included.

From $12913 Hours

Giza, Memphis & Saqqara Day Trip from Alexandria – Private, Port or Hotel Pick-up

A long private day by road from Alexandria or its cruise port to the pyramid fields south of Cairo. With your own vehicle, driver and Egyptologist guide, you visit the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx, the Step Pyramid at Saqqara and the open-air museum at Memphis. Lunch, the entrance tickets and bottled water are included.

From $16514 Hours

Islamic Cairo Day Trip from Alexandria – Private, Citadel, Sultan Hassan & Khan el-Khalili

A private day by road from Alexandria to medieval Cairo and back. With your own vehicle, driver and Egyptologist guide, you visit the Citadel of Saladin, the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, the Mosque of Ibn Tulun and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar. Lunch at a local restaurant, the Citadel and Sultan Hassan tickets and bottled water are included.

From $16513 Hours

In the city

The Catacombs, the Qaitbay fort, the Roman theater and the new library sit in different corners of the city. A private guide strings them together, and you can choose a full day or a short morning.

Alexandria Full-Day Private Tour – Catacombs, Pompey's Pillar, Qaitbay Citadel & the Library

A private full day in Alexandria with your own vehicle, driver and Egyptologist guide. You see the Roman-era Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, Pompey's Pillar and the Serapeum site, the Citadel of Qaitbay on the harbor and the modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina, with a fish lunch by the sea. Entrance tickets and bottled water are included.

From $928 Hours

Alexandria Half-Day Private Tour – Qaitbay Citadel, Roman Theatre & Bibliotheca Alexandrina

A private half day in central Alexandria with your own car, driver and Egyptologist guide. You visit the Citadel of Qaitbay on the Eastern Harbor, the Roman Theatre at Kom el-Dikka with the Villa of the Birds mosaics, and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Entrance tickets and bottled water are included. It fits a short port call or a free morning.

From $635 Hours

Who these day tours suit

Cruise passengersA guide meets you at the port and brings you back in time for the ship.
Food loversA four-hour walk through the neighborhoods, eating as you go, with a local guide.
History readersRoman tombs, a Roman theater and the site of the ancient lighthouse, explained by an Egyptologist.
Travelers based in the DeltaRosetta and the Pyramids are each a single private day from the coast.

Discovery Tours Egypt has run tours across Egypt as a local company since 1988. We hold ETAA Licence No. 718 (Category A), are IATA accredited, and work from six offices: Cairo · Luxor · Aswan · Hurghada · Marsa Alam · Sharm El Sheikh.

Plan the rest of your stayHotels in Alexandria Alexandria airport transfers

Know before you go

The practical bits

What to wear

Cover shoulders and knees for mosques and churches. Closed, comfortable shoes – you'll cross uneven stone and sand.

Tipping

Around $2–4 a day for your guide is standard, and a little for the driver. Never obligatory – your day tour price is complete.

Heat & water

Carry 1.5L minimum. Sites are in full sun by 10am – the early start isn't just about crowds, it's about comfort.

Cameras & fees

A few sites charge a separate camera fee at the gate; some interiors are extra. Standard site entry is always included.

Questions we hear most