Alexandria Day Trip from Cairo: Citadel, Catacombs & Lunch

4.90

(147 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The drive out of Cairo started with us missing our first turn—our driver just grinned and said, “Welcome to Egyptian traffic!” It was honestly kind of comforting to see even locals get lost sometimes. The road opened up after that, sand and sky stretching for miles until the Mediterranean haze finally showed up. Our guide, Hossam, pointed out the old port cranes as we rolled into Alexandria—he said they looked like dinosaurs. I saw it too.

First stop was the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. I’ll admit I thought it’d just be a library, but the light inside was unreal—like being underwater but warm. There were students everywhere, laughing in Arabic and French. Hossam explained how it’s meant to echo the ancient library’s spirit (he kept saying “spirit” instead of “history,” which stuck with me). Then we wandered along the sea wall toward Qaitbay Citadel. The salt air hit hard; my hair felt sticky in minutes. Kids were fishing off the rocks and an old man tried to sell us tea from a battered kettle—should’ve said yes.

I still think about the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa. It’s cooler underground, almost damp, and you can smell stone dust and something metallic. The carvings are weirdly familiar—Roman helmets next to Egyptian gods—and Hossam told us stories about funerals mixing Greek and Egyptian rituals. It felt quiet down there in a way that makes you whisper without meaning to.

Lunch was loud—a tiny place near Pompey’s Pillar where we squeezed in between families. The bread was hot enough to burn your fingers if you weren’t careful. We tried koshari (Hossam insisted) and I probably ate too much chili sauce; my nose ran for half an hour after that. By the time we got back in the car for Cairo, my shirt smelled like cumin and sea air. Not sure I’ll ever wash it out completely.