Alexandria Private Day Trip with Egyptologist Guide from Cairo

5.00

(13 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“You know, Alexandria always smells like the sea — even when you’re far from the water,” said Mahmoud as we left Cairo behind at sunrise. He was our Egyptologist guide for the day trip to Alexandria, and honestly, I didn’t expect someone so passionate about old stones to also know all the best places for coffee. The drive north felt quieter than Cairo’s usual chaos — just that low hum of traffic and Mahmoud’s stories about Alexander and Cleopatra drifting in and out as the sun climbed higher.

I’d read about the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa before, but actually walking down those damp stone steps was something else. The air changed — colder, almost metallic — and my shoes squeaked a bit on the slick floor. Mahmoud pointed out carvings where Greek and Egyptian styles mixed together (I tried to spot them first, failed). There was this odd silence down there except for distant voices echoing off the walls. I caught myself whispering for no reason.

Later we stopped by the Morsy Abu el Abbas Mosque. The white domes looked almost too bright against the sky — I squinted a lot, probably looked confused. A group of kids ran past us laughing; one waved at me with sticky fingers (ice cream? Not sure). Lunch was quick — just some bread and cheese from a street vendor because we wanted more time at the Library of Alexandria. It’s modern now but there’s this hush inside, like everyone’s secretly hoping they’ll find something ancient tucked between new books. Mahmoud grinned when I asked if he ever got lost in there (“Every time!”), which made me feel better about wandering off for a bit myself.

The last stop was Qaitbay Citadel by the water. Windy up there — my hair still smelled salty hours later on the drive back to Cairo. We watched fishermen untangle their nets below while Mahmoud told us how this place once guarded all of Egypt’s coast. I don’t know why but that view stuck with me more than anything else; maybe it was just being somewhere that felt both old and alive at once.