Things to Do in Alexandria Egypt: All You Must Know

The Things to Do in Alexandria span an extraordinary range of human experience — from descending into the ancient depths of one of the world's most remarkable underground necropolises, to walking a Mediterranean waterfront promenade as fishermen cast their nets and the sea breeze carries the scent of grilled fish from waterfront restaurants that have been feeding travelers for generations.

Things to Do in Alexandria Egypt: All You Must Know Before You Go

Alexandria occupies a unique and irreplaceable position in Egypt's travel landscape — a Mediterranean coastal city founded by Alexander the Great himself, where ancient Greco-Roman heritage, Egyptian cultural depth, and a genuinely cosmopolitan seaside character converge in a destination like no other in the country. The Things to Do in Alexandria cover an extraordinary spectrum: ancient catacombs of astonishing architectural complexity, the site of the greatest library in the ancient world, a medieval fortress built on the foundations of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, a perfectly preserved Roman amphitheater that still hosts cultural performances, royal jewelry of breathtaking craftsmanship, a legendary waterfront promenade, exceptional seafood cuisine, vibrant spice markets, and scuba diving in Mediterranean waters rich with marine life and historic shipwrecks. This comprehensive guide covers every significant experience the city offers — from iconic landmarks to hidden cultural corners — and is the definitive resource for anyone planning a Alexandria visit with Bastet Travel's expert Alexandria Tours or as part of a broader Egypt tour package.

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1. Why the Things to Do in Alexandria Make It an Essential Egypt Destination

Alexandria is a popular and increasingly essential stop on well-designed Egypt tour packages, thanks to a combination of historical depth and seaside character that no other Egyptian city can replicate. Where Cairo delivers the density of Pharaonic heritage and Luxor provides the greatest open-air archaeological museum on earth, Alexandria offers something categorically different: the legacy of the Hellenistic world, the remains of Roman civilization, and a Mediterranean coastal identity that feels entirely distinct from the desert landscapes that define most of Egypt's most celebrated destinations.

The key experiences awaiting visitors include:

• The ancient Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa — a fusion of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman architectural styles underground
• The legendary site of the Great Library of Alexandria — once the greatest center of learning in the ancient world
• The iconic Citadel of Qaitbay — built on the very site of the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria
• The Roman Amphitheater — a 2nd-century AD structure still used for cultural performances
• The Royal Jewelry Museum — housing the treasures of Egypt's royal dynasties
• The Corniche — one of the Mediterranean's most celebrated waterfront promenades
• Fresh seafood cuisine and Egyptian street food of exceptional quality
• The Souq Al-Attarin — a spice and artisan market of extraordinary sensory richness
• Day trips to the Pyramids of Giza and other destinations within reach
• Scuba diving in the clear Mediterranean waters surrounding the city

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2. Uncovering the Ancient Heritage: Historical Things to Do in Alexandria

The Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa

Among the most extraordinary of all Things to Do in Alexandria, the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa represent one of the ancient world's most remarkable architectural achievements — an underground necropolis of exceptional scale and complexity that showcases the cultural fusion at the heart of Alexandria's identity.

Descending into the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa is an encounter with a civilization that occupied a unique cultural position: neither purely Egyptian, nor purely Greek, nor purely Roman, but a sophisticated synthesis of all three. The detailed carvings throughout the complex blend Egyptian religious imagery with Greco-Roman architectural conventions in compositions found nowhere else in the ancient world. The scale of the necropolis — extending through multiple levels underground — amplifies the sense that this is not merely a burial site but a complete subterranean world.

For travelers pursuing the historical Things to Do in Alexandria, the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa are an essential first priority — the single site that most powerfully communicates the city's extraordinary cultural layering.

The Great Library of Alexandria

No engagement with the Things to Do in Alexandria is complete without visiting the site of the Great Library of Alexandria — once the most significant center of knowledge and cultural exchange in the ancient world. Though the original library was destroyed in antiquity, the site continues to inspire awe as a symbol of intellectual ambition on a scale that the ancient world never surpassed.

Exploring this Alexandria landmark allows visitors to imaginatively reconstruct the vast repository of knowledge that once occupied this ground — the scrolls, the scholars, the philosophical debates, the scientific breakthroughs — and to contemplate what was lost when the library fell. It remains one of the most intellectually resonant of all the Things to Do in Alexandria for historically minded travelers.

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3. Iconic Landmarks: The Architectural Things to Do in Alexandria

The Citadel of Qaitbay

The Citadel of Qaitbay stands as one of the most historically resonant of all Things to Do in Alexandria — a 15th-century fortress constructed on the precise location where the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria once stood, one of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. To visit the Citadel of Qaitbay is therefore to stand on one of the most consequential pieces of ground in the history of human achievement: a spot that has been a site of wonder for more than two thousand years.

Walking the walls, courtyards, and towers of the Citadel of Qaitbay, visitors are rewarded with panoramic views across the Mediterranean Sea and Alexandria's cityscape that are among the most beautiful urban perspectives in all of Egypt. The architectural impressiveness of the fortress itself — its scale, its positioning against the sea, its layered history — makes it a destination that rewards extended exploration.

The Citadel of Qaitbay consistently tops every expert list of Things to Do in Alexandria for history enthusiasts and architecture lovers alike, and it earns that position completely.

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4. Cultural Experiences: The Artistic Things to Do in Alexandria

The Roman Amphitheater

The Roman Amphitheater in Alexandria — dating to the 2nd century AD and among the best-preserved ancient performance venues in Egypt — provides one of the most atmospheric cultural Things to Do in Alexandria available to contemporary travelers. This ancient structure continues to fulfill its original purpose, hosting concerts, theatrical performances, and festivals that bring the city's history to life through living artistic expression.

Standing in the Roman Amphitheater during a performance, surrounded by 2,000-year-old stone seating, is an experience that defies straightforward description — a direct, physical connection to the long continuum of human cultural life that has always animated this extraordinary city.

The Royal Jewelry Museum

The Royal Jewelry Museum provides a completely different dimension of the Things to Do in Alexandria — an intimate encounter with the personal treasures of Egypt's royal dynasties, displayed in a setting of refined museum quality. The collection includes crowns, necklaces, and extraordinary jewelry pieces that document the beauty, sophistication, and historical narrative of Egyptian royal life across multiple eras.

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5. Coastal Beauty: Outdoor Things to Do in Alexandria Along the Mediterranean

Walking the Alexandria Corniche

The Alexandria Corniche is perhaps the most beloved and most universally enjoyed of all the Things to Do in Alexandria — a waterfront promenade that stretches for miles along the Mediterranean coast, offering stunning sea views, lively local atmosphere, and the particular pleasure of a city that has always oriented itself toward the water.

Walking the Corniche rewards every sense simultaneously: the sound of waves breaking against the sea wall, the sight of fishermen working their nets against a horizon of blue, the smell of salt air and grilled seafood from waterfront restaurants, and the warmth of the Mediterranean sun on a winter afternoon that feels like summer anywhere else in Europe.

The Corniche is equally enjoyable for an energetic morning jog, a leisurely afternoon stroll, or an evening walk when the lights of the city reflect off the water and street performers animate the promenade. Among the Things to Do in Alexandria along the Corniche, specific highlights include:

• Admiring the uninterrupted Mediterranean Sea views where the blue water meets the horizon
• Watching local fishermen at work — their nets, techniques, and daily catch a living connection to a tradition thousands of years old
• Sampling Egyptian ice cream or street snacks from vendors along the promenade
• Visiting the Citadel of Qaitbay directly from the waterfront
• Dining at the many restaurants and cafes offering both local and international cuisine with sea views

Exploring the Montazah Palace Gardens

Among the most tranquil of all outdoor Things to Do in Alexandria, the Montazah Palace Gardens offer a beautifully landscaped escape from the city's urban energy. Strolling through the grounds of this former royal residence, surrounded by carefully maintained Mediterranean gardens, provides a moment of genuine peace that contrasts beautifully with the more intense historical and cultural experiences elsewhere in the city.

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6. Culinary Experiences: The Gastronomic Things to Do in Alexandria

Alexandria's identity as a Mediterranean port city is perhaps nowhere more vividly expressed than in its food — a culinary tradition of remarkable quality that blends the fresh produce of the sea with the spice traditions of Egypt and the Middle East in dishes of genuine and enduring excellence.

Fresh Seafood Cuisine

Alexandria is legitimately renowned throughout Egypt and beyond for the quality of its fresh seafood — and sampling the city's finest fish and shellfish preparations is among the most pleasurable and most authentic of all the Things to Do in Alexandria. Grilled fish prepared with herbs and Mediterranean seasonings, seafood stews of complex flavor depth, grilled shrimp and calamari prepared with the skill of chefs who have worked with these ingredients their entire lives — these dishes represent a culinary tradition that is deeply specific to Alexandria and unavailable anywhere else in Egypt at this quality.

Egyptian Street Food

Beyond the seafood restaurants, Alexandria's street food scene provides another essential dimension of the culinary Things to Do in Alexandria. The city's traditional street dishes — koshary (the layered rice, lentil, and pasta dish that is perhaps Egypt's most beloved street food), falafel, and ful medames — can be experienced here in versions of particular authenticity and flavor that reflect Alexandria's long tradition of feeding its citizens well at every price point.

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7. Market Exploration: The Sensory Things to Do in Alexandria

Haggling at Souq Al-Attarin

The Souq Al-Attarin is among the most sensory-rich of all the Things to Do in Alexandria — a traditional market whose name references the perfumers and spice merchants who have occupied its lanes for centuries. Walking through the narrow alleys of the Souq Al-Attarin, visitors are enveloped by the aromas of exotic spices, incense, and essential oils while stalls display handmade ceramics, jewelry, textiles, and artisan goods of genuine local provenance.

The haggling process at the Souq Al-Attarin is itself a cultural experience — begin with a warm greeting, express interest in an item, offer a price, and engage in the good-humored back-and-forth negotiation that Alexandria's merchants have been practicing since the city was founded. The goal is a mutually satisfactory price arrived at through a process that both parties genuinely enjoy.

Specific items to look for at the Souq Al-Attarin include:

• Glassware, textiles, and carved wooden items of local artisan quality
• Egyptian spices and herbs — cumin, coriander, hibiscus (karkade), saffron, and aromatic blends unique to the region
• Natural beauty products — essential oils, natural soaps, and henna of authentic local production

The Souq Al-Attarin represents Alexandria's living commercial heritage — a market tradition extending from the ancient world to the present day — and is an essential component of any comprehensive engagement with the Things to Do in Alexandria.

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8. Day Trips: Extending the Things to Do in Alexandria Beyond the City

One of the most strategic advantages of Alexandria as a base is its accessibility to other significant destinations — making it possible to dramatically expand the range of Things to Do in Alexandria through carefully planned day excursions.

Visit the Pyramids of Giza

The Pyramids of Giza — one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and among the most extraordinary historical sites on earth — are accessible as a day trip from Alexandria, and the combination of Alexandria's Mediterranean heritage with the ancient Pharaonic grandeur of Giza creates an itinerary of remarkable historical breadth within a single trip.

The journey offers the opportunity to see the three great pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure up close, to stand before the enigmatic Great Sphinx, and to engage with the full complexity of this legendary archaeological site. Expert-guided day trips from Alexandria to the Pyramids ensure maximum historical insight and logistical efficiency. Our Cairo Tours connect seamlessly with Alexandria visits as part of broader Egypt tour packages.

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9. Adventure Activities: Active Things to Do in Alexandria

Scuba Diving in the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean waters surrounding Alexandria provide one of the most distinctive and rewarding active Things to Do in Alexandria — scuba diving in waters that combine remarkable marine biodiversity with a concentration of historic shipwrecks and underwater archaeological sites found nowhere else in the region.

The clarity of the Mediterranean around Alexandria makes it suitable for both experienced divers seeking complex wreck dives and beginners taking their first open-water lessons. The underwater ecosystem includes vibrant marine life, ancient amphoras, and structural remains that reflect the city's millennia of maritime significance. Reputable local dive operators provide equipment, guided experiences, and certification courses for visitors at every skill level.

Beyond diving, Alexandria's coastal setting supports a full range of outdoor adventures including hiking, cycling along the Corniche, and water sports — making it one of the most physically active of all the Things to Do in Alexandria for travelers who want to engage with the city's natural environment.

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Alexandria is a city that gives back in direct proportion to the depth of attention you bring to it — a destination whose Things to Do in Alexandria span 2,000 years of human history, the full sweep of Mediterranean cultural heritage, and experiences of sensory richness that stay with travelers long after they have returned home. Bastet Travel designs expert Alexandria Tours and comprehensive Egypt tour packages that unlock every dimension of this extraordinary city — from the ancient depths of the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa to the sea-lit evenings of the Corniche — with the local knowledge and personalized care that every great journey deserves. Inquire now via WhatsApp → http://wa.me/+201550191399