Alexandria Day Tour
Bibliotheca Alexandrina · Qaitbay Citadel · Pompey's Pillar & Catacombs
Private Guided
Round-Trip From Cairo
Full-Day Tour
Bibliotheca Alexandrina · Qaitbay Citadel · Pompey's Pillar & Catacombs
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Full Day
10–12 Hours
Private Tour
Your group only
Round-Trip Transport
Cairo ⇄ Alexandria (~220 km)
Expert Guide
Egyptologist
Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, Alexandria was once the intellectual capital of the ancient world and home to the legendary Great Library. On this private full-day tour from Cairo, discover the "Bride of the Mediterranean" and its layered Greco-Roman, Islamic, and modern heritage. Descend into the atmospheric Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, stand beneath the towering granite Pompey's Pillar, explore the sea fortress of Qaitbay Citadel — built on the ruins of the ancient Pharos Lighthouse — and marvel at the striking Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the modern successor to antiquity's most famous library.
Travel in a private air-conditioned vehicle with an expert Egyptologist guide, with convenient pickup and drop-off at your Cairo or Giza hotel. The scenic drive north along the desert highway takes roughly 2.5–3 hours each way, and the day unfolds at a relaxed, flexible pace with time for lunch at a local restaurant and a stroll along Alexandria's Mediterranean Corniche.
Early morning pickup from your Cairo or Giza hotel by our Egyptologist guide and private driver, then a scenic drive north along the desert highway to the Mediterranean coast.
Begin your exploration of Greco-Roman Alexandria with two of its most striking ancient monuments.
Continue along the seafront to Alexandria's most iconic fortress.
A midday break followed by a visit to Alexandria's modern icon of knowledge and culture.
In the late afternoon, begin the scenic drive back south to Cairo.
The ancient Library of Alexandria, founded in the 3rd century BC under the Ptolemaic dynasty, was the largest repository of knowledge in the ancient world, drawing scholars from across the Mediterranean and beyond; its loss is considered one of history's great cultural tragedies. Inaugurated in 2002 near the site of its ancient predecessor, the modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina revives that legacy in a striking disc-shaped granite building overlooking the sea. The complex houses several museums, a planetarium, and a vast reading hall, and today serves as a leading cultural and research hub for the region.
Commissioned in 1477 by Sultan Qaitbay to defend Alexandria's harbor from naval attack, this coastal fortress stands on the site of the legendary Pharos Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which collapsed after a series of earthquakes. Many of the citadel's stone blocks are believed to have been reused from the fallen lighthouse itself, physically linking the medieval fortress to its ancient predecessor. Today the citadel offers sweeping views over the Eastern Harbour and the Mediterranean.
Rising some 25 meters from a single block of red Aswan granite, Pompey's Pillar is one of the largest ancient monolithic columns still standing in Egypt. Despite its name, it has no direct connection to the Roman general Pompey; it was erected around 297 AD in honor of the Emperor Diocletian. The column stands amid the scattered ruins of the Serapeum of Alexandria, once a major temple complex dedicated to the god Serapis.
Discovered by accident in 1900, the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa ("Mound of Shards") form a three-level underground necropolis dating to the 2nd century AD. Carved directly into the bedrock, the tombs blend Pharaonic, Greek, and Roman artistic traditions in a single burial complex — sphinxes and Egyptian gods appear alongside Roman-style architectural details. Long regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages, the site offers a vivid glimpse into the multicultural identity of Greco-Roman Alexandria.
Contact our travel experts to customize your Alexandria day trip and make it truly unforgettable.