What to see in Alexandria?

[irocks]

We will have one full day in Alexandria in October. We have already been to Cairo and would perfer to stay around Alexandria. Are there any must sees to do on your own or are there any good shore excursions from the ships that don't go to Cairo?:D

[MVPinBoynton]

I am also interested. We will be there for a couple nights on a tour. They have some things planned, but since we do have free time also, there might be something else we would like to see.

[NAS-KARR]

I'm patiently wairing for some enlightenment also, look'n for alot of ideas.

[Trece]

We've been to Egypt several times (three times for two weeks, and once a day trip to Mt. Sinai). Next year we are planning a cruise that stops overnight in Alexandria as well, and really don't want to take the time to go back to Cairo (I should qualify that by saying DH wants to because he'd move into the Egyptian Museum if he could :D but I'm looking for something different). I've begun researching putting together a private tour on Day One to El Alamein (westerly of Alexandria), where two major WWII battles were fought, and where there are Commonwealth, Italian, and German cemeteries. I understand the views along the Mediterranean are beautiful en route to El Alamein.

 

On Day Two I was looking at Tel El Basta, which is where the cat goddess Bastet was worshipped. It seems like it's pretty decimated, I haven't gotten to the point yet where I think it's worth a day, and I'm looking to figure out what else might be in the area to warrant a day trip.

 

All this is really preliminary on my part and if anyone else has any ideas, or comments on my ideas, I'd love to hear them!

[ab0si]

Unfortunately, there is not a lot to see in Alexandria. Brilliant history (for several centuries it was the true seat of Western learning) but completely destroyed by earthquakes and invaders.

 

http://alexandriaegypt.com/tourism/ is probably the best site to get an idea of what is available.

[MVPinBoynton]

Thanks ab0si. It sounds like other than some minor touring that our group has planned, Alexandria is a great place to relax and see the Mediterranean Sea.

[Louise22]

I was with a land tour 4 years ago - we drove from Cairo to Alexandria and spent the night in Alexandria. A small tour group of 7. The hotel grounds where we stayed were previously the private property of King Farouk. It was on the ocean and quite lovely. A very interesting tour of the city the next day which included the very impressive new library, the Greco-Roman museum, the Bibiliotheca Alexandria, Pompeii's Pillar, the Catacombs and an ancient Roman coliseum. I should mention that from Cairo we were accompanied by a policeman who even walked with us on the enclosed hotel grounds and was always armed. The next day on our tour we were also accompanied by a police car and four policeman. Don't know what the situation is like now but I am not so sure I felt safe or rather like a "bullseye" had been painted on my back.

[NAS-KARR]

How far is El Alamein from Alex. ?

[ab0si]

I was with a land tour 4 years ago - we drove from Cairo to Alexandria and spent the night in Alexandria. A small tour group of 7. The hotel grounds where we stayed were previously the private property of King Farouk. It was on the ocean and quite lovely. A very interesting tour of the city the next day which included the very impressive new library, the Greco-Roman museum, the Bibiliotheca Alexandria, Pompeii's Pillar, the Catacombs and an ancient Roman coliseum. I should mention that from Cairo we were accompanied by a policeman who even walked with us on the enclosed hotel grounds and was always armed. The next day on our tour we were also accompanied by a police car and four policeman. Don't know what the situation is like now but I am not so sure I felt safe or rather like a "bullseye" had been painted on my back.

 

I have no idea if the following is true or not. It is the story I was told by the owner of a large Cairo-based travel agency when I was there in January. Be warned that conspiracy theories are very popular there -- for example, "everyone" there KNOWS that the CIA and/or Israel bombed the World Trad Center on 9/11.

 

At any rate, the police/army escorts were added after a series of attacks on western tourists. Many trips required traveling in convoys and westerners were limited to only certain trains. The tourist industry pays for this -- so far, it is all true ... the following is what I was told:

 

the tourist industry has asked several times that the escorts and convoys be ended. The government has refused saying it provides needed employment. the tourist industry has offered to pay a portion of the fees if the escorts, etc. were stopped. the government refused because: less opportunity for bribes and skimming, it would not be right to pay people for not working, Washington (London, Paris) threatened to cut off aid and/or issue stronger tourist warnings if the convoys, etc. were stopped. And, of course, a seriously dark conspiracy angle (always required there): the convoys and escorts are maintained so that when Washington wants an excuse to (fill in the blank for some thing nasty to be done to Arabs), they can simply order the convoys attacked.

 

The best part of this and similar conversations is that they are carried out in a friendly manner while sharing a nice glass of tea.

 

Paul

[Trece]

Nas-Karr, I've read El Alamein is 66 miles west of Alexandria.

[larinconada123]

We drove to El Alamein last fall and it takes about an hour and a half to two hours. It is an interesting drive because it contains the graveyard of dead condo projects endlessly. Miles and miles of developments that have gone to seed on the water. I guess the great developments on the Med just didn't make it.

 

El-Alamein Allied Cemetery also has a museum nearby with some interesting stuff. It was fascinating reading the headstones at the cemetery, which pointed to the 'Scottish Highlanders' and all the other places where these young men came from. Additionally the many quotes on the headstones remind us that there was a time when there was actually honor in in the world. The German Cemetery has no graves, just a monument that you can walk inside and look around...I think the bodies are in an underground common grave beneath, but I'm not sure. In short, there are no crosses and no marked graves. It is just a Memorial out in the middle of endless sand. What a hellish place to fight for all sides. We were on Inignia and the QE II was in port and yet there were only 7 of us at the Allied Cemetery, my wife and I and an older English woman that organized a small group of 5 and who demanded the QE II honor her trip there which the ship had canceled due to lack of interest. There was a bus of Germans at the German Memorial/Cemetery. Mostly the dead are not disturbed by the living out this way.

 

The Museum is a monument to Monty and celebrates the fact he did actually win one battle, thanks to the ANZACS that saved his arse. If you have the time it is a pretty drive out and few people are there as the families of the dead grow old and...well, Oppenheimer said it best: 'All fades into memory of memory, and then is gone.'

 

We enjoyed the trip to El Alamein: it is one of those things you wouldn't do again but are glad you did.

 

Have fun.

Larinconada

[cruisemom42]

If you are looking for suggestions for what to see in Alexandria itself, Louise22 pretty much covers the main highlights.

 

If you want an interesting day trip outside of Alexandria, look into Wadi Natrun. This is a World Heritage site that contains some of the oldest Christian monasteries known to exist (although not all the buildings are "original" as they have been in use almost continuously). It's about halfway between Alexandria and Cairo, in the desert. You'd probably want to find a private guide to do this....

 

The early Egyptian (Coptic) Christians fled to the desert to avoid persecution from the Romans, who ruled Egypt at the time. At one time there were as many as 50 monasteries here, although only a few have survived. The site itself actually has an even earlier significance, as it's the area where the ancient Egyptians obtained the natron (a kind of salt) that was a necessary ingredient for mummification.

 

A few of the monasteries are open for viewing. Here are a couple of links I found:

 

http://lexicorient.com/egypt/wadi_natrun.htm

 

(Read the above for dates when these monasteries are closed for religious festivals.)

 

http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1827/

[joek]

We just returned from a HAL Rotterdam cruise stopping at Alexandria, and we did not want to revisit Cairo. We found a lovely young lady on line, Soha Soliman, to guide the two of us for an all day tour. The van can seat six.

 

Joe Kluepfel

 

soha_guide@yahoo.com

 

Description of tour from her e-mail:

 

1)Private van with AC and driver all day, will pick you up from the main gate of the Marin harbor's and back to the gate of the Marin harbor at the end of the tour.

2)Private tour guide with you all day

3)all the entry fees for the main sights of the city

-the catacomb tomb which dates back to the 2nd AD

-the roman amphitheater which back to the 4th AD

-the great library of Alexandria at the same position of the old famous library

-the fort of Qaiet bay at the same position of the old famous light house

-the Turkish palace

-tour from the west of the city to the east part of the city, giving you chance to see all the city by the sea side

-the Pompey`s pillar

-the old bazaar of the city

4)lunch at a simple Egyptian restaurant (meal and dessert with a mixed fruit 'smoothie')

[brucedodge]

We just returned from a HAL Rotterdam cruise stopping at Alexandria, and we did not want to revisit Cairo. We found a lovely young lady on line, Soha Soliman, to guide the two of us for an all day tour. The van can seat six.

 

Joe Kluepfel

 

Joe,

 

Many thanks for the information. I've already sent her an email. How long was the Rotterdam in port, and how long was the tour? Is there anything you would have changed?

 

If convenient, you could email me at brucedodge AT comcast DOT net.

 

Bruce