Discover 20 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Alexandria (Egypt). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Citadel of Qaitbay, Montaza Palace, and Pompey's Pillar. Also, be sure to include Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi Mosque in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Alexandria (Al Iskandariyah).
Table of Contents
Citadel of Qaitbay
Also known as: قلعة قايتباي
15th-century fortress and naval museum. The Citadel of Qaitbay is a 15th-century defensive fortress located on the Mediterranean sea coast, in Alexandria, Egypt. It was established in 1477 AD by Sultan Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Qa'it Bay. The Citadel is situated on the eastern side of the northern tip of Pharos Island at the mouth of the Eastern Harbour.[1]
Address: As Sayalah Sharq, Alexandria
Montaza Palace
Also known as: قصر المنتزه
1932 ornate palace and extensive gardens. Montaza Palace is a palace, museum and extensive gardens in the Montaza district of Alexandria, Egypt. It was built on a low plateau east of central Alexandria overlooking a beach on the Mediterranean Sea.[2]
Address: Al Montaza, Alexandria
Pompey's Pillar
Also known as: عمود السواري
Iconic Roman-era granite column. Pompey's Pillar is the name given to a Roman triumphal column in Alexandria, Egypt. Set up in honour of the Roman emperor Diocletian between 298–302 AD, the giant Corinthian column originally supported a colossal porphyry statue of the emperor in armour. It stands at the eastern side of the temenos of the Serapeum of Alexandria, beside the ruins of the temple of Serapis itself. The erroneous name and association with Pompey stems from historical misreading of the Greek dedicatory inscription on the base.[3]
Address: Amud Al Sawary, Alexandria
Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi Mosque
Also known as: مسجد أبو العباس المرسي
Large, architecturally notable mosque. The Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi Mosque is an Egyptian mosque in the city of Alexandria. It is dedicated to the 13th century Murcian Andalusi Sufi saint Abul Abbas al-Mursi, whose tomb it contains.
It is located in the Anfoushi neighborhood of Alexandria, near the Citadel of Qaitbay.[4]
Address: ميدان المساجد، الجمرك, Alexandria
Alexandria Aquarium
Also known as: متحف الأحياء المائية
Aquarium in Alexandria, Egypt. Alexandria Aquarium is a small aquarium in Alexandria, Egypt. It was built in 1930 and is near Qaitbay fort on Alexandria's Eastern Harbour. The aquarium exhibits many species from the Mediterranean and Red Sea around Egypt, as well as some freshwater species from the Nile and the Amazon. Animals on display range from fish to crustaceans and turtles. The Aquarium is also home to the Marine Research Institute.[5]
Alexandria National Museum
Also known as: متحف الإسكندرية القومي
Egyptian history in an Italianate palace. The Alexandria National Museum is a museum in Alexandria, Egypt. It was inaugurated the 31 December 2003 by Hosni Mubarak and it is located in a renovated Italian style palace in Tariq Al-Horreya Street. The building used to be home to the United States consulate.[6]
Address: 110 El Horreya Rd. Raml Station, 21599 Alexandria
Alexandria Zoo
Also known as: حديقة حيوان الإسكندرية
Zoo in Alexandria, Egypt. The Alexandria Zoo is a zoo close to the Smouha neighborhood in Alexandria, Egypt. The zoo charges an entrance fee, which allows guests to walk around the zoo and view a selection of animals from around the world..[7]
Royal Jewelry Museum
Also known as: متحف المجوهرات الملكية
Collections from Muhammad Ali dynasty. The Royal Jewelry Museum is an art and history museum in the Zizenia neighborhood of Alexandria, Egypt. It is located in the former palace of Princess Fatma Al-Zahra'. The building's halls contain an inestimable collection of jewels and jewelry of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty. 19th-century paintings, statues, and decorative arts are also exhibited in the rooms and lobbies. The museum was first inaugurated on 24 October 1986. After several years of renovations and expansion it was reopened in April 2010.[8]
Address: 21 Ahmed Yehia Street, 21599 Alexandria
Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria
The Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa, also known as the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, is an autocephalous patriarchate that is part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Its seat is in Alexandria and it has canonical responsibility for the entire African continent.
It is commonly called the Greek or Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria to distinguish it from the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, which is part of Oriental Orthodoxy. Members of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate were once referred to as "Melkites" by non-Chalcedonian Christians because they remained in communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople after the schism that followed the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Mark the Evangelist is considered the founder of the See, and the Patriarchate's emblem is the Lion of Saint Mark.
The head bishop of the Patriarchate of Alexandria is the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa, currently Theodore II of Alexandria. His full title is "His Most Divine Beatitude the Pope and Patriarch of the Great City of Alexandria, Libya, Pentapolis, Ethiopia, all the land of Egypt, and all Africa, Father of Fathers, Shepherd of Shepherds, Prelate of Prelates, thirteenth of the Apostles, and Judge of the Œcumene". Like the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and the Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria, he claims to have succeeded the Apostle Mark the Evangelist in the office of Bishop of Alexandria, who founded the church in the 1st century, and therefore marked the beginning of Christianity in Africa. It is one of the five ancient patriarchates of the early church, called the Pentarchy. The seat of the patriarchate is the Cathedral of the Annunciation, also known as the Cathedral of Evangelismos, in Alexandria.[9]
Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue
Also known as: كنيس إلياهو هانبي
Synagogue in Alexandria, Egypt. Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue is a synagogue in Alexandria, Egypt built in the Neo-Gothic style. It is located in Nabi Daniel street. An earlier synagogue was built on the site in 1354, but was bombed and destroyed by the French during their invasion of Egypt in 1798. A new synagogue, the current building, began construction in 1850 with contributions from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty. It is included on the World Monuments Fund's 2018 list of monuments at risk.
Although services are still held in the synagogue, it now caters to a very small community due to the dwindling number of Jews in Alexandria. The synagogue was closed for the 5773 (2012) High Holidays because of security reasons.
In 2017, the Egyptian government announced a project to restore the synagogue in a growing move of keeping its Jewish heritage alive. It was rededicated in January 2020, with three Jews present at the ceremony.[10]
Graeco-Roman Museum
Also known as: المتحف اليوناني الروماني
Mummies and other archaeological objects. The Graeco-Roman Museum is an archaeological museum located in Alexandria, Egypt.[11]
Address: Latin quarter, Alexandria
Alexandria Opera House
Also known as: دار أوبرا الإسكندرية
Performing arts theater in Egypt. Alexandria Opera House or Sayed Darwish Theatre was built in 1918 and opened in 1921 in the city of Alexandria, Egypt. When it opened, it was named Teatro Mohamed Ali.[12]
Alexandria Naval Unknown Soldier Memorial
Also known as: نصب الجندي المجهول
The Alexandria Naval Unknown Soldier Memorial at the Manshaya district is dedicated to the unknown soldiers who lost their lives in the sea battles, it is present on the Corniche of Alexandria. It was built under the rule of Muhammed Ali of Egypt as Alexandria was the main naval base for his son Ibrahim Pasha's expedition to Greece during the Greek War of Independence, that culminated in the Battle of Navarino.
Originally a memorial to Khedive Ismail built by Italian residents of Alexandria, its status was changed following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 to commemorate fallen naval personnel.[13]
Address: El Manshaya, Alexandria
Shallalat Gardens
Also known as: حدائق الشلالات
Shallalat Gardens is the name of the ancient garden located in Alexandria, Egypt. The Shallalat Gardens occupy a large area of the Al Shatby neighborhood.
Parts of the ancient Wall of Alexandria are still present in the gardens.[14]
Corniche
The Corniche is a waterfront promenade corniche in Alexandria, Egypt, running along the Eastern Harbour. It is one of the major corridors for traffic in Alexandria. The Corniche is formally designated "26 of July Road" west of Mansheya and "El Geish Road" east of it; however, these names are rarely used.
Italian-Egyptian architect Pietro Avoscani designed it in 1870.
The western end starts by the Citadel of Qaitbay (built in place of the Lighthouse of Alexandria). It runs for over ten miles and ends at Montaza.[15]
Ras El Tin Palace
Also known as: قصر رأس التين
Palace in Alexandria, Egypt. Ras El Tin Palace is a palace on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria, Egypt. It is one of the official residences for a serving President of Egypt. Under the Muhammad Ali Dynasty of Egypt and Sudan, it was a royal palace. Ras El Tin Palace is the oldest royal Egyptian palace still in use.[16]
Address: Ras el-Tin, Alexandria
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Also known as: مكتبة الإسكندرية الجديدة
Library in Alexandria, Egypt. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a major library and cultural center on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. It is a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria, once one of the largest libraries worldwide, which was lost in antiquity. The idea of reviving the old library dates back to 1974, when a committee set up by Alexandria University selected a plot of land for its new library. Construction work began in 1995 and, after some US$220 million had been spent, the complex was officially inaugurated on 16 October 2002. In 2010, the library received a donation of 500,000 books from the Bibliothèque nationale de France. The gift makes the Bibliotheca Alexandrina the sixth-largest Francophone library in the world.
The library has shelf space for eight million books, with the main reading room covering 20,000 square metres (220,000 sq ft). The complex also houses a conference center; specialized libraries for maps, multimedia, the blind and visually impaired, young people, and for children; four museums; four art galleries for temporary exhibitions; 15 permanent exhibitions; a planetarium; and a manuscript restoration laboratory.[17]
Address: El Shatby, 30100 Alexandria
St. Catherine's Cathedral
Also known as: كاتدرائية سانت كاترين
Cathedral in Alexandria, Egypt. The St. Catherine's Cathedral is the Roman Catholic cathedral of the Apostolic Vicariate of Alexandria of Egypt. It also serves as the church of the Franciscan monastery in Alexandria.[18]
Address: Sant Katren, 21599 Alexandria
Attarine Mosque
The Attarine Mosque also known as the Mosque of St. Athanasius was a Catholic Church-turned mosque that is situated in the Attarine District in Alexandria, Egypt. The former church was built in 370 AD and is dedicated to St. Athanasius of Alexandria. When Islam came to Egypt, the church was converted to a small mosque.[19]
San Stefano
San Stefano is a neighborhood in Alexandria, Egypt. The area was known for a landmark hotel-casino that was demolished in the late 1990s. That hotel was replaced by the San Stefano Grand Plaza, a hotel-apartment-shopping mall complex that includes a Four Seasons luxury hotel, opened in 2007 and apartments, housed in the tallest building in Alexandria.[20]