Discover Alexandria: Day Trip from Cairo

The second attraction is Pompey's Pillar. Despite its name, this 30-meter red Aswan granite column has no link to Pompey. Crusaders mistakenly believed it marked his burial site, but it was erected around 300 AD for Emperor Diocletian. The site was originally the Serapeum, Alexandria's acropolis, dedicated to the god Serapis. In 391 AD, Christian patriarch Theophilus led a mob to destroy the Serapeum and other pagan symbols, possibly including the Great Library of Alexandria. Today, only the pillar remains of the once-grand temple. Visitors can explore nearby tunnels and see artifacts like a life-size black basalt bull and a golden plaque at the Greco-Roman Museum.

Begin your day by meeting your guide at your hotel. Take a three-hour drive from Cairo to Alexandria. Upon arrival, your guide will introduce you to the city's rich history. Start with the necropolis of Kom El Shoqafa, featuring a blend of Pharaonic, Hellenistic, and Roman influences. Explore the catacombs with Roman, Greek, and Egyptian cultural elements, including statues and tombs. A circular staircase, used to transport deceased bodies, leads down into the tombs from the 2nd to the 4th century AD. The site was rediscovered in 1900 when a donkey fell into the access shaft. Three sarcophagi have been found to date.

The third stop is the Citadel of Qaitbay, a 15th-century fortress on Alexandria's Mediterranean coast. Built in 1477 AD by Sultan Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Qa'it Bay, it stands on the eastern side of Pharos Island at the mouth of the Eastern Harbour.