Egypt – Alexandria

Alexandria, Egypt

A city that’s named after a conquering hero has to be good, right? Here is one of the best fortified sea fortresses I have ever seen with spectacular vistas out to the Med and the shoreline city. The green gardens give a homeliness to what was an impressive military past. The sea front promenade of Alexandria is 3 km long and stretches from the fortress, right up to the newly constructed. modernist, world-famous Library – tell me if you are impressed by this building as it failed to move me. If you are into Roman ruins or Catacombs then these are here also in another part of the city and just by the main station is a preserved Roman amphitheatre.

This is one of the four sites I visited in Lower Egypt. The others being Cairo, and the Giza Pyramids and I spent a day at Sakkara/Memphis. I also compiled a gude as to how to get from Cairo to Alexandria by train. Click on the names to see the others and get the whole Lower Nile experience.

Ever since, as a kid, and I found out that the city of Alexandria in Egypt was named after Alexander the Great, I had wanted to visit it. A city named after such a conquering hero must be great to see.

How to get to Alexandria from Cairo

I checked in the UK before I came and looked on Egyptian railways website for timetable and prices from Cairo to Alexandria and if it was possible to see it all within one day. It would mean catching a 6 o’clock-ish train and get the 6 -ish one back. There were trains around these times and there were actually several train comfort options. Catch the express – most luxurious class train as it will be more comfortable and more akin to European standards all the blogs said – so that’s what I did.

I couldn’t get tickets online so had to risk buying them on the day or before at Ramses Station in Cairo, from where the train leaves. I hoped I’d get one as several blogs said they can get filled up quick. There is first and second class and whilst I would never travel 1st Class in the UK because of the high price, here it was more the price of a bus fare to me, so I decided 1st Class it will be.

My taxi took me into town and dropped me off at the station, which is the Rameses Station, just north of the centre of the city, the main station to get to Alexandria. The hotel driver saw my surprise on my face as the front of the station was just a maelstrom of cars, people, baggage, carts and no signage (yet again) as to where to go. He pointed towards a section of the building and said “tickets” so I headed there through the mases – really busy even at 5:30am! I walked through the security scanners with, again, a guy doing the routine, set the beeper off but he looked up and I carried on as if nothing had happened!

Ramses Station

Inside I was surprised at how decorative it was – it had recently had an expensive make-over and it looked like I was inside an alien spacecraft. It was brown and gold with a huge upturned illuminated spire reaching down from the ceiling into the centre of the hall. The ceiling was embossed in dark brown shimmering plate and the floor marble. WOW, what a design, someone went overboard on this one!

However a real lack of signage, again. I could see no obvious ticket counters and the only signage was in Arabic. Eventually I went over to a big kiosk with counter windows and asked if tickets were sold here, he said no and pointed me towards a small glass walled side room ….. never did find out what this big kiosk was for !

The entrance to this is in the corner area of my pic here. There were a couple of windows open and a few people buying tickets …. strange for such a huge station to have such a small ticket office area. I got the timed tickets for Alexandria for when I wanted for 6:00ish and he told me that only second class was available, as 1st was sold out ….. ok, I bought them thinking 2nd may not be nice and asked if I could buy the return now at the time I wanted for 18:00ish? – he said yes and 1st was available … yippee. It was about £3 and £5 for each ticket so was incredibly cheap from my perspective for a 2.5-3 hour journey. However both times the train left nearly on time but took 30 mins longer than scheduled so factor that into your timings.

The tickets have the carriage number and seat number printed on them so it is really easy to find your seat, 2nd class was actually very good, comfy, clean, big seats in good condition, air con and a fairly comfortable ride.

It can be difficult to locate your train as the boards are in Arabic and have Arabic numerals for the platforms, so a tip is look for what your train number is on your ticket as this is displayed on the departures board in roman numerals. To find out what Alexandria and Cairo looks like written in Arabic I took a photo of the departures board, looked to see what my ticket said as my train number, married my train number to the train number on the board and looked along that line on the board to see the Arabic written names of the two cities …. easy.

I then used my train number back to marry it with the Arabic for Cairo, checking it also said the correct time. I got the correct train this way as there is often no officials around to help.

Onboard, the train was quite busy but comfortable and decent. A trolley came round several times with drinks and food, so if you need it, stuff is there.

I wanted a window seat to see the countryside passing by, thinking to myself, as a desert country what was the land like between these two cities in the Nile Delta?. It was surprisingly green. Lots of fields of what looked like wheat and small vegetables growing. A little boring after a while as it was still the same after 100km, very flat with a few palm trees here and there but proving that this really was the agricultural heartland of the country.

What to see in Alexandria, Egypt

I arrived at Alexandria at a crowded station and followed the people to get out. Curiously no-one went through the terminal building but all headed round the side of the building which led to the waste ground in front of the terminal. This area seemed to be all dug up as if they were relaying the grounds but I could see no-one working and it appeared to be old works. maybe the front area of the station is always looking this messed up?!

Using the GPS on my phone, as I couldn’t get a map anywhere in Cairo, I followed it to the square in front and then effectively followed a tramline to get round the buildings in front as I knew a tram stop was here and it may take me to my next stop. However when I got there the streets were an absolute stinking mess, mud everywhere, garbage everywhere, crowds of people and the trams came along and effectively had to slowly push people off the tracks to get by as they clearly shared the road.

The trams were jam packed and decrepit. I could see nowhere to buy a ticket and everyone just jumped on and off unchecked and people were even hanging off the sides dangerously …. not for me. I will join in anything but this looked dangerous and rammed full and thought this could be unpleasant. So I walked the narrow, smelly streets, avoiding the muddy potholes, garbage, slime, horse excrement – I had to seriously watch where I was walking and made detours to avoid much of it. I was trying to squeeze through the crowds in what was a market area selling anything from clothes to food, on make-shift stalls.

I eventually made it out into what resembled streets of a city rather than a dirty crowded village market and decided to continue my journey on foot through a more organised market area as it was actually only about 20 mins walk away. Websites that tell you that Alexandria has a tram system forget to mention how dirty, bashed up, jammed full some of the carriages are. Some were better however as I moved further from this area and took a few pics of them as they trundled by

I walked the streets and took in the really bad state this area of the city I was in, completely unkept buildings, some looked like they were about to fall down. Others with garbage and filth all around them, the air was full of rotten smells and the sight of a butcher cutting up meat on the bare floor of his dirty shop and hanging it on hooks in the open street next to car fumes and people able to brush past it filled me with angst.

They are obviously used to this but it was the first time I had experienced really bad conditions, poverty and rubbish at this level in any major city in the world. Experience learned and I was warned it can get worse!

Serapeum and Pompey’s Pillar

I arrived at my destination of Serapeum and Pompey’s Pillar. This is an historical site, and was a Pompeian Palace/Villa of the Greco-Roman period, 3rd Century, but now in ruins. Biggest thing left is the impressive granite column that is flanked by two well preserved Sphinxes. There is an interesting walkway that takes you round the perimeter at first to see various sculptures and artefacts recovered and then it continues into the centre.

There is a sign that says “Sanctuary”. At first I did not know what this meant and is placed in such a way that you at first think this is not directional but just telling you that you are in this area.

Common in Egypt is the lack of any signage for info but luckily a fellow tourist saw my confusion and explained that it directs you down the stairs and into the entrance of the underground area – don’t miss this as it is so atmospheric and should not be missed. Underneath there are the huge tunnels of the old library and Sanctuary of Apis and at one end of the tunnel is the carved statue of a bull that would be used for worship here.

Despite an entrance fee the site is not as well kept as it could be (except the underground tunnels). Grass has grown over many areas but it gives you an idea of the size of the site and there were a set of info boards at the entrance showing what the site would have looked like.

It was very quiet on my visit and at times had the tunnels all to myself, which was actually a bit scary as they can be a bit dim and the ground uneven but don’t miss it

The site is notbthat big and I saw it all in about 40 mins

My next plce to visit was further along the nearby streets of Alexandria and about a 15 mins walk away through a run down residential area. I was often walking in the road as the pavements had become busted up or were used as storage/building areas by locals rather than kept free for walking.

Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa

I arrived at the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa. Dead people!!!.Well, there used to be!

Be aware that you cannot take cameras into the site. Mobile phones (with or without a camera) are ok though – why I don’t know, yet another Egyptian anomaly as thye both takes photos! They force you to leave your camera at the entrance. You may be given a receipt but I have heard reports that you are free to pick it up on the way out and no-one checks your ticket to ensure you are taking the right one!

From the outside it doesn’t look like much, but once you are downstairs you begin to understand why it is so historic and one of the most visited sites in Alexandria..

This site is a Necropolis (City of the Dead) and contains underground catacombs and the burial chambers and wall niches where they were laid. It dates from the 2nd Century (Roman)and was used up to the 4th Century. It was discovered, as legend has it, when a donkey feel through the roof into it and its owner alerted the authorities to what he found.

You enter via a circular stone staircase with a large open centre area all the way down through which the dead were lowered. Going downwards, you eventually reach the porticoed entrance and stone wall carvings at the bottom of the stairs.

It is quite dark in areas but very atmospheric, especially if you can get yourselves away from the tour groups and take it in. I saw the bones of some of the dead in a case! Some tombs were highly decorative and other intricately carved, but many were just big holes/chambers carved out of the walls.

There was even a big funeral banquet room – triclinium – where the descendants of the dead come to dine with the dead to keep them company ….! ” I see dead people”.

Design wise you see Roman, Greek and Egyptian style carvings and ornamentations.

From here I wanted to see more of the city and hoped that my walking the 40 mins to the sea area would bring better sights than my journeys so far through the streets.

I doubled back to the station and took a main street towards the sea visiting several interesting buildings and sites on the way for photo opportunities. Yes, the streets got better but there is definitely a lack of civic pride and local authority upkeep.

Alexandria Opera House

I paid a brief visit to the outside of Alexandria Opera House which is tucked inside a small square near shops. I walked past it a couple of times expecting it to be on show on a grand avenue but its hidden away down a commercial alleyway. The statue of an ex Prime Minister sits in front and the building was very well restored

Frome here I moved on, to a main shopping street with a plethora of stores but still the signs of low income and unregulated activities showed through. People had even set up mini car boot sales but with proper commercial goods, using the cars surfaces as a kind of stall counter – very creative!

I arrived at the bustling square of El-Tahrir Square with its small, and unfortunately, unkept park in the middle. I wanted a shot of the big statue here of Mohammed Ali Pasha, the founder of modern Egypt, but getting across the road was difficult. As always in Egypt it is man versus the car and to stroll into the traffic and wander across hoping cars will slow down (they usually do) is normal practice here and I was getting very used to it by now.

There are rarely any public road crossings and definitely none here so, life in my hands I strolled out and got across fairly easily. Took my pics and almost trod on a dead rat as I walked back to cross the road again. Another life experience seen!

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

I now walked up the long thoroughfare of large stores and past a nearby Mall. Here were yet more street stalls and I had to squeeze by them on the pavements, as they spilled out so mauch into the public footpath.

I approached the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from the back and it did look very grand, from the front it was even more so on Manshiyeh Square and it was very well maintained. I could see soldiers on guard so did not approach too closely as usually this gets their back up. I

Curiously, I did note that across the road from this monument was the French Consulate, resplendent with concrete blast protectors in the street sheltering its glorious façade. Do they really expect car bomb attacks on it ? !

Corniche/ Sea Promenade

Here I was at the long, long Promenade that runs the whole length of Alexandria’s skyline facing the Med.

I wanted to walk the 20 mins from here to the citadel and whilst it was good to see the sea and the cooling breeze, the shoreline was quite polluted. It is seemingly used more as a beach frontal area of cafes and restaurants and even a launch area for some prettily painted boats.

Several people were resting on the walls here and the big boats that had been pulled ashore were now docked on the promenade and actually forcing everyone into the 4 lanes of fast moving traffic to get by them …. a bit dangerous, inconsiderate and unregulated ….. as I said, get used to this!

Here I took a few pics of some impressive buildings lining the Promenade, some in relatively good condition as they are hotels but many have seen better days and hark back to a grand colonial era long forgotten.

Citadel of Qaitbay

Eventually, I arrived at the Citadel of Qaitbay and it is wonderous. Probably the best kept and restored site I have seen in Egypt and wanted to spend more time here but my schedule for the day was tight.

It was also where I have probably taken the most pics of any site in Egypt as at every turn there was another fabulous tower/ set of walls/ sea view/ gardens/ archways etc etc. I have therefore condensed the many pics into blocks so you can scroll through if you want to see more or pass on if sea fortresses are not your thing.

It is a 15th-century defensive fortress and was built on the exact site of the ancient Alexandria Lighthouse. This lighthouse was gradually destroyed after several earthquakes and was one of the original 7 wonders of the world. The Citadel is named after the Sultan who built it.

Really loved the atmosphere and setting of this place, right up on the Mediterranean sea shore and clearly in its day was a huge fortified citadel and defensive system for the city.

The site is huge as there is much to explore and see – a four storey castle structure with internal rooms, vaulted walkways, and views out to sea, defensive walls and small gardens. It’s a beautiful place and I left very impressed with its grandeur, restoration and atmosphere. The citadel alone made up for the grime I saw in other places in Alexandria.

The last place on my visit was the world famous Alexandria Library and from the Citadel it would be a long walk. Dare I take the tram which was not a particularly direct route – no, too crowded, taxi – no, I hate the haggling and probable rip off.

There were cute horse drawn carts and the drivers hassled me so much as they drove by on the Promenade – no, only cheesy tourists take them ….. so walk it was …. about 30 mins …… my legs were weary but the soul strong, so off I set !

Saw a few impressive promenade buildings on the way too. Passed by lots of street food stalls, most selling grilled corn sticks or chestnuts but I wasn’t tempted.

Alexandria Library

Arrived at the Alexandria Library to …… disappointment! From the outside you don’t get a good view of what is its most famous feature. It is supposed to look like a raised disc with window slots but if I didn’t already know that, I may have missed its most important architectural design.

It has won many world design awards, so I persevered. Walked around it taking pics but with much of it I got the feeling that it was a glass and steel office complex/dated shopping Mall/Conference centre. It is a pleasant building with extensive open areas and modern architecture but for me it lacked a WOW factor

You have to pay to go inside You buy at ticket at a building opposite and then walk to its actual entrance. As I was deflated from seeing the outside, I doubted the interior would amaze, so gave it a miss. I decided to walk around a bit more, then head back to the train station about 20 mins away, to catch my train back to Cairo.

Passed by the amphitheatre ruins next to the train station but they are actually very small and by now had closed so got a few pics from the outside. It looked so restored that it could be a modern one and with its few columns nearby, seemed a small attraction, despite its grand name.

First class coming back was similar to second class, maybe nicer seats but not that much difference for the extra price, except the people may be a bit more well dressed or higher class.

Word of warning, if someone at the platform gate asks you what number your carriage is, they are there to scam. They act like an official by taking your ticket to look at it and then showing you to your seat, then asking for baksheesh (tip).

You don’t need help to find the carriage. I had this on the way back and when he asked me I showed my ticket thinking he was a train official. He then took it from me and hastened off, beckoning me to follow – and you have to because he’s got your ticket! I eventually caught up with him at my carriage and remonstrated with him when he wanted a tip saying that I could find my seat myself and that he should not have tricked me and taken my ticket …. be aware.

Feb 2019.