🇪🇬 Alexandria, Egypt — Cruise Port Guide
Alexander's city has been reinventing itself for 2,300 years — a Mamluk fort on the Pharos foundations, a Roman theatre downtown, catacombs where Egyptian gods wear Roman dress, and a glass Great Library facing the sea. Cairo and Giza are two and a half hours off, so the pyramids swallow all but the longest calls.
Updated September 2026
Quick facts
Getting ashore
When to visit Alexandria
November-April is the comfortable window, with mild 18-24C days on the coast and the wettest, windiest stretch in December-February; October is still near 28C. Alexandria stays humid rather than furnace-hot in summer, but the Giza plateau inland runs into the mid-30s in July-August.
Getting back to the ship on time
Cairo is how you miss this ship. It is 220 km southeast, about 2.5 hours each way before traffic, so a pyramids day runs 11-13 hours door to door. That fits the 08:00-22:00 and 06:00-22:00 calls and the overnights, but not the 08:00-17:00 ones some ships run here. Ships wait only for their own excursions, so an independent car or train puts every delay on you.
All-aboard is ship's time — check it in the daily programme, and set your watch to it.
Things to do in Alexandria
Cairo & the Giza Pyramids
About 2.5 hours each way for the Sphinx, the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum. Only the longest calls and overnights can do it.
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
The 2002 rebirth of the Great Library, its glass reading room tilted toward the sea, with antiquities galleries below.
Qaitbay Citadel
A fort begun in 1477, raised on the foundations of the Pharos lighthouse, with sea on three sides.
Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa
A circular stair drops into second-century rock-cut tombs where Egyptian gods wear Roman dress; Pompey's Pillar is close by.
Roman Theatre at Kom el-Dikka
Thirteen tiers of imported white marble, the only Roman theatre excavated in Egypt, right in the middle of downtown.
Seafood on the Corniche
Choose your fish from the ice in Anfoushi or Bahari and eat it grilled with tahina and salads.
Popular excursions
Pyramids of Giza & Sphinx Day Trip
The bucket-list run to Egypt's pyramids, about 3h each way from the pier.
What to eat
- Sayadeya (fish on spiced rice)
- Kebda eskandarani (Alexandrian liver)
- Grilled Mediterranean fish
- Fuul and taameya
- Om Ali
Weather by month
Best time to visit: Mar-May & Oct-Nov
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65° | 49° | 2.1" |
| Feb | 66° | 49° | 1.1" |
| Mar | 70° | 53° | 0.6" |
| Apr | 75° | 57° | 0.2" |
| May | 80° | 64° | 0" |
| Jun | 84° | 70° | 0" |
| Jul | 86° | 73° | 0" |
| Aug | 87° | 74° | 0" |
| Sep | 85° | 72° | 0" |
| Oct | 82° | 65° | 0.4" |
| Nov | 75° | 58° | 1.3" |
| Dec | 68° | 52° | 2.1" |
Local phrases
A little history
Alexander the Great founded the city in 331 BC and it became the intellectual capital of the Hellenistic world — though the Great Library and the Pharos lighthouse are both long gone.
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina opened in 2002 as a deliberate revival of that library, its glass reading room tilted toward the sea like a sundial.
Small tips — baksheesh — oil everything here, so keep a stack of low-value pound notes for drivers, guides and anyone who helps you out.
Carry your passport ashore; port security checks it at the gate both ways. Most nationalities need an Egyptian visa, so confirm how your line handles it before planning to travel inland on your own.