Getting to Alexandria
 

I have gotten many good tips from this forum, so I'm hoping for some help. My husband and I are booked on an Egyptian tour in November that does not go to Alexandria. We're considering trying to go there on our own, but are concerned about how to do it.

Can we get to Alex from Cairo airport, or must we go into the city first? Should we consider a private guide to help us with this? Any suggestions who?

Any and all suggestions welcome. Thanks!

Once in Cairo at your hotel - assume you'll be here for a few days - you can arrange a 1-day trip up to Alexandria. It will be a long day, from an early start, and getting back late. If you have 2-days you can do this in a more relaxing way, with an overnight in Alexandria.

I would inquire of the tour operator you are using - in your home country or in Egypt - what they have available to Alexandria - sights, hotel accommodations, number of meals, etc. Most can arrange this ahead of time so you don't have to do once you're in Cairo.

Thanks for responding, Sandi. Our tour operator is quoting an outrageous amount of money to add 2 days in Alex, thus our question about alternatives. We had hoped to be able to go directly to Alex upon our arrival at Cairo airport, but maybe we should plan to go into Cairo first and make arrangements from there.

If you want to go immediately to Alexandria, contact Egypt Air and find out what their flight schedules are and the cost. Depending on when you arrive and from where, there might be a flight with not too long a layover. Otherwise, if no flight till the next morning, consider a hotel near the airport in the Heliopolis area.

Are you using a tour operator in your home country or an Egyptian in-country tour operator? If the former, it's no wonder the price is high, but if the latter, that's surprising. Do you wish to share what the tour operator (who is the TO) is offering - means of travel, tours/sights, meals, hotel, other - and the price. And what was/is your budget for this excursion. With this information some of us might have input as to whether you're getting value for what the TO is charging; whether sights are worth visiting, etc.

From previous threads on this board regarding visitors attempting to navigate the airport on their own - hasn't been good or easy. Seems the tour operators and guides get priority - they speak the language and no the ins/outs of a rather chaotic place.

More input from you will help with responses.

It still puzzles me as to why our small tour group of 7 in a minivan had to follow a police car to every attraction we visited in Alexandria. This was last year and besides the 3 policemen with lights going ahead of us we also had a driver, our tour guide and our private police guard who accompanied us everywhere and was dressed in a suit with a gun protruding out the side of his jacket. I don't know whether it was a "bad" time or as other people have said this is normal protection. I honestly felt like we might as well have had a "bullseye" painted on our backs. Even in other parts of Egypt we always had a guard. I really don't think I would have felt unsafe without a guard but I am very happy we had a tour guide. It definitely simplifies everything. It was a wonderful trip and I loved the Egyptian people who were always very friendly. You will have a great time.

Hi,
If you need a car/driver to take you to Alexandria then I recommend Mohammad Nofal, contact him at [email protected] He charges excellent rates, can pick you up from the airport and can get good rates for you on hotels in Alexandria. Good Luck

At the airport negotiate with a couple taxi drivers to take you to Alexandria. The price should be inexpensive. You don't need a guide to get you there.

I was advised by a friend who is originally from Egypt to take the train for time and safety reasons. I understand each way it takes approx. 3 hours to drive and approx. 2 hours by train. I will take the train.

My tour company wants $99 per person for a day trip to Alexandria which included the Greco-Roman museum, Roman amphitheatre, catacombs, quayet-bey fortress and pompee's pillar, Mosque of Abdul Abass and the gardens at Montaza. Is this a good price for a day trip?

I want to have a guide so I am looking into whether to hire a guide in Cairo or meet a guide in Alexandria. For a guide from Cairo I have contacted Debbie at Casual Cairo detours for a price. Does anyone have an opinion on meeting someone who is pre-arranged once you arrive in Alexandria? Thank you!

Last summer my boyfriend and I took a train from Alexandria to Cairo. The train ride was about three hours if I remember correctly and we had absolutely no problems. It seemed most of the passangers on the train were business travelers. I believe we purchased the tickets from AMEX in Alexandria. I am sure you can do the same for Cairo. If I were you I absolutely would not miss out on the chance to visit Alexandria. We had a great time.

In late March of this year we departed from our group tour and took the train to Alexandria for the day with Debbie Senters of Casual Cairo Detours (http://casualcairodetours.pyramids.net/index.html). We saw all the major sights except the Library, which is closed on Tuesdays, plus we had a delicious lunch at a seaside restaurant. It was a very efficient use of our time since Debbie obtained the railroad tickets in advance and hired a taxi driver for the day. We are very glad to have done it.

Well first of all welcome to my city Alexandria :)
of course you can do one day trip and you can do it alone just you should know what are you going to do.
about transportation from Cairo to Egypt you have 2 ways:
first one is Train you have a speedy train every 1 hours.I recommend you to take Torbine train which leave Ramsis "Main station of Cairo" at 7AM arriving Alexandria at 9:15Am with no stops
it costs 25 pounds" 3.5Euros" to go there.
the other way is to take the Superjet bus,which leaves from Almaza,Tahrir and Giza which goes in the desert road,takes 4 hours and costs 25pounds too.
about the things to see they are very very much.I can send you my page about Alexandria in VT but I dont know if this is allowed to post web sites in public or not but you can send my an e-mail and I will reply with the site to yours.
hope that helps
sorry for the long letter.
./Siso

I'd like to book a day trip to Alexandria from Cairo in December.

I saw the option of the turbo train or the express train. Has anyone taken either or both trains? If I do the train, I need a tour guide in Alexandria. Any recommendations or suggestions?
If not, I found this one tour which only costs $44 USD (http://www.hostelworld.com/tours/tou...p/TourUID.4260). Does this sound okay? Has anyone used this tour operator in Cairo to go to Alexandria?

What would be the best mode of transportation and a tour operator (or guide)? Any suggestions or recommendations? Thanks!