Stop in Alexandria
 

We are considering a cruise next yr. which has a two day stop in Alexandria. I have heard that as its a long drive to Cairo some have opted to simply stay in Cairo overnight rather than make the trip twice. I've also heard that Alexandria by itself is very nice. What are the pros and cons about Cairo vs. Alexandria and is it worth it for that overnight stay in Cairo? Thank you. Larry :-)

I am assuming that you have two days in Alexandria and that onthe second day the cruise ship departs at 6 PM.

If you not planning on doing a Nile cruise in the future then I guess you want to go to Cairo.

If you get a tour guide ( as opposed to the ship's tour) then you can go to Cairo and see the major places.

Traffic is absolutely horrible and it is one place you would not want to drive.

This venture will not be cheap but it is cheaper and flying back again some other time because of some places you wanted to see in Cairo when you were so close.

The main places you will want to see in Cairo is :

1.The Cairo Museum and of course the King Tut Mask
2. The Pyramids ( for sure) and The Sphinx
3. The Khan- al- Khalili Bazaar or

4. The Citadel with the Mohammed Ali Mosque

That is about all you will have time for.

<B> Alexandria: </B>

There is lots to see in Alexandria and it is a lovely place.

But you have to have a guide to take you from place to place to maximize your time

Here is a brief list of the places you should see.

1. The Library........ do not miss this place
2. The Catacombs
3. Qaitbey Fort
4.Cecil Hotel....where it is said Cleopatra committed suicide on this spot.

5.Mohammed Ali Square
6.Tomb of Unknown Soldier... just stop and take a picture here.
7.Abdul Abbas Mosque ..this is a lovely place...just drive in a take a picture .

8.Pompeys's Pillar
9. Roman Amphitheatre...the only Roman Amphitheatre in Egypt

10. Montazah Palace and grounds and walk over the Montazah Bridge with the mist of the Mediterranean Sea hitting your face !!!!

Of course you will be driving along the lovely Corniche as it curves along the Sea.

You have lots of time to make plans ,so let me give you the name of a good tour guide in Cairo and she has a partner in Alexandria.

e-mail Debbie at [email protected]

Here is her website:

http://www.casualcairodetours.com/

Mention my name to her as she knows me well.
( Just say" Percy told me to contact you").

Hope this helps a little to get you going :

( PS. Ijust had bilateral hand surgery yesterday and my hands are bandaged like mitts !! I have been typing this with the two fingers that are "sticking out " :)

I replied in the other thread, the one you addressed to me but I missed as we had left. Again I hope your hands are improving. See the link below for a photo album of our trip. Its alot of family stuff but there are pics in Delhi, Amritsar and HK too. Cheers, Larry :-)
http://classic.kodakgallery.com/jack...hong_kong_trip

Thanks for the picture link.

I hope to get to India and Hong Kong one day soon.

Enjoyed seeing them all

If you are also stopping at Port Said, that is where you want to go to Cairo from. If not, and you have your heart set on seeing overcrowded, dirty Cairo; then see it your first day in Alexandria and save the latter for the second day when you will have less time to get back to the ship. You don't want to miss Alexandria.
Peersonally, I would skip Cairo and get a tour that took you to the Pyramid areas like the Sphinx, etc. I'm not saying Cairo is worthless, but I think the time is better spent exploring the Pyramids and other ruins.

Hmmm. How far are the pyramids and the Sphinx from Alexandria? Thats a thought worth exploring. Thank you. :-)

The Pyramids/Sphinx are south of Cairo. If you did a day trip from Alexandria it would be a 12-14 hour trip depending on the traffic and the convoy you would travel in with other buses and vehicles. It is about 3 hours drive, again you have to take traffic into consideration as it is awful. Certainly, if this may be your only trip to Egypt, you must see the Pyramids/Sphinx no matter how you do it. I agree with others that Alexandria is lovely in itself. I have been lucky enough to see the Pyramids 4 times and each time they are awesome! Cairo is a huge, crowded, dirty city but I find it so differnt in culture it is fascinating - nothing like my Boston!

Just went through your pictures again.

I see you were at a wedding . Those paintings on the hands and legs.......those are not tatoos ,are they!?

You look pretty daper all dressed up at the wedding !! :)

In picture #140,was that a parade or changing of the guards.?

In picture # 201, I see you opened up a Jewellery store in Honk Kong.!

The Pyramids are at the south western edge of Cairo.

Apartments have been built almost up to the Pyramids.

If you want to see the Pyramids and Sphinx (and only those), simply take the train. It's easier and faster than driving. Make arrangements to be met at the train station by a private guide, who can take you to the pyramids and sphinx. If you spend 6 or 7 hours in Cairo, you can probably arrange to be back at your ship by 9 or 10pm. If you want to sleep over in Cairo, there are many reasonably priced hotels, and then you can come back to Alexandria in the morning and spend the afternoon touring Alexandria, seeing a few of the sights there, particularly the Roman ruins.

This won't be cheap, but it will probably be cheaper, easier, and less tiring than a ship tour.

Percy: Those decorations are made from henna. Its made into a paste and applied just like icing is applied to a cake from one of those piping bags. At least thats what I think they are called. They wear off over time. It takes about two weeks.
Thanks for the comment about my outfit! Actually I decided to buy one of those when we arrived vs. bring a suit but my nephew had one waiting for me when we got there. The day afer we arrived was my birthday so he got this for me. Its pretty cool and its a bit darker shade of green than the pics shows.
The pic you are referring to inre to the parade is the changing of the guard at the Pak/India border near Amritsar. Its quite a show of pomp and posturing. Each side tries to outdo the other and there is sort of a cheer leader on the Indian side who comes out 30 min. B4 the ceremony to rev up the crowd. Just like a pep rally only w/ guns. :D
Yes, I opened a jewllery store in HK. I mean I have to keep the better half well maintained, right. :D
Doug: That seems like a good idea really. maybe we could train it to Giza, then be back at night for the ship, then the next day see Alexadria. Lots of time to think about it but the train idea seems pretty good. Larry :-)

I took a train from Cairo to Alexandria with Debbie.

You can take the train but then have someone meet you at the train station in Cairo... a private guide.

You have to maximize your time,and you need someone who knows the traffic well !!!

You can book your train ticket ahead of time or buy it at the station.

I have your e-mail address, so I will send you a picture of the train station in Alexandria and also a picture to show you how close the Pyramids are to Cairo .

Like you said you have lots of time to think and make up yur mind.

I would hate for you not to see the Pyramids when you are so close.

Me too. I am assuming the pyramids are in Giza, correct? I was thinking about going to Giza from Alexandria. Did I miss something?

Yes, the pyramids are in Giza. I don't know if the trains to Alexandria stop at the Giza station, but there is a station there. They may only stop at the main station, and it's a trek from there. But still doable. If the Giza station, that's idea. If you decide to engage a private guide, they will know (and might even be able to make your train reservations in advance for you).

Thank you again Doug.

Larry, Percy is spot on with his list of recommendations. If you read my trip report, the bus ride from Port Said to Cairo and back is hell. Everything depends on where your ship docks, and if it is 2 different ports, which port first.

Port Said to Cairo is suppose to be 3 hours bus ride but it took us more than 5. If we were to do it over again, we would have stayed overnight in Cairo. However, our choice was to stay over night in Cairo and ended up missing Alexandria altogether which we were not prepared to do.

There are lots to see in Egypt and 2 days is not enough. We told our TA we wanted to go back and she suggested taking a week, flying to Aswan and Nile cruise back to Cairo, with stop over along the way (Step Pyramid etc) and fly home from Cario. We are looking at 2013 or later, after the new Giza museum opens its door.

If you are in Cairo on a wednesdays, you might as well skip the Cairo museum as it is only open for half day and everyone will be there in the morning. A new "Grand Egyptian museum" around Giza is scheduled to open mid-2012. It is not a replacement but a lot of the exhibits will be moved there.

One thing that were not mentioned too often but for me, is an important factor: the security. In Egypt, we had an armed guard with us the whole way, riding shotgun on the tour bus, as well as police vehicles as escort. The people who went on the private tour had to wait for the police escort before they leave port with the buses as a convy and I am not sure if they have escort or security during their tour. There are places that we did not feel all that safe and the sanitation standard is subpar, to say the least.

Hi jacketwatch,Hi Eschew:

Since there are all kinds of options and one does not know where the ship will dock..
........ it makes planning a bit more difficult.

If the road from Port Said to Cairo is "hell" as Eschew says , then maybe , just mabye , you can skip Caairo and plan to do a Nile cruise at another time.

There is so much to see in Cairo.

I was there for 2 weeks and did the the complete Nile Cruise.

I was 4 days in Cairo
then
flew to Luxor and boarded the cruise boat and sailed to Aswan

from Aswan flew to Abu Simble and then flew back to Aswan and again boarded the cruise boat to Luxor.

From Luxor flew to Cairo and then the next day went to Alexandria by train with a private tour guide, her driver met us at the train station in Alexadria.

I may have paid extra but I saw a lot.

I am just thinking how rush- rush everything will be off the cruise ship going to Giza !

Just another thought . :)

Hi JW,

We enjoyed the library at Alexandria.

I found it interesting.

My wife prefers to never go there again.

Others from our cruise who went to Cairo said that it was dirtier, smellier and had more outstretched hands per sq ft than Alexandria.

That said, I suggest that you visit Cairo the first, return and visit Alexandria the second. That way, you won't have to worry about getting back in time.

Enjoy your visit.
((I))

ira

Why did your wife prefer never to go to the Library again!!??

Thanks for all the replies. we have alot of planning to do. The first think I suppose is to find out where the ship docks which may not be possible. We are usually ones to do tours on our own but maybe this time its worth it to look at what the ship offers. One thing for sure is my wife can become ill in bad traffic so theres that to think about. Heys guys what do you think about Dougs idea to take the train to Giza? This seems sensible to me. Yes there is alot to see but we have to pace ourselves too and realize we can't do that much in two days so its best to do what appeals to us the most. It may be easiest to take the train to Giza, overnight it there, see some of Cairo and go back to the ship. Decisions, decisions. :D

Well,if the train stops at Giza from Alexandria ,then that would be a good option.

But I think it stops at the Ramsey Station in Cairo.

I think you are right , this might be a time for a ship tour to Giza if the other options are not great.

I got a private guide because , I was then driven from point A to point B , to point C more quickly and saw more.

Find out where your ship docks and I can contact Debbie in Cairo and ask her what she thinks is best.