Alexandria, Egypt

Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city (after the capital Cairo) is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country's largest seaport. Alexandria extends about 32 km (20 miles) along the coast of the Mediterranean sea in north-central Egypt.

Alexandria is an important tourist resort with many cultural attractions and memories of a glorious past. Attractions include the Greco-Roman Museum, the Roman Amphitheatre at Kom al-Dikkah and the Catacombs of Kom al-Shoqafa. There are also many sandy beaches stretching from east to west.

Things to see and do

* Greco-Roman Museum
* Roman Amphitheatre at Kom al-Dikkah
* Catacombs of Kom al-Shoqafa
* Fort Qait Bey
* Alexandria Library

Cruise Season - Oct - April
Currency - Egyptian pound (LE) (EGP)
Language - Arabic
Land Area - 2,679 km²
Population - 4,200,000 approx
Electricity - 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT plus two hours
International Country Telephone Code - +20

Port Location - The passenger terminal is located in the second zone in Alexandria's west harbor.

Transport Links - Flights are available to and from Cairo which is cheaper than flying into Alexandria. However Alexandria does have two airports. El Nouzha Airport, which has a limited selection of domestic flights and fairly extensive services to cities around the Middle East. The city's second airport is Borg el Arab Airport, served by Lufthansa from Frankfurt, Emirates from Dubai and (soon) Turkish Airlines from Istanbul.

From Cairo, frequent trains from Ramses Station are probably the best way to get to Alexandria. Trains run at least once every hour from 6 AM to 10 PM, but try to choose either an express or the pride of Egyptian Railways, the French-built Turbo, which takes only 2 hours 10 minutes for the journey.

Several bus companies offer a bus service into Alexandria at a very low price range. Operating times vary from one company to another, but there are trips between Cairo and Alexandria virtually every hour from early morning till midnight.