Private Customizable Day Tour to Alexandria from Cairo

This was a nice tour and our tour guide an driver made a great team. Alexandria is a nice city and we got a chance to have a great lunch at one of the water side restaurants. My only complaint is that for a 2 hour drive a more comfortable car be used. A 2 door compact car is not comfortable enough in the back seat even for a medium sized guy like myself. Had to sit sideways for the drive to/and from Cairo.

This tour is a must for any one visiting Egypt. Our tour guide Medhat and driver Carim were the best. They went above and beyond what was included in our itinerary. We first started off with breakfast (falafel), additionally Medhat made sure we had water and some snacks before we got on the road for the three hour journey to Alexandria. Once out of Cairo city limits Medhat engaged us in conversation about Egypt and Alexandria. Medhat was very knowledgable as he is a student of history and was from Alexandria. We made a stop at the rest stop along the highway, for some pastries and some Turkish coffee (must have, it tase like chocolate and coffee together). Our first stop was the Catacombs of Kom al-Shoqafa understanding first hand about the Pharonic period, life, death, and the after-life. We then went to Pompey's Pillar which explained even further the impact the Romans and their need to destroy the old library so as not to have any evidence of the old Egyptian Library that existed. As we ventured deep into the old library in which the built ins were the concrete structure itself. Additionally, where meetings were held, were the scribes sat as he recorded the meetings and where the minutes and the agendas were placed to make them accessible for those who were not in attendance or who wanted to know what what took place a the previous meeting. Then we went to Qaitbay Citadel, again even more history about the military importance of Alexandria as a main port to Egypt in which the Seas meet. We got a chance to enter into what was the second oldest Mosque in Alexandria which comprised of the second floor of the citadel. Medhat, was awesome in taking us to lunch at a restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean Sea! The view was amazing. We drove through town getting a view of the largest mosque in Alexandria, the new library along the promenade and then off to the Museum of Alexandria in which we were able to view the art work of there different period of Egypt to include the Pharaonic, Greco-Roman, and the Coptic, Islamic and Modern Section. We then headed back to Giza, but before we were taken to our hotel we stopped at the Papyrus institute and was given both history and demonstration as to how the paper is made, and the beautiful art that is done over it. We also went to the perfumery and selected some various oils, blends and scents that are the basis of some of our day-to-day perfumes. Experience was amazing!!!

On December 18, 2017, we had a Private Customized Day Tour to Alexandria from Cairo. Our guide was Ahmed Eraky. We had a great time. Ahmed is a very knowledgeable person and at the same time very polite, understanding our interests, not pushing us to go to places which other tourists usually like to see in such a big, old city as Alexandria. We made our decisions what we want to see before the tour and he arranged it the easiest way considering heavy traffic in Alexandria. With him, we saw Alexandria National Museum. Not Museum, nor it's collection is small, as it mentioned in some travel books. It's 3 stories old palace with rare artifacts connected to the history of that territory. Then we saw Alexandria Library and the Antiquities Museum inside it. Unfortunately, nobody could show us where is a Museum of Manuscripts, the second museum inside the Library. We went to the section of Rare Books and saw some huge old maps, but where they keep the real treasure - the only copy of a scroll from ancient Library - nobody could answer us. Then we saw Fort Qitbey and the place of Lighthouse of Pharos, and finally the Museum of Jewelry. After the long day, Ahmed Eraky delivered us to the hotel where we warmly thanked him and the driver. I think that customized style of tours is much better than usual one where everybody sees the same places. Egypt is so rich in history that it could satisfy every tourist with particular interests.