Along Alexandria's western shore, past the shipyards, you’ll spot Ras El Tin Palace. It is most spectacular seen from the Mediterranean Sea. Originally built in the 1830s for Egyptian ruler Mohammed Ali, it’s now part of a naval base and was an official presidential residence. It was here that King Farouk signed his abdication papers in 1952. Unfortunately it’s not open to visitors.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
2.28 MILES
Alexandria’s ancient library was one of the greatest of all classical institutions, and while replacing it might seem a Herculean task, the new…
2.49 MILES
This excellent museum sets a high benchmark with its summary of Alexandria’s past. Housed in a beautifully restored Italianate villa, the small but…
6.52 MILES
Mahmoud Said (1897–1964) was one of Egypt’s finest 20th-century artists, even though he is little known outside his country. A judge by profession, he…
2.08 MILES
Discovered accidentally in 1900 when a donkey disappeared through the ground, these catacombs make up the largest-known Roman burial site in Egypt and one…
Pompey’s Pillar & the Temple of Serapeum
2.12 MILES
A massive 30m column looms over the debris of the glorious ancient settlement of Rhakotis, the original township from which Alexandria grew. Known as…
2.01 MILES
Kom Al Dikka was a well-off residential area in Graeco-Roman times, with lovely villas, bathhouses and a theatre. The area was known at the time as the…
1.19 MILES
The Eastern Harbour is dominated by the bulky walls of Fort Qaitbey, built on a narrow peninsula over the remains of the legendary Pharos lighthouse by…
0.7 MILES
This stately mosque was built over the tomb of a revered 13th-century Sufi saint, Abu Abbas Al Mursi, from Murcia in Spain. Several successive mosques…
Nearby Alexandria attractions
0.54 MILES
Where northern Anfushi hits the sea, you can wander among huge wooden vessels in various states of construction. In small workshops, craftspeople make…
2. Mosque of Abu Abbas Al Mursi
0.7 MILES
This stately mosque was built over the tomb of a revered 13th-century Sufi saint, Abu Abbas Al Mursi, from Murcia in Spain. Several successive mosques…
0.94 MILES
The beautiful little Terbana Mosque stands at the junction of Sharia Faransa and Wekalet Al Limon. This entire quarter, known as Gumruk, is located on…
0.99 MILES
The picturesque Shorbagi Mosque lies at the heart of the old Ottoman Anfushi district. Built in the mid-18th century, it shows how salvaged remnants of…
1.14 MILES
This royal-quarter area in the Eastern Harbour has yielded some of Alexandria's most interesting underwater antiquities. Today divers can see a couple of…
1.19 MILES
The Eastern Harbour is dominated by the bulky walls of Fort Qaitbey, built on a narrow peninsula over the remains of the legendary Pharos lighthouse by…
1.22 MILES
This site, just offshore from Fort Qaitbey, contains sphinxes, columns, capitals and statues dating from the Pharaonic, Greek and Roman eras as well as…
1.32 MILES
This statue of Mohammed Ali, Egypt's modernising 19th-century ruler, presides over Midan Tahrir.