Alexandria

Alexandria was on the itinerary for our visit to Egypt in March 2020. Unfortunately, Covid shut everything down before the Alexandria leg of the trip. Our plan for two nights, however, seemed reasonable. Although I have heard of people doing day trips from Cairo to Alexandria, I think it's too short. It's a 2.5 hour drive each way -- 5 hours total -- which doesn't leave much time for sightseeing.

For whatever it's worth, here was our rough itinerary:

• Day 1: Depart Cairo; stop at Coptic monasteries at Wadi el-Natrun; free afternoon in Alexandria

• Day 2: Various sites in Alexandria: Fort Quaitbay, Roman amphitheaters, Pompey's Pillar, Catacombs, etc.

• Day 3: Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Royal Jewelry Museum, return to Cairo.

The thing about Alexandria is that very little of the ancient city remains. It is, however, very popular with Egyptians because the weather is moderate. Supposedly, it's not as touristy as other parts of Egypt. I regret that we didn't make it to Alexandria.

There are many reliable private tour operators. We had a great experience with Djed Egypt. Egypt and Beyond is another good choice.

I did it as a day trip from Cairo some years ago, as my tour missed it as well. It is a 3 hour drive each way so a long trip, but you can see a good amount in a day. We all have our own travel style and travel pace, but I was okay with the day trip. Though there were more small museums in the Biblioteca that might have been worth extra time. I found the ancient ruins a little underwhelming compared to other sites, but it could also have been the jetlag talking. I have no regrets doing it as a day trip. I used Rasha El Ashmawy from Egypt Daily Tours. Though it has been 11 years, she still does tours and her TripAdvisor reviews are consistently excellent. She only does day trips, however; but may be able to recommend options if you want to overnight in Alexandria.

Thanks to you for your replies. They certainly help.
RR