Itinerary

1. Day 1- Explore the Highlights of Alexandria

   • Meet your tour guide and transfer from the hotel in Alexandria to discover The Catacombs of Kom El Shofaqa, also known as the 'hill of treasure.' It is regarded as a huge necropolis and royal cemetery that dates back to the second century AD. The necropolis has a unique mixture of Roman, Hellenistic and pharaonic art elements reflected in the paintings on the wall and the style of the statues, funeral objects and tombs. The archaeological site was one of the seven wonders of the middle ages.
   • Move to one of the remarkable structures built during Emperor Diocletian's reign in Egypt- Pompey's pillar. The column is now standing in the heart of Alexandria on top of a temple ruin built during the Ptolemaic kingdom in 297 AD. The pillar's base diameter is 2.71 meters and was carved out of red granite from Aswan city. The net weight of the pillar is 285 tons and reaches 26 meters high with the base. The prime sight was built to commemorate the victory of Emperor Diocletian over an Alexandrian revolt.
   • Head to the Roman amphitheatre. It is a typical Roman theatre, consisting of an audience section made of marble, granite columns, five compartments and based on thick limestone walls. The theatre used to host huge ceremonies and events with 600 spectators. The audience section consisted of 13 rows of white marble, and the supporting columns were made of granite exported from Aswan city, south Egypt. The five compartments on the top of the audience section probably were used to host royals or public figures during performances and were covered by ceilings in the shape of domes supported by granite columns to protect the audience from the sun and rain. In the 6th century AD, an earthquake hit Alexandria. It destroyed most of these structures, leaving only some ruins that still stand today, reflecting the Romans' beautiful architectural skills.
   • Visit the Citadel Of Qaitbay. The castle is square-shaped with a 150-meter area surrounded by the middle sea from each side. The first floor contains a mosque and defence hall that allow soldiers to pass easily and defend the walls during wars. The second floor contains chambers and halls, while the third floor consists of a huge throne chamber where Qaitbay Sultan watched the sailing ships towards Alexandria shores. There is also an oven for making wheat bread for the soldiers living in the citadel.
   • Reach the Lighthouse of Alexandria, which is almost 150 meters in height. It was dedicated to Poseidon- the god of the sea known to the Greeks- and decorated with marble statues. The lighthouse was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was mainly designed to guide mariners and sailors but was destroyed by the earthquake in 1477. Qaitbay Sultan built his military castle on the ruins of the old lighthouse, and some said that the citadel was built from the lighthouse that left ruined stones. 
   • Return to the hotel.

   Overnight in Alexandria.
   (Meals: Breakfast, lunch)

2. Day 2- Visit the National Museum and Bibliotheca Alexandria

   • Have breakfast and head to the National Museum, which contains around 1,800 artifacts that narrate the story of Alexandria and Egypt. Most of these pieces came from other Egyptian museums. The museum mainly focuses on three collections spread over three floors. 
   • Visit the Alexandria library of Bibliotheca Alexandria. The Old Alexandria library presented knowledge and served a religious purpose for over 600 years until it was burned in the third century. The NEW library of Alexandria renovation was done in 2002 at about 200 million$ and was designed by a Norwegian architect. 
   • Stroll through the Montaza Palace and Gardens.
   • Pass through the Stanley Bridge, a bridge built to improve traffic flow on the Alexandria Corniche.
   • Proceed to the Monument of the Unknown Marine Soldier located in the Mansheya area of Alexandria. It was built by the Italian community in Alexandria in 1933 AD to honour Khedive Ismail. His statue was built in the middle of the top of the monument, and later it was turned into the Monument of the Unknown Soldier in 1965 AD, and the statue of Khedive Ismail was removed from the monument. 
   • Get back to the hotel and reach the Luxor airport. (Note: the departure should be in the afternoon.)