What You Need to Know to Travel to Alexandria

Alexandria is the second largest city in Egypt, with 3.5 million people. It offers the largest seaport in Egypt and is also the window to the Mediterranean Sea. Alexandria has a rich history, and was founded and named by the Greek conqueror known as Alexander the Great. There is plenty to do and see in Alexandria, Egypt including the Lighthouse of Alexandria and the Library of Alexandria. The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built on the island of Pharos and is between 115 and 150 meters in height, making it one of the highest structures in the world. The Library of Alexandria was the largest library in the entire ancient world, as well as the place where many great philosophers and scientists came to seek new knowledge.

The Alexandria of today is somewhat of a dusty seaside Egyptian city offering an inflated population of 5 million citizens and a strong title as the leading port in Egypt, which keeps business humming and brings travelers and tourists alike to the city to check out the sights. Alexandria has a Mediterranean climate with mild and rainy winters and humid summers. The daytime can be humid in the summer but still offer cooler and breezier evenings. The primary promenade in Alexandria is the sea side Corniche. The Alexandria Lighthouse is one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World.

Alexandria is easy to reach by plane, by train and by bus. There are two airports in the immediate vicinity of Alexandria, and Alexandria also happens to be within striking distance from Cairo, the capital of Egypt. The main airport is El Nouzha Airport, and the city’s second airport is Borg el Arab Airport. Most travelers to Alexandria come via Cairo, however which makes train and bus more popular options for traveling into this vast city. Many trains come from Cairo through the Ramses Station which run at least every hour between 6 o’clock in the morning and 10 o’clock in the evening. The best trains are the express trains and the Turbo trains which only take 2 hours and 10 minutes to complete the journey. Traveling by car and by bus are also popular, though they tend to take longer and involve a lot of travel straight through desert. One mode that is not practical is boat, because there are no ferry services that come to Alexandria. If you must visit by boat, your best bet is to find a cruise ship that uses Alexandria as a port, as cruise ships do occasionally stop by.

Alexandria isn’t a large city, so getting around is simply just by using local transportation methods like the black and yellow taxis. These are an excellent way to get around and also tend to be relatively cheap, but only if you agree on a fare beforehand, otherwise you might be taken. Fast Call taxis are a good idea, but tend to be a little pricier. Booking a Fast Call taxi is as simple as dialing 19559 or 0800-999-9999, which is a toll free number.

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Posted by Localyte.com Team on December 1, 2008