Bespoke Holidays in Alexandria

The Mediterranean port city of Alexandria is a prime example of where historic and modern cultures go hand in hand. Once at the heart of the Egyptian Empire and founded by Alexander the Great, the city has a powerful past. Though some of the city has been lost to the sea over the years, and its Great Library destroyed in a dramatic torching at the fall of Pharaoh, the city has valiantly reinvented itself.

The Grand Library has been replaced with a striking modern structure which appears to rise up from the harbour, and various historic highlights remain to be explored. For example, the underwater ruins of Montazah and Maamoura, where an underwater excavation has unearthed hundreds of pillars, statues and sphinxes.

Another of the city’s historic highlights is the Catacombs of Kom El Shugafa, which is the largest Roman burial site in Egypt, where around 300 people are buried. These underground tombs are cut into the rock and adorned with detailed carvings, many of which remain brilliantly intact.

Those looking to venture further afield can use the city as a base to visit the World War II ruins in nearby El Alamein, or head into the dramatic Western Desert.