Last spring, a friend visiting Egypt asked if she could go from Cairo to Alexandria for the day. I said sure, easy. She did all of it: the library, the catacombs, a long fish lunch by the water. Then she texted me from the evening train home: “I’m already sad. Why did I only give it one day?”

A day trip from Cairo to Alexandria is completely doable. It just tends to end with you wanting another day. So here’s how to do it well and what it costs, plus the point where I’d tell you to stay the night instead.

Getting From Cairo to Alexandria: Train, Bus or Car

Transport first. It’s roughly 220 km, and every option takes two and a half to three and a half hours, with Cairo traffic as the wild card.

The train is what most people picture, and it used to be cheap. Not anymore. Foreigner fares went up in December 2022, and Seat 61 lists early-2026 prices at $15 to $50 each way. Buy at the Arab and Foreign Reservation Office upstairs at Ramses Station. And ask for Alexandria’s main station, not Sidi Gaber out on the eastern side.

Then the bus. Go Bus, Blue Bus, SWVL, and Super Jet are the big names. They drop you at Moharam Bek or Sidi Gaber, so you’ll need a taxi or Uber from there. A car and driver costs $80 or more for the day. Lovely for a group of three. Silly for one person.

Prices shift, so double-check. There’s more on tickets in a whole separate post on transport, and I broke down what a day here really costs.

Small aside: if a 6 am alarm sounds like punishment, book a bed at Mansheya Hostel and take the early train back tomorrow. It’s right on the Corniche, so the sea is already there when you wake up.

A Day Trip From Cairo to Alexandria, Hour by Hour

I’m building this around the 6:00 am express out of Ramses, which pulls into Alexandria around 9:30 (check the Egyptian train schedules the night before, because timetables drift). Yes, 6 am is brutal. But it lands you a full hour ahead of the 8:00 Talgo, and by 4 pm you’ll be grateful for that hour.

9:30. An Uber, since the price shows up before you get in, which beats haggling with a brain that’s been awake for four hours. After that, get a coffee and breakfast when you reach the town, please; you’re gonna need it for the day!

10:00, Pompey’s Pillar. Small confession: Pompey has nothing to do with it. The column went up between 298 and 302 AD for the emperor Diocletian, and medieval travelers got the name so wrong it never got fixed. It stands in what’s left of the Serapeum temple complex, and it’s the only ancient monument in Alexandria still sitting where it was first put. Forty minutes is plenty.

11:00, Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa. Quick taxi over. You go down a spiral staircase into second-century tombs where Egyptian and Greco-Roman styles got tangled together, so you’ll see figures that look pharaonic wearing Roman clothes. Someone’s donkey supposedly fell through the ground here in 1900, which is how the place was found. Give it an hour. If you want a longer list than one day can hold, here’s what’s actually worth seeing in Alexandria.

Oh, and every site sells its own ticket. It’s typically a few dollars’ worth (often 100–200 EGP) per site for foreigners, though the ministry changes prices without much warning, so keep small notes on you.

The Afternoon, and Getting Back to Cairo

12:30, Bibliotheca Alexandrina. This is the one I’d fight for. The modern library opened in October 2002 as a nod to the ancient one, and the granite wall outside is covered in characters from writing systems all over the world. Inside, the main reading hall is huge. Count on two hours, more if a museum pulls you in. 

But check the days: it’s open Monday–Thursday roughly 10:00 am –06:00 pm; weekend hours vary (Saturday & Sunday 10:00 am–2:00 pm); closed Fridays and major public holidays. Check the official site before you go. Weekend trip? Flip everything and start here. I gave everything about visiting the library its own guide.

14:30, lunch. Fish, near the Eastern Harbor. Ask the price before it goes on the grill (learned that one the hard way). Then sit. Properly, for an hour.

15:30, Qaitbay Citadel. Sultan Qaitbay built it between 1477 and 1479, right where the ancient Pharos lighthouse used to stand. Walk the ramparts. The late light on the water is the reason I’d end the day here.

17:15, back toward the station. On the timetable I checked, an express leaves around 5:50 pm and a Talgo around 6:50 pm, so leave yourself some slack. Buses from Moharam Bek keep running into the evening if you’d rather not commit to a fixed departure.

Fair warning: this plan skips the Roman Amphitheater at Kom el Dikka, Montaza gardens, and a few amazing museums, and it skips sitting still, which you’ll miss more. You’ll also be home around midnight if the train behaves. Big if.

Should You Stay the Night Instead?

Do the math with me. You spend about six hours in transit to get roughly nine on the ground, and some of those nine vanish into taxis, ticket lines, and one very slow waiter.

What one night buys you

Alexandria is a slow city. The Corniche after dark is when it properly wakes up, with families out drinking tea and kids everywhere. And the harbor first thing in the morning, before the day trippers arrive, honestly looks like a different place.

Staying also solves the library problem, since you can go on whichever morning it’s open, and you can take an early train home instead of racing the 5:50 pm one. I should say I planned all this around cooler months. In summer I’d push the outdoor sites to early morning and hide in the library at midday.

If you’re solo, there’s another upside. A hostel breakfast comes with people attached, which beats eating a lonely breakfast. The cost is less scary than it sounds: I mapped out three days here for under $50.And if safety is what’s nagging you, I wrote an honest take on safety for solo travelers.

When the day trip is the right call

Only got one free day in Cairo? Or hostels just aren’t your thing? Then go, no guilt. Pick two or three sites, not five. If it comes down to one, make it the library.

A day trip from Cairo to Alexandria is worth doing. I’m not trying to talk you out of it, honestly. I just wish someone had handed me these numbers before I told my friend it was easy. Start early, pick fewer stops, and decide before you leave whether you’re coming back tonight. If you can, keep the return ticket flexible (buses make that easy) so you can change your mind on a Corniche bench at 4 pm.

And if you do change your mind, Ithaka’s two hostels are worth a look. You can book a bed at Raml or Mansheya Hostel on the hostels page.

Have you done this trip already? Tell me in the comments which stop you’d cut first.

FAQs About Traveling From Cairo to Alexandria

How long does it take to get from Cairo to Alexandria?

Two and a half to three and a half hours on most routes. Talgo trains land near the short end, slower trains and buses near the long end, and Cairo traffic can stretch any road option. Look up your exact train on the Egypt Trains app, since timetables change.

Is one day enough for Alexandria?

Enough for a taste: two to four sites and one long lunch. Not enough to really feel the city, though. If you can spare a night, you’ll see more with a lot less rushing.

What’s the cheapest way to travel from Cairo to Alexandria?

The bus, usually around $5 to $9 one way. Trains cost foreigners more since the 2022 fare change. Add a taxi or Uber from the terminal to your total, because the bus stations sit outside the center.

Can I do a day trip from Cairo to Alexandria alone?

Yes, plenty of people do. Stick to daytime trains or buses, keep your bag in front of you in crowds, and use Uber for the last stretch so the price is settled before you get in.

Should I book a tour in Alexandria or go on my own?

A private tour makes sense if you’re short on time and want zero planning. Going solo is doable and much cheaper. The sites are spread across different corners of the city, so budget for a few taxi rides, and start early either way.