Egypt’s second-largest city with a population of around four million, Alexandria is the country’s largest seaport and the center of much of its maritime activity. It is also one of the oldest cities in Egypt and lies around 225 kilometers northwest of Cairo. As records suggest, Alexandria was established by Alexander the Great in around 332 BC on the site of a small village called Rhakotis. He wanted to create one of the finest capital cities in the world, and one for which his reign would go down in history.

Alexandria remained the capital of Egypt for nearly a thousand years and was immensely prosperous because of its strategic trading location between the Mediterranean and the red sea. It also became the center of learning for the ancient world and retains its academic importance to this day.

Among the sights, for visitors to see is the beautiful Montazah Palace, which is perched on a hill overlooking the sea. It was once the summer home of the Egyptian royal family and now houses a museum in their honor. Built to a Turkish and Italian architectural design, it stands in some of the prettiest gardens in Alexandria. They are open to the public and well worth a visit.

Holidaying visitors flock to Alexandria for its good diving sites and its beaches which are among the best in Egypt if not the Mediterranean. Its most famous are the beaches of Al-Ma’moura, Mandara, Al-Assafrah, Mami, Sidi Bishr and Montazah, as well as Sidi Gaber, Rushdi, Stanley, Gleem and Cleopatra. All are dotted along the corniche, the seafront boulevard.