Qaitbay Citadel and Alexandria Corniche Day Tour

The tour starts at the western tip of the Eastern Harbor, on the narrow peninsula that was once the island of Pharos. Here the early Ptolemies built the great lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which guided ships into Alexandria for many centuries before earthquakes brought it down.

In the late 15th century the Mamluk sultan al-Ashraf Qaitbay built a fortress on its ruins to defend the harbor, and stone from the lighthouse is thought to have gone into its walls. Your guide leads you through the outer walls, the courtyard, and the square keep, with its vaulted halls, small mosque, and narrow passages.

Climb to the roof for sweeping views over Alexandria: the open Mediterranean on one side, the harbor and the city on the other. Divers have found statues and blocks from the Pharos on the seabed just offshore.

Leaving the citadel, you walk or drive along the harbor at Anfoushi, one of the oldest working-class quarters of the city. This is where Alexandria's fishing fleet ties up: small wooden boats painted in bright blues, reds, and yellows, rocking in the water beneath the fortress.

On the shore, small boatyards still build and repair wooden boats by hand, a craft passed down through families. If work is underway, your guide can ask whether you may watch for a few minutes. Fishermen mend nets on the quay, and the cafes along the waterfront are full of men drinking tea and playing backgammon.

The Eastern Harbor was the ancient royal harbor, and beneath its waters lie the remains of palaces and temples, including the island of Antirhodos, explored by underwater archaeologists since the 1990s.

A few minutes inland stands one of the largest and best-known mosques in Alexandria. It honors Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi, a 13th-century Sufi scholar from Murcia in Andalusia who settled and taught in the city, and whose tomb has drawn visitors for centuries.

The present building dates from the 1940s and draws on Andalusian and Mamluk traditions. Its domes, tall slender minaret, and finely carved cream stone facade make it one of the city's most recognizable buildings, especially in the afternoon light.

When it is not prayer time, visitors who are dressed modestly can usually step inside to see the prayer hall and its tall columns. Women should cover their hair, and everyone removes their shoes. If a visit inside is not possible, your guide explains the building from the square outside.

From Bahari your driver follows the Corniche east, the seafront road that curves along the bay for many kilometers. On one side is the sea wall, with fishermen casting from the rocks; on the other, the old apartment blocks and hotels of the early 20th century, when Alexandria was home to Greeks, Italians, Armenians, Jews, and many others.

Near Raml Station, the city's central square and tram terminus, you pass the Cecil Hotel, which opened around 1930 and counts many writers and wartime visitors among its past guests, and the statue of the nationalist leader Saad Zaghloul.

If you would like a coffee or a pastry, your guide can point out one of the historic cafes nearby; refreshments are paid locally unless your quote says otherwise.

The last stop is Stanley Bridge, which carries the Corniche across the small, sheltered Stanley Bay. Opened in 2001, it is decorated with towers in a style that recalls Islamic architecture, and it has become one of the city's favorite landmarks, especially at sunset and in the evening when it is lit up.

Your driver stops where it is safe, so you can walk to the viewpoint and look back along the bay and its beach. On summer weekends the area is full of families and couples strolling by the water, which is a good way to see how Alexandrians enjoy their seafront.

From here you return to your hotel or the cruise port. If you want to stay for dinner by the sea, tell your guide and you can be dropped at a seafront restaurant instead.