A Day Trip to Alexandria from Cairo — Local Bus, Liver Sandwiches, and Some Much-Needed Breathing Room

If you told me Alexandria was only a few hours from Cairo, I would’ve assumed you meant by helicopter, not by a dirt-cheap local bus with no air-conditioning and a soundtrack of honking and engine sputters. But somehow, it worked. We escaped the chaos of Cairo and landed in a city that—while still full of quirks—actually let us breathe for a day. Alexandria reminded me a bit of how Essaouira felt after Marrakech: still very much North Africa, but with sea breeze, slower pace, and far fewer people trying to sell me things I didn’t ask for. If you’re wondering whether a day trip to Alexandria from Cairo is worth it, here’s how we did it without a tour, with a budget, and with some pretty unforgettable liver sandwiches.

Quick Facts: Cairo to Alexandria Day Trip Summary

• Route: Train from Cairo to Alexandria; shared van back to Cairo
• Total travel time (round trip): 6–8 hours, depending on traffic and departure timing
• Time spent in Alexandria: Around 6 hours
• How we got there: Train, booked at local rate by Egyptian friend
• How we returned: Negotiated ride in a shared van — no ticket, cash only
• Main sights visited: Fort Qaitbay, Roman Amphitheater
• Sights we skipped: Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Pompey’s Pillar, Catacombs
• Walking distance: Roughly 8–10 km without using local buses
• Food highlight: Liver sandwich (kebda eskandarani) — spicy and delicious
• Approx. transport cost: Varies; around $5–10 depending
• Pricing heads-up: Dual pricing is common — foreigners should book trains online
• Overall vibe: Calmer, breezier, and way less intense than Cairo — no one tried to sell us anything for at least an hour

Can You Take a Day Trip from Cairo to Alexandria?

Yes — you can take a day trip from Cairo to Alexandria. It’s doable, cheap, and surprisingly refreshing if you need a break from Cairo’s nonstop intensity. After a few days of street noise, traffic fumes, and strangers insisting they knew where we were going, we needed a breather. Not a historical deep dive — just space.

Enter Alexandria. A sprawling port city of over 5 million people, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica, it’s technically Egypt’s second-largest metropolis — but it feels like a different planet. The air smells like saltwater, not exhaust. There’s less honking, fewer scams, and actual space between you and the nearest street vendor.

That slower energy is what drew us. It wasn’t about ticking off famous sights — it was about pressing pause. And, okay, maybe liver sandwiches had something to do with it.

How to Get to Alexandria from Cairo Without a Tour

We started out doing it “the right way” — by train. Sort of. The plan was simple: catch the train from Cairo, arrive in Alexandria a few hours later, and enjoy a chill day by the coast. What we didn’t factor in was Egypt’s unofficial-but-everyone-knows-it dual pricing system — and how fast that can go sideways when you’re traveling with a local.

Train There (and the Bribe That Followed)

My Egyptian friend bought the train tickets in person, using his ID to get the local rate, which is drastically cheaper than what foreigners pay. Not 20% cheaper — more like a fraction of the price. Once we were on board, the conductor came through, took one look at me, and decided the ticket wasn’t valid.

When we arrived at Alexandria station, police were waiting. We were pulled aside and taken into an office where the message was clear: pay something, or things could get more complicated. It wasn’t a fine. There was no receipt. Just a classic Egyptian “misunderstanding” resolved with a bit of cash under the table.

If you want to avoid this kind of surprise, you can book train tickets at the official Egyptian National Railways site. It’s a bit clunky and sometimes buggy, but it lets you book at the foreigner rate in advance — no haggling or police meetings required.

Van Back (Zero Paperwork, Maximum Chaos)

For the return trip, we avoided the formal transport system entirely. My friend haggled directly with the guys running the small vans clustered near the station — shared vehicles that leave when full and cost whatever you can negotiate. No tickets, no names, no schedule. Just a driver, a van, and a loosely understood route back to Cairo.

It was far from luxurious — think worn seats, loud passengers, and a complete lack of shock absorbers — but it worked. It was cheap, fast enough, and this time, no police intervention.

Want a Straightforward Option?

If you’d prefer something more predictable (and legal), check CheckMyBus for intercity buses. These are actual companies with online booking, fixed schedules, and slightly more reliable pricing — especially if you’re not Egyptian.

What Alexandria Feels Like (First Impressions After Cairo)

The difference hit almost immediately — not at the station itself, but during the walk. We arrived by train, stepped out of Alexandria’s main station, and started heading toward the coast. It’s a bit of a hike — maybe 25 to 30 minutes depending on your pace — but that distance gave us time to realize just how different this place felt.

Gone were the frantic tuk-tuks, the cloud of car horns, and the men insisting we needed help. In their place: a steady sea breeze, fewer people, and actual personal space. Alexandria doesn’t push itself on you the way Cairo does. It just unfolds slowly — block by block, street by street — until you catch sight of the Mediterranean and remember how nice it is to breathe.

People still stare, but with curiosity, not sales intent. The sidewalks are uneven but passable. And the air, while not “fresh,” is far less aggressive than what we’d been inhaling for the past few days.

The Walk from Alexandria Station to the Sea

Here’s roughly the route we took on foot from the train station to the coast:

This walk set the tone. Alexandria wasn’t trying to entertain us — and honestly, that was the most entertaining part.

What to See in Alexandria if You Only Have One Day

We only had a few hours in Alexandria, and we weren’t trying to “do it all.” If you want to hit every historical landmark, spend a day museum-hopping, or trace the full Greco-Roman timeline, you’ll need more than a day. But if your goal is to soak in the atmosphere, check out a few highlights, and still have time for a liver sandwich — here’s what we saw (and skipped).

Fort Qaitbay: Worth the Walk

This was our main stop — and a solid one. The 15th-century fort sits dramatically on the spot where the Lighthouse of Alexandria once stood. The inside is more stone corridors than interactive museum, but the views over the sea, the salty air, and the feeling of space after Cairo made it totally worth it.

We walked there from the center (about 30–40 minutes), but local buses can get you close if the heat or distance is too much.

Alexandria’s Roman Amphitheater: Quick and Interesting

We also stopped by the Alexandria Ancient Roman Theater — a compact but well-preserved amphitheater from the 2nd century AD. It’s a quiet site with a few marble columns and some restored seating, surrounded by other small excavated ruins. You don’t need more than 15–20 minutes, but it’s a nice break from the modern city and a decent dose of Roman history without the crowds or chaos.

Bibliotheca Alexandrina: We Skipped It

It’s modern, famous, and architecturally striking — but not what we were in the mood for. After navigating Cairo, our brains were too fried for exhibits. We wanted fresh air, not floor plans.

Pompey’s Pillar & the Catacombs: Also Skipped

Both are popular on most day-trip itineraries, but they’re inland and take a while to reach. We didn’t feel like detouring across town to see a single Roman column or descend into catacombs. Not that they’re not interesting — just not high on our list for a short visit.

Liver Sandwiches in Alexandria: Local Favorite or Gastro-Gamble?

You know a food is local when no one tries to explain it to you. Liver sandwiches — or kebda eskandarani — are one of Alexandria’s most iconic street foods, and absolutely no one stopped to ask if we wanted to try one. They just assumed we did. And eventually, we did.

We found a small, nameless shop tucked off a side street near the amphitheater. No signs in English, no “TripAdvisor Recommended” sticker, and no menu — just a hot grill, stacks of bread rolls, and a guy chopping liver like he’d been doing it since birth. My friend ordered for us in Arabic, handed over some coins, and gave me that “don’t ask questions, just eat it” look.

The sandwich was a mix of textures and heat — chopped beef liver sautéed with garlic, cumin, vinegar, chili, and green peppers, stuffed into a soft bun and wrapped in paper that barely held together. It was greasy, spicy, weirdly balanced, and undeniably satisfying.

Historically, kebda has been Alexandria’s answer to the working-class sandwich — cheap, protein-packed, and bursting with flavor. It gained popularity in the mid-20th century as rural migrants and dockworkers settled in the city, bringing their own spice blends and low-budget recipes with them. Today, it’s a culinary staple — no-frills, fiercely local, and proudly unpolished. Here’s a deeper dive into kebda’s backstory.

You’ll find kebda shops all over Alexandria — especially away from the fancy seafront and closer to working-class neighborhoods. Look for signs that say كبدة, or just follow the smell of garlic and vinegar hitting a hot skillet. And if you’re not sure whether to try it? Just remember: if it’s good enough for a guy who eats it on his lunch break five days a week, it’s probably good enough for your Instagram-free afternoon.

Heading Back to Cairo (and How the Day Felt by the End)

The ride back to Cairo was about as glamorous as you’d expect: crammed into a shared van with worn seats, no A/C, and no one in a hurry. But after a full day of walking, ruins, sea air, and liver, it was exactly the level of effort we were capable of.

Traffic on the Cairo side was brutal. Our driver alternated between full throttle and full stop like it was a game. Still, it gave us time to think: Alexandria didn’t try to impress us. It didn’t throw a bunch of must-sees in our face. It just gave us space — to walk, to eat, to not be constantly shouted at.

We got back late, tired, and smelling faintly of cumin and exhaust. But honestly? That low-key, unbothered energy stuck with us longer than we expected.

So, Is a Day Trip to Alexandria from Cairo Worth It?

If you’re expecting jaw-dropping ruins or life-changing views, probably not. Alexandria isn’t flashy — especially if you’re doing it in a day. But if you’ve been in Cairo long enough to need a reset, it delivers. The sea breeze helps. So does not being offered a camel ride every five minutes.

We wouldn’t call it a must-see, but we also didn’t regret it. It gave us just enough: space, low-stress wandering, and a liver sandwich we’re still thinking about. That’s a win in our book.

So yes — a day trip to Alexandria from Cairo is worth it. Just go in with realistic expectations, decent walking shoes, and no illusions about comfort. You’ll leave tired, maybe sunburned, but probably a little calmer than when you left Cairo. And that alone might be reason enough.

Related Posts

A few days before Alexandria, I was finishing the Camino de Santiago Inglés — soaked, sore, and sleeping in rural albergues. Less than a week later, I was in Cairo, dodging scooters and eating liver sandwiches. Travel transitions are wild.

If you’re into contrast, chaos, or just trying to decide where not to go next, here are a few more reads:

• Why I Won’t Be Returning to Cairo — And What You Should Know Before Visiting Egypt
  The full Cairo story: scams, smog, and the good bits too.
• Camino Inglés from Ferrol: 3-Day Itinerary & Solo Experience
  Rain, blisters, silence — and somehow one of the best decisions I’ve made.
• My 11-Day Morocco Road Trip Itinerary: From Tangier to Essaouira on a Budget
  Another contrast piece — Essaouira after Marrakech gave off the same energy shift as Alexandria after Cairo.