Day Trips From Alexandria

There are numerous day trips from Alexandria along the western coast of the Mediterranean. At Burg al-Arab about 50 km. from Alex, near Abu sir, you can still see the walls of ancient temple dedicated to Osiris. Climb the limestone ridge for views over the Lake Mariout marshes and the sea and walk over to a Ptolemaic lighthouse ( or Burg al-Arab), a scaled-down replica of Pharos which was once part of a chain stretching from Alexandria to Cyrenaica along the Mediterranean coast. A town called burg al-Arab- built at the beginning of the century to resemble a walled medieval city- is situated a few kilometres away. Back on th coast sroad, a further 60 km west takes you to Al Alamein, an essential stop for anyone interested in military history. Here, Rommel and Montgomery fought the decisive battle in the second World War's North African campaign. As well as a war museum and the Allied Italian and German war cemeteries, Al Alamein has an excellent beach.