Landmarks, Gardens and Museums

The Eastern Harbour

A busy port in ancient times, fishermen and boatbuilders still work here today. Palms and old colonial mansions line part of the sweeping bay.

Montazah Palace and Gardens

Acres of formal gardens and a beautiful beach make Montazah the foremost city pleasure grounds. Montazah palace, a grand structure built in a mixture of Turkish and Florentine styles, is now a state guesthouse. Pleasant afternoons can also be spent in Shallalat Gardens which include rockeries and an artificial pond, Nouzha Gardens, near Alexandria Zoo, and Antoniadis Gardens, where classical statuary is set what were once the private grounds of a Greek family.

Beaches

The Corniche is lined with beaches, with full tourist facilities, from the city centre outwards. In town try the Stanley beach, further east Montazah Beach and Ma'amoura are two of the best.At Abu Qir, a small fishing town, you can sunbathe, fish, swim and eat fresh seafood. To the west of the city try the resorts of Agami of Hannoville.

Museums

The Fine Arts Museum has a collection ranging from drawings of rural life to Surrealist paintings. Exhigitions of works by contemporary Egyptian and international artists are held regularly and, every two years,it hosts the Alexandrian Bienniale, a showcase for art from all the Mediterranean countries. Cavafy's Apartment has been recreated as a museum on the top floor of the Greek Consulate. The Royal Jewellery Museum, in Glym, is set in a former palace and has a magnigicent collection of the jewellery accumulated by Mohammed Ali and his descendants as well as statues and paintings. The Hydrobiological Institue and Museum, near Fort Qaitbey, has a rare collections of fish and marine life.