Alexandria Attractions 2026: Tickets and Opening Hours

Quick answer: The Citadel of Qaitbay costs foreign visitors EGP 200 (about $3.85) and students EGP 100 (about $1.90). The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities lists it as open daily from 9:00 am, with last entry at 7:00 pm in summer and 5:00 pm in winter (checked 17 October 2026). The Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa also cost EGP 200 (EGP 100 for students), daily from 9:00 am with last entry at 4:00 pm, on the Ministry's official ticket platform. For Montaza, we found no official entry fee, and we could not confirm that the palace rooms are open to visitors in 2026; you can walk the gardens.

For one day, start at the catacombs and Pompey's Pillar in the south, move to the Roman Theatre at Kom el-Dikka in the centre, finish at Qaitbay on the harbour, and add Montaza, far out to the east, only if you have time.

Prices and hours checked 17 October 2026. Dollars are approximate, at about 52 EGP to the dollar.

Alexandria ticket prices and opening hours 2026 at a glance

Foreign visitor prices as displayed on the official pages on 17 October 2026. None gives an effective date. Where we found no official figure, we say so.

"Ministry pages" means the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' monuments site and its official ticket platform. On that platform, last entry at Qaitbay, the catacombs, Pompey's Pillar and Kom el-Dikka moves to 3:00 pm in Ramadan (the National Museum differs; see below). Children under 6 go free, and student prices need a valid student card with the holder aged 24 or under. Egyptians pay much less. The "time needed" column is our estimate, not an official figure.

Paying: the ticket platform's FAQ says Visa and Mastercard are accepted on all channels, including the counters at the sites. It does not mention cash, so carry a card.

Photos: the ticket platform says mobile phone photography is free at all five Ministry sites above and needs no permission; drones are heavily restricted.

Citadel of Qaitbay

Ticket: EGP 200 for foreign adults (about $3.85), EGP 100 for foreign students. Hours: every day from 9:00 am. The Ministry's monuments page gives 9:00 am to 8:00 pm, and its ticket platform lists last entry at 7:00 pm in summer and 5:00 pm in winter, without saying when the seasons change. Both checked 17 October 2026. In the cooler months, aim to arrive by mid afternoon.

The Mamluk sultan al-Ashraf Qaitbay built this fort between 1477 and 1479 at the entrance of the Eastern Harbour, on the eastern point of the old Pharos Island, on the ruins of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Earthquakes in 1303 and 1323 had brought the lighthouse down.

Can you go inside? Your ticket covers the courtyard, the walls and the main tower, the keep in the northwest corner. We could not confirm which interior rooms are open on a given day. Look for:

• The rooms built into the inner walls, used as barracks and stores, and the water tank that served soldiers and horses.
• The mosque Qaitbay placed inside the fortress.
• A visitor centre: the Ministry has announced one in a hall of the main tower, with Arabic and English panels, maps and a short film about the lighthouse site (the article is undated).

The submerged Pharos site lies 6 to 8 metres underwater just off the citadel; 36 large pieces raised from it are on show at Kom el-Dikka, so the two make a good pair.

Getting there: Qaitbay is about 1.9 km from Saad Zaghloul Square and Raml Station as the crow flies, and longer by road along the sea. A taxi or ride-hail is the easy way. For a seafood lunch nearby, see our authentic restaurants in Alexandria guide.

Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa

Ticket: EGP 200 for foreign adults (about $3.85), EGP 100 for foreign students. Hours: every day from 9:00 am, last entry 4:00 pm, or 3:00 pm in Ramadan. Source: the Ministry's official ticket platform, checked 17 October 2026.

The catacombs were cut into the rock in the 2nd century AD and used for burials until the 4th century. They were forgotten until 1900, when a donkey fell through into the shaft.

What you see inside:

• A spiral staircase winds down around a central shaft, which was used to lower the bodies, and opens into a round hall, the rotunda.
• The triclinium, a funeral banquet hall with stone couches where relatives feasted.
• The main tomb, with a temple-style facade, three sarcophagi and serpent guardians. This is the reason to come: Egyptian, Greek and Roman styles are mixed in one carved scene, including the jackal god Anubis dressed as a Roman soldier.
• The Hall of Caracalla, reached through a gap in the rotunda wall. Human and horse bones found here have traditionally been linked to Emperor Caracalla's massacre of 215 AD, though that link is debated.

There are three levels cut into the rock, and the lowest is partly flooded. The deepest point is roughly 30 to 35 metres down, so expect a lot of stairs.

Getting there: the catacombs are about 2.5 km from Raml Station and about half a kilometre from Pompey's Pillar, so see the two together.

Montaza Palace and gardens

Ticket and hours: we found no official 2026 entry fee or opening hours for the Montaza gardens. Montaza is not on the Ministry's monuments site or ticket platform (checked 17 October 2026), so there is no official published fee or hours; confirm at the entrance.

Can you go inside Montaza Palace? You can walk the grounds: about 120 hectares of former royal gardens are open as a public park, with lawns, palms and the little bay with its lighthouse and bridge. The palace rooms are a different story. The main palace, the Haramlik, was opened to the public after 1952. Since then, some references describe it as a museum, others as a presidential palace used for state guests; we found no reputable 2026 source confirming that visitors can go inside. The second palace on the grounds, the Salamlik, has been turned into a hotel. So plan on seeing the Haramlik from the gardens.

Getting there: Montaza is about 15 km east of Raml Station; take a taxi or ride-hail. Drop it on a short day.

Also on the ticket circuit

These four fill the gaps between the headline sites.

Pompey's Pillar and the Serapeum

The pillar was raised for Emperor Diocletian around 298 to 302 AD, beside the ruined Serapeum, the main temple of the god Serapis. It stands 26.85 metres today, and the "Pompey" name is a misnomer. Ticket and hours: the Ministry's ticket platform lists the site as the Serapeum of Alexandria: EGP 200 for foreign adults (about $3.85), EGP 100 for students, daily from 9:00 am with last entry at 4:00 pm (checked 17 October 2026). One trap: the Ministry page titled simply "Serapeum" describes the Serapeum at Saqqara, near Cairo, not this one.

Roman Theatre at Kom el-Dikka

EGP 200 for foreign adults (about $3.85), EGP 100 for students; open daily 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, last entry 4:00 pm (Ministry pages, checked 17 October 2026). This Roman and Byzantine quarter was used from the 2nd to the 6th century: a small theatre with marble seats, which the Ministry calls the only one of its kind in Egypt, Roman baths, lecture halls and the bird mosaics of the Villa of the Birds. We could not confirm whether the Villa of the Birds is included in the EGP 200 ticket. It sits about 0.8 km from Raml Station.

Alexandria National Museum

EGP 220 for foreign adults (about $4.25), EGP 110 for students; open daily 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, last entry 4:00 pm (Ministry pages, checked 17 October 2026). In Ramadan the Ministry's monuments page says the ticket window closes at 2:00 pm, while its ticket platform lists last entry at 3:00 pm; go by 2:00 pm to be safe (both checked 17 October 2026). It fills an Italianate palace on Tariq Al-Horreya Street, over three floors: Pharaonic, then Graeco-Roman, then Coptic, Islamic and modern.

Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Prices for non-Egyptians, as displayed on the Library's own visiting page on 17 October 2026:

Visits run Sunday to Thursday 9:30 am to 5:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm; the Library is closed on Friday. Non-Egyptian children need a Library ticket, and ages 4 to 16 can go only as far as the Callimachus Triangle. Guided tours run in Arabic, English and French.

Seeing them in one day from Cairo

Our suggested order for a day trip from Cairo:

1. Kom el-Shoqafa and Pompey's Pillar first, when you are fresh for the catacomb stairs. They are half a kilometre apart.
2. Kom el-Dikka, close to Raml Station in the centre. Swap in the National Museum if you prefer indoor galleries.
3. Lunch, then the Bibliotheca Alexandrina if it is not a Friday and you arrive before it closes.
4. Qaitbay for the late afternoon. It has the latest last entry of the Ministry sites here.
5. Montaza only on a slow day or an overnight stay.

Getting from Cairo and back is the big variable; our Cairo to Alexandria day trip guide covers train, car and tour options, and the Alexandria travel guide covers staying longer.

Alexandria tours that cover these sites

These day tours from Cairo cover the main sites. Prices as listed on 17 October 2026; entrance fees differ, so check what is included.

The first is the only one whose itinerary names Qaitbay, the catacombs and Montaza together. For more options, browse Alexandria day trips from Cairo, the Alexandria day trips collection or everything in Alexandria. For what else the city offers beyond the ticketed sites, see things to do in Alexandria.

If you want a day built around particular sites, or a private guide who handles the tickets, send us the sites, your date and group size on WhatsApp and we will put it together.