The Alexandria National Museum: How to Visit It

The Alexandria National Museum is one of the best museums in Egypt. It is the place to go in Alexandria for learning about the history of Egypt.

The Italian-style building is beautiful and used to be a palace.
The building is packed with exhibits from very ancient Egypt to the modern times.
It is easy to go to since it is near the train station.
It is one of the most popular tourist highlights in Alexandria.

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Amazing Antiques and Treasures Inside

The highlight for tourists is its about 1,800 pieces of artwork, treasures, and artifacts. Some of them are worth a lot of money, and many pieces are beautiful. You can see how the techniques and styles of the artwork and artifacts changed over time.

The 3 floors are each for an age of history: The basement is for the age of the Pharaohs of Egypt and the rooms are painted black. The first floor is painted in light colors and is for the Greek and Roman period. The second floor is painted green and is for the Coptic and Islamic period until now.

From ancient Egypt, there are statues of Akhnatun, Hetshepsut, and Hem-Epnou.
From the Greek and Roman period, there are statues of Alexander the Great, Ptolemy VI, and Mark Antony. Not all the exhibits are from this period though. There are artifacts that were discovered in the sea that are from various eras such as gold coins brought by the French invaders in the late 18th century.
There are 200 Coptic pieces and 300 Islamic pieces. There are icons, precious gold and silver artifacts, and utensils and other things the French left behind.

For more information about the things to do in Alexandria, see How to Plan a Trip to Alexandria

Travel Essentials

Recommended visiting duration: Two hours

Hours: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm

Entrance fee: 35 EGP (about 2 USD)

Where to stay: There several tourist hotels along Alexandria's Corniche coastline. You can get a sea view at Hilton Alexandria Corniche. Prices are about $91 USD per night for a double room. It's about 19 minutes (11.5 km) by taxi from Alexandria National Museum.

Or you can contact us for an itinerary based on your interests, group size, budget, and other needs. All our tours can be adjusted.

12-Day Best Egypt Tour with Sharm El Sheikh

How to Get to the Alexandria National Museum

Address: 131 El-Shaheed Galal El-Desouky, Bab Sharqi, (central) Alexandria 5423004

Alexandria National Museum is not very convenient to reach by public transportation. It is about 2½ hours from Cairo Airport by road.

By flight to Alexandria Airport: Borg El Arab Airport (HBE) is about 40 minutes away from the museum by vehicle. A taxi ride from there to Alexandria National Museum might cost 5 USD.

From Cairo Station by train: Cairo Train Station (a.k.a. Ramses Station or Misr Station) is on Cairo Metro lines 1 and 2 at Martyrs Metro Station (Al Shohadaa Station) on Ramses Square. A train takes about 4 hours to go from Cairo to Alexandria (5 USD). From there, you could walk for about 20 minutes to the museum or take a taxi.

By road from Cairo: A private vehicle for transportation is the best way to travel quickly and conveniently from spot to spot in Egypt. Going by road to Alexandria National Museum takes about 2½ hours.

Suggested reading: How to Get from Cairo to Alexandria

Touring Egypt with Global Highlights

For anyone wanting to see the Alexandria National Museum, going with an experienced guide makes for a better and more convenient experience. He or she can guide you through the galleries and explain the exhibits to you. They can also help with shopping, eating, seeing Alexandria, and steering clear of those who would exploit tourists.

With a tailor-made trip, you can enjoy the journey at your own pace as everything is well taken care of. Whether you want to go by plane, river boat, train, or private vehicle, having a driver and tour guide makes for a more convenient, safer, and richer experience.

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