Alexandria Getting Around

Getting Around

Alexandria's primary promenade is the seaside Corniche. At the western tip lies the fort of Qait Bey, built near the presumed site of the former Lighthouse (Pharos in Greek), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, while the eastern shore sprawls for miles on end with the slums and tenements of modern Alex. By Taxi Alexandria's yellow-black taxis are a good way to travel inside Alex, and a cheap one as well. Be careful, taxi drivers here love to take advantage of non-Alexandrians. Some drivers will try to negotiate the price before you drive anywhere, but most won't. No taxi ride between any two points in the city should cost more than 15LE. By tram Alexandria has a creaky, slow but very cheap tram system that dates back to 1860 and looks the part. There are nine lines, mostly running parallel to the coast; the yellow line to Ras el-Tin is particularly useful for traveling to Fort Qait Bey. The flat fare is a whopping 15 piasters and the trip across town will take a bare minimum of 45 minutes. Note that the middle car (out of three) in each interurban (blue) tram is reserved for women only.