Alexandria - Revision history

RobertoN: /* Budget */

2013-03-22T12:09:01Z

‎Budget

RobertoN: /* Budget */

2013-03-22T11:36:34Z

‎Budget

RobertoN: /* By train */

2013-03-22T10:48:15Z

‎By train

RobertoN: /* By tram */

2013-03-22T10:30:47Z

‎By tram

RobertoN: /* By plane */

2013-03-22T10:27:41Z

‎By plane

41.46.18.21: /* Modern Alexandria */

2013-03-02T10:16:08Z

‎Modern Alexandria

41.232.141.135 at 21:11, 25 November 2012

2012-11-25T21:11:37Z

69.250.151.165: /* Splurge */

2012-10-14T19:31:41Z

‎Splurge

41.46.20.42: updated listing Alexandria City Center

2012-10-12T22:26:41Z

updated listing Alexandria City Center

Wrh2: copyedit per Wikitravel:External links#What not to link to

2012-07-18T02:57:25Z

copyedit per Wikitravel:External links#What not to link to

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 With all the recent political turmoil since the 2011 revolution, tourism in Egypt has really been hard hit. This is affecting the hotel/hostel industry in a big way and many places are often nearly empty. Prices all over the country have often gone down and it's worth going around to find the best deal for a place to stay. Some of the prices below are only indicative of the usual price, but the actual cost of a room may be lower, depending on the state of tourism in the country.
-'''Hotel Queen Transit Alexandria''' phone: 03-4815556 , 21 Hasan El Shiekh Street, Mansheya, Downtown, sea side Courniche 1st Floor, located in the heart of Alexandria , very new and clean amazing sea view , big rooms 150LE for single rooms 200LE for double room with bathroom + Breakfast + Wifi
+*'''Hotel Queen Transit Alexandria''' phone: 03-4815556 , 21 Hasan El Shiekh Street, Mansheya, Downtown, sea side Courniche 1st Floor, located in the heart of Alexandria , very new and clean amazing sea view , big rooms 150LE for single rooms 200LE for double room with bathroom + Breakfast + Wifi
-*'''Acropole Hotel''', phone:03-4805980,Gamal elDin Yassin, behind Cecil-Sofitel, 3rd floor,           Excellent and cheap hotel to stay, 110/130LE for single room. Double 157/170LE (without/with bathroom).
+*'''Acropole Hotel''', phone:03-4805980, Gamal elDin Yassin, behind Cecil-Sofitel, 3rd floor,           Excellent and cheap hotel to stay, 110/130LE for single room. Double 157/170LE (without/with bathroom).
-Across the street from Acropole is the '''Triomphe Hotel''' which has similar or cheaper prices but was being renovated in early March.
+*Across the street from Acropole is the '''Triomphe Hotel''' which has similar or cheaper prices but was being renovated in early March 2013.
-*<sleep name="Nile Excelsior Hotel" alt="" address="16 Borsa Kadema Street, Manshyia" directions="" phone=" +2 0123821023" url="http://www.nilehotel.co.nr/" checkin="" checkout="" price="100 LE" lat="" long=""> Cheap but a little dirty hotel located in downtown. The single room including bathroom, A/C and breakfast costs €12/$20 per night. Rooms could be cleaner, but are adequate given the budget price. Breakfast is simple but enough. Friendly and helpful staff.</sleep>
+*<sleep name="Nile Excelsior Hotel" alt="" address="16 Borsa Kadema Street, Manshyia" directions="" phone=" +2 0123821023" url="http://www.nilehotel.co.nr/" checkin="" checkout="" price="" lat="" long=""> Cheap but a little dirty hotel located in downtown. The single room including bathroom, A/C and breakfast costs €12/$20 per night. Rooms could be cleaner, but are adequate given the budget price. Breakfast is simple but enough. Friendly and helpful staff.</sleep>
 *<sleep name="Hotel Union" alt="" address="164 26th July Street" directions="on the Corniche and near Raml Station" phone="+20-3-4807312" url="" checkin="" checkout="" price="170 LE double  - 150 LE single" lat="" long="">Suitable for the budget traveler. The rooms could be cleaner, but are adequate given the budget price.  The bathrooms are shared.  Breakfast (croissant, rolls/jam, boiled egg, and coffee) is included.  There is a sitting area with tables and a view of the water and Qaitbay.  It is not possible to book the hotel online.  You need to either reserve by phone or in person. </sleep>
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 * <sleep name="Normandy Hotel" alt="" address="8 Gamal el-Din Yassen" directions="near Raml Station" phone="+20-3-4806830" url="https://sites.google.com/site/normandyhotelalex/home" checkin="" checkout="" price="" lat="" long="" email="elrume4ever5@hotmail.com" fax="">The Normandy hotel is an excellent place to stay. It is a one floor hotel located on the Corniche, with unbeatable views of the city's Eastern Harbor.  It is the building behind the famous Cecil Hotel, on the fourth floor. The rooms are well-appointed, large and clean, but spare. The bathrooms are down the hall, and also clean. Staff are very friendly, helpful, and honest. The staff speak both English and Arabic, with limited knowledge of a few other random languages.</sleep>
 For longer stays of a month or more, why not try renting in Alex?  Apartments are are easy to come by, in a range of prices (180 - 1000+ LE per week) and states of repair! Landlords/ladies tend to live in the same blocks and will be willing to haggle the rates.  Needless to say, it's definitely worth visiting an apartment before placing any money down, preferably in late afternoon so you see how well the lighting works and the worst of any insect problems. (Keep in mind, though, that it's highly unlikely to find any accommodation near the coast that's completely 'roach-free'!)

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 ===Budget===
-For longer stays of a month or more, why not try renting in Alex?  Apartments are are easy to come by, in a range of prices (180 - 1000+ LE per week) and states of repair! Landlords/ladies tend to live in the same blocks and will be willing to haggle the rates.  Needless to say, it's definitely worth visiting an apartment before placing any money down, preferably in late afternoon so you see how well the lighting works and the worst of any insect problems. (Keep in mind, though, that it's highly unlikely to find any accommodation near the coast that's completely 'roach-free'!)
+With all the recent political turmoil since the 2011 revolution, tourism in Egypt has really been hard hit. This is affecting the hotel/hostel industry in a big way and many places are often nearly empty. Prices all over the country have often gone down and it's worth going around to find the best deal for a place to stay. Some of the prices below are only indicative of the usual price, but the actual cost of a room may be lower, depending on the state of tourism in the country.
-Hotel Queen Transit Alexandria phone: 03-4815556 , 21 Hasan El Shiekh Street
+'''Hotel Queen Transit Alexandria''' phone: 03-4815556 , 21 Hasan El Shiekh Street, Mansheya, Downtown, sea side Courniche 1st Floor, located in the heart of Alexandria , very new and clean amazing sea view , big rooms 150LE for single rooms 200LE for double room with bathroom + Breakfast + Wifi
 Mansheya,Downtown , sea side Courniche 1st Floor ,
-located in the heart of Alexandria , very new and clean amazing sea view , bog rooms really cheap 100 for single rooms 150 for double room with bathroom + Breakfast + Wifi
+*'''Acropole Hotel''', phone:03-4805980,Gamal elDin Yassin, behind Cecil-Sofitel, 3rd floor,           Excellent and cheap hotel to stay, 110/130LE for single room. Double 157/170LE (without/with bathroom).
-*'''Acropole Hotel''', phone:03-4805980,Gamal elDin Yassin, behind Cecil-Sofitel, 3rd floor,           Excellent and cheap hotel to stay, 40/50 LE for single room. Double 100/150 LE (without/with bathroom).
+Across the street from Acropole is the '''Triomphe Hotel''' which has similar or cheaper prices but was being renovated in early March.
 *<sleep name="Nile Excelsior Hotel" alt="" address="16 Borsa Kadema Street, Manshyia" directions="" phone=" +2 0123821023" url="http://www.nilehotel.co.nr/" checkin="" checkout="" price="100 LE" lat="" long=""> Cheap but a little dirty hotel located in downtown. The single room including bathroom, A/C and breakfast costs €12/$20 per night. Rooms could be cleaner, but are adequate given the budget price. Breakfast is simple but enough. Friendly and helpful staff.</sleep>
-*<sleep name="Hotel Union" alt="" address="164 26th July Street" directions="on the Corniche and near Raml Station" phone="+20-3-4807312" url="" checkin="" checkout="" price="70 LE double  - 50 LE single" lat="" long="">Suitable for the budget traveler. The rooms could be cleaner, but are adequate given the budget price.  The bathrooms are shared.  Breakfast (croissant, rolls/jam, boiled egg, and coffee) is included.  There is a sitting area with tables and a view of the water and Qaitbay.  It is not possible to book the hotel online.  You need to either reserve by phone or in person. </sleep>
+*<sleep name="Hotel Union" alt="" address="164 26th July Street" directions="on the Corniche and near Raml Station" phone="+20-3-4807312" url="" checkin="" checkout="" price="170 LE double  - 150 LE single" lat="" long="">Suitable for the budget traveler. The rooms could be cleaner, but are adequate given the budget price.  The bathrooms are shared.  Breakfast (croissant, rolls/jam, boiled egg, and coffee) is included.  There is a sitting area with tables and a view of the water and Qaitbay.  It is not possible to book the hotel online.  You need to either reserve by phone or in person. </sleep>
 *'''New Wellcome House''', near the Metropole Hotel/Raml Station.  Extremely run-down for the seasoned backpackers! Same building as Normandy Hotel.
-* <sleep name="Normandy Hotel" alt="" address="8 Gamal el-Din Yassen" directions="near Raml Station" phone="+20-3-4806830" url="https://sites.google.com/site/normandyhotelalex/home" checkin="" checkout="" price="" lat="" long="" email="elrume4ever5@hotmail.com" fax="">The Normandy hotel is an excellent place to stay. It is a one floor hotel located on the Corniche, with unbeatable views of the city's Eastern Harbor.  It is the building behind the famous Cecil Hotel, on the fourth floor.  Rooms range from 15LE to 30LE per night, depending on availability, view, and season. The rooms are well-appointed, large and clean, but spare. The bathrooms are down the hall, and also clean. Staff are very friendly, helpful, and honest. The staff speak both English and Arabic, with limited knowledge of a few other random languages.</sleep>
+* <sleep name="Normandy Hotel" alt="" address="8 Gamal el-Din Yassen" directions="near Raml Station" phone="+20-3-4806830" url="https://sites.google.com/site/normandyhotelalex/home" checkin="" checkout="" price="" lat="" long="" email="elrume4ever5@hotmail.com" fax="">The Normandy hotel is an excellent place to stay. It is a one floor hotel located on the Corniche, with unbeatable views of the city's Eastern Harbor.  It is the building behind the famous Cecil Hotel, on the fourth floor. The rooms are well-appointed, large and clean, but spare. The bathrooms are down the hall, and also clean. Staff are very friendly, helpful, and honest. The staff speak both English and Arabic, with limited knowledge of a few other random languages.</sleep>
 ===Mid-range===

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 ===By train===
-From [[Cairo]], frequent trains from [[Cairo/Midan Ramses|Ramses Station]] are probably the best way to get to Alexandria.  Trains run at least once every hour from 6 AM to 10 PM, but try to choose either an express or the pride of Egyptian Railways, the French-built ''Turbo'', which takes only 2 hours 10 minutes for the journey. 1st/2nd class tickets LE 50/35 one-way. Reservation is obligatory in express trains.
+From [[Cairo]], frequent trains from [[Cairo/Midan Ramses|Ramses Station]] are probably the best way to get to Alexandria.  Trains run at least once every hour from 6 AM to 10 PM, but try to choose either an express or the pride of Egyptian Railways, the French-built ''Turbo'', which takes only 2 hours 10 minutes for the journey. 1st class AC tickets cost 36-52LE one-way and 2nd class tickets range from 19 to 36LE, depending on the train. Reservation is obligatory in express trains. It's best to buy a ticket the day before at the train station or online from the Egyptian railways website [https://enr.gov.eg/ticketing/public/login.jsf]
-For the return journey, trains depart from '''Misr Station''', a 10-minute stroll south of the Corniche along Nabi Daniel St, as well as the Sidi Gaber Station.
+Although it is not advised to do so, some travelers have managed to get on the ordinary non AC 2nd and 3rd class trains. Tickets for these trains are not sold to foreigners at ticket counters or online. The only way to ride these extremely packed trains is to hop on and pay on board.
-There are two daily trains from [[Mersa Matruh]] to Alexandria, providing 2nd and 3class only.
+From Alexandria, trains depart from '''Misr Station''', a 10-minute stroll south of the Corniche along Nabi Daniel St, as well as the Sidi Gaber Station.
-Trains to and from Cairo were not running in early 2012
 ===By car===

@@ Line 95: / Line 95: @@
 [[Image:Egypt.Alexandria.Tram.01.jpg|thumb|City Line (yellow) tram and a Taxi]]
-Alexandria has a creaky, slow but very cheap '''tram''' system that dates back to 1860 and looks the part &mdash; it's the oldest one still running in Africa.  The route map is remarkably confusing and changes on a regular basis, but one factor stays constant: the network is split into the interurban '''Ramleh Lines''' (''Tram el-Raml''), which use '''blue-and-cream trams''' and run across the city a few blocks back from the sea towards the eastern suburbs, and the '''City Lines''' (''Tram el-Madina''), which use '''bright yellow trams''' and run west and south of central Alex.  The two meet at '''Raml Station''' (محطة الرمل ''Mahattat el-Raml''), right at the heart of Alex.  For both lines, the flat fare is a whopping 25 piasters (~US$0.05), and tickets can be bought on board.  Note that the first car (out of three) in the blue trams is reserved for women only.
+Alexandria has a creaky, slow but very cheap '''tram''' system that dates back to 1860 and looks the part &mdash; it's the oldest one still running in Africa.  The route map is remarkably confusing and changes on a regular basis, but one factor stays constant: the network is split into the interurban '''Ramleh Lines''' (''Tram el-Raml''), which use '''blue-and-cream trams''' and run across the city a few blocks back from the sea towards the eastern suburbs, and the '''City Lines''' (''Tram el-Madina''), which use '''bright yellow trams''' and run west and south of central Alex.  The two meet at '''Raml Station''' (محطة الرمل ''Mahattat el-Raml''), right at the heart of Alex.  For both lines, the flat fare is a whopping 50 piasters (~US$0.05), and tickets can be bought on board.  Note that the first car (out of three) in the blue trams is reserved for women only.
 Probably the most useful service for tourists is yellow tram #25, which runs from Raml Station to Ras el-Tin and Fort Qait Bey.  You can also hop on any blue tram ''west'' from Sidr Gabr bus/railway station to get to Raml, but not all eastbound trams stop there.

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 ===By plane===
-Alexandria's main airport is '''El Nouzha Airport''' ({{IATA|ALY}}), which has a limited selection of domestic flights and fairly extensive services to cities around the Middle East.  The only connection to Europe, though, is from [[Athens]].  The airport lies 8 km (5 mi) to the south-east of the city. A taxi will take you about 20 minutes and should cost no more than 15 LE.
+Since December 2011, Alexandria's main airport is '''Borg el Arab Airport''' ({{IATA|HBE}}), serving mainly destinations in the Middle-East and North Africa, but also Milano-Bergamo (Air Arabia), Athens (Egypt Air), Istanbul and Beyrouth. It's not very conveniently located some 45 km (23 mi) to the south-west of Alexandria.
-The city's second airport is '''Borg el Arab Airport''' ({{IATA|HBE}}), served by Emirates from [[Dubai]] and (soon) Turkish Airlines from [[Istanbul]]. It's rather less conveniently located some 45 km (23 mi) to the south-west of Alexandria, which means a one-hour journey by taxi (50 LE or less).
+Getting to and from the airport is a major concern as there are few affordable options to get to Alexandria. In most cases a taxi service will be needed (cost 130 to 160LE, or 15-20 Euros). The only other option are the two daily buses in each direction (9am, 2pm from Alexandria bus station and 10:30am and 4:30pm from the airport; cost around 10LE). From the Alexandria bus station to downtown Alexandria (or the other way around) a taxi costs 10-15LE.
-There is only 1 daily bus at 2.30 pm leaving from Alexandria to the Borg el Arab Airport airport. The bus stop is near Raml Station, outside the Sofitel Cecil Alexandria Hotel, 100 m on the right site there is a bigger bus stop. The ticket is 6 LE per person plus 1.5 LE per bag. Takes approximately 1 hour.
+The airport has no official website (the ones that are online are from private operators), but for information it is possible to contact the very helpful English speaking information desk. From abroad 002-03-46-31-010 (or try with last digits 1-2 or 3)
-Super-Jet and Western Delta operate direct buses from the airport to the New bus terminal on the outskirts of the city every 30-60 minutes between 4 AM and 7:30 PM (25-31 LE).
+To reserve a taxi there is only one taxi service located in the airport. El Mistria travel 002-010-067-817-85.
-However, [[Cairo]] offers a far better range of international destinations and is not too far away.
+Other taxi drivers are to be found outside, but beware of taxi drivers offering prices lower than 130LE, as they sometimes pronounce "One zero six pounds" really meaning 160LE. Egyptians also may say "one hundred and half", meaning 150.
 ===By bus===

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 [[Image:Alexandria_library.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina]]
-* <see name="Bibliotheca Alexandrina" alt="" address="Shatby" directions="" phone="+20-3-4839999" url="http://www.bibalex.gov.eg/English/index.aspx" hours="Open daily except Tuesday 11 AM to 7:00 PM, but opens only at 3 PM on Friday and Saturday" price="LE 10 (non-Egyptians), LE 5 (student)" lat="" long="" email="" fax=""> A huge modern library and research center constructed on the site of the former Library of Alexandria (see [[#History|History]]). It has also a big conference center and a planetarium, as well as displays of ancient texts from the collection (LE 40) and other special exhibitions (free).</see>
+* <see name="Bibliotheca Alexandrina" alt="" address="Shatby" directions="" phone="+20-3-4839999" url="http://www.bibalex.gov.eg/English/index.aspx" hours="Open daily except Fridays from 11 AM to 6:00 PM" price="LE 10 (non-Egyptians), LE 5 (student)" lat="" long="" email="" fax=""> A huge modern library and research center constructed near the site of the former Library of Alexandria (see [[#History|History]]). It has also a big conference center and a planetarium, as well as displays of ancient texts from the collection (LE 40) and other special exhibitions (free).</see>
 * <see name="Corniche" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" url="" hours="" price="" lat="" long="" email="" fax="">The Corniche is a glorious 15km walkway (wharf/pier/boardwalk) along the harbour dotted with restaurants, markets and historic sights.</see>

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:11, 25 November 2012
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 ===Splurge===
 [[Image:Alexandria_Athineos.JPG|thumb|print=float|The entrance of Athineos]]
 Many of Alexandria's high-end restaurants are located in its hotels.

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 ====Shopping malls====
-* <buy name="Carrefour City Center" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" url="" hours="" price="" lat="" long="" email="" fax="">Shopping mall with huge hypermarket, coffee shops and cinemas.  Take a taxi to get here.</buy>
+* <buy name="Alexandria City Center" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" url="" hours="" price="" lat="" long="" email="" fax="">Shopping mall with huge hypermarket, coffee shops and cinemas.  Take a taxi to get here.</buy>
 * <buy name="Mirage Mall" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">A small high-end mall in front of Carrefour.  Clothes shops including Adidas and Timberland factory outlets, plus some popular cafes and restaurants including Chili's and Pasadena Roof.</buy>