Book a flight to Alexandria with Qatar Airways

With so much history to be found, a trip to Alexandria can feel like stepping back in time. The Al-Mursi Abu al-Abbas  Mosque was built in 1775, over the tomb of a 13th-century holy man after whom the mosque was named. A festival takes place here annually, celebrating his life. It is widely considered to be Alexandria’s most beautiful mosque, with its cream-coloured minarets and stunning marble floors.

The original Library of Alexandria no longer stands, but it was replaced in 2002 with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Aside from the millions of books in its collection, the library has four museums, a planetarium and an interactive virtual-reality suite, guaranteed to be popular with children.

During your visit to Alexandria, it’s worth checking out the Alexandria Opera House. The venue offers an eclectic array of performances, ranging from traditional plays and music to the pomp and ceremony of opera.

For a little rest from the frantic pace of city life, head for the Montazah Royal Gardens. Spread across more than 350 acres of beautifully sculpted landscape, in the grounds of the Montazah Palace, the gardens sit on the shoreline of the Mediterranean. From here, you can access some spectacular sandy beaches and shade-dappled gardens.

Food is a huge part of the Alexandrian way of life, and its cuisine is peppered with Greek, Italian, Indian and Japanese influences. Be sure to try some of the local foods, such as aysh, a traditional bread that comes either as a baguette or flatbread and sea food.

Grilled kebabs are popular and are served by street vendors on virtually every corner. These are highly spiced meats with Turkish or Lebanese herbs. The streets are often thick with the savoury smell of kebabs being cooked.

There are plenty of restaurants to be found in the city. They serve everything from the tastiest falafel and fuul to kushary – rice, peas and roasted onions, served in a spicy tomato sauce.

Souqs and bazaars are still alive and well across Alexandria and your trip wouldn’t be complete without a visit to one of them. What you can buy depends very much on which district you’re in and how good you are at haggling.

You can certainly buy gold and silver jewellery, leather goods and, in the higher-end souqs, pungent bundles of incense. However, Alexandria has also discovered the joys of shopping malls, which are springing up across the city.

Perhaps the best shopping centre is the City Centre Mall on Cairo Desert Road. This has everything you could ever want – including restaurants and play areas for children.