Alexandria Extension (Independent)

You will be collected from your Cairo hotel this morning at about 8am. Please be ready and waiting in the hotel foyer at 7.50 am. You then drive out towards the Pyramids before following the 'desert road' to Alexandria. The journey takes about 3 hours and along the way there will be a short stop at a cafeteria. On arrival in Alexandria you are taken to your hotel and in the afternoon you enjoy a guided tour of the new Alexandria Museum, containing a fine display of artefacts and statues, and there's the opportunity for an optional visit to the Roman Catacombs (US$6.50 entry fee).

Today is free to explore the city. The Qaitbey Fort is well worth a visit, if only because it was built on the site of the legendary 'Pharos', or lighthouse – one of the 7 wonders of the Ancient World. Alternatively, stroll along the beachfront or enjoy a drink in one of the celebrated coffee-houses in the centre of town. If you have booked the optional Tour to El Alamein (paid for locally), you will be collected from your hotel this morning and driven west towards El Alamein. Located just over 100kms from Alexandria, the drive takes one and half hours and on arrival you visit the small Museum, containing a good collection of wartime memorabilia. You continue to the Commonwealth Cemetery and Australian visitors can also see a small, separate memorial to the Australian contingent. In the summer months there is usually the chance to have a swim on the way back to Alexandria. You will be provided with a lunch box.

After breakfast you are transferred back to Cairo. Please be ready by 9:00 am. Depending on traffic conditions you should be back at your Cairo hotel by around 12:00 noon, where your arrangements end.