Dr Zhivago's Omar Sharif was born here, as was Mohamed Al-Fayed, owner of Harrods. I can almost hear echoes of another famous son of Alexandria, Demis Roussos, singing about his friend the wind.
The second biggest city in Egypt, Alex is famous for its Corniche, a 20km stretch of coastal highway - lined by cafes, pattiseries, derelict buildings, upmarket hotels, museums and mosaics - which has a marked French colonial influence.
The promenade is flanked by the old eastern harbour, the site of the Lighthouse of Pharos, one of the ancient wonders of the world, and the western harbour.
Founded in 331BC by Alexander the Great, the city lies north-west of the Nile Delta on the Mediterranean Sea. In winter, violent rain storms blow off the sea. In summer, it is the playground of wealthy Arabs from the Gulf states.
Alex is Egypt's largest port city and its most cosmopolitan, with Arabic, Greek, French, Italian, Jewish, Russian and English influences.
At the centre of the Corniche lies the Four Seasons, a seafront hotel-apartment complex in the San Stefano district. The hotel has nine restaurants, opulent French design, a two-level spa, swimming pools, ocean views, a shopping centre and a private beach.
Residents occupy the city side of the complex, with a few wealthier ones keeping a sea-facing apartment or two. The Royal Suite is reserved for the princes among us, as you'd have to own a couple of oil fields and a Formula One team to afford $12 000 (or R90 000) a night. We were pleased though with our large room (priced more reasonably at $410 a night), sea-facing balcony and Roman-style marbled bathroom, but didn't spend much time in it as a whistle-stop tour of Alex was on the cards.
First up was a visit to the Catacombs of Kom Al-Shoqafa, the largest example of a Roman burial site in Egypt. The catacombs were discovered accidentally, when a donkey fell into a hole in the 1920s. Closer inspection revealed an elaborate series of honeycombed chambers and passageways hewn out of porous sandstone.
Dating to the first century AD, the Romans held memorial feasts in the catacombs' triclinium for their dead. Today a rising water table threatens their existence; so if you're planning a trip to Egypt, get there soon because the catacombs may not be around in a few decades' time.
Nearby, Fort Quaitbey, built on the site of the original lighthouse, dates to 1479. The lighthouse, constructed in 238BC, collapsed into the sea during an earthquake, and many of the fort's walls feature granite from its ruins. Built in the recognisable modern style, it served as a template for all future lighthouse design.
There are a number of eateries in the vicinity of the harbour and you can't go wrong with the seafood restaurants, which display fresh off-the-boat fish, crabs, crayfish and other shellfish. The restaurants overlook the water and provide an extraordinary vantage point of the city and the Mediterranean.
Pompey's Pillar, a 30-metre red granite column above the ancient acropolis, is also nearby. Erected around 297AD, it's the city's most prominent Greek landmark and has nothing to do with Pompey - it is believed to have been built in honour of the Emperor Diocletian. In the Middle Ages it was assumed to have marked the burial site of Pompey, hence the name. Originally part of a temple colonnade, it is the only surviving pillar at the acropolis.
In recent times, Alexandria has attempted to reinvent itself as a centre of learning and culture. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, an ultra-modern glass, steel and marble structure, is the embodiment of this dream. Considered by some to be a vanity project, it is built on the site of the original library that was destroyed in antiquity.
Constructed as a temple to the Muses, the ancient library also functioned as an academy and a research centre.
The modern complex, which was endorsed by Unesco and completed in 2002, includes five research institutes, art galleries, a planetarium, three museums, ancient manuscripts, specialised libraries and a restoration laboratory.
More than $220-million was spent on construction but the library itself is scantily stocked. Still, it attracts around a million visitors a year.
No visit to Alex would be complete without stopping at the Alexandria National Museum.
Housed in a restored 1920s Italian-style palace in Tariq al-Horreya Street, the museum is near the centre of the city. It holds around 1 800 artefacts that narrate the story of Alexandria and Egypt through collections from the various Egyptian periods, ranging from Pharaonic to Graeco-Roman and Coptic and Islamic.
The museum also features artefacts pulled from the Med as mari-time archaeology in the harbour has revealed details of a pre-Alexander Alexandria.
Tourists are allowed to scuba dive to archaeological sites in the harbour, a bone of contention with the locals.
Alexandria's colonial charm and modern construction enchants like no other city in Egypt. While dirty in parts, it is not as touristy as Cairo, so visitors can enjoy its attractions without queueing for hours.
Being a coastal city, Alex is relaxed, its roads calm for Egypt, and the city is not as polluted. In many parts, it's exquisitely beautiful.
Caireans love telling visitors: "Once you drink from the Nile, you'll always return".
I'd add: "But you'll always yearn for Alexandria."
If you go...
- Visa: South African citizens require a visa for Egypt
- Tour Operator: Egypt & Beyond's Cecelia Amory, who has intimate knowledge of Egypt,was our travel agent. Cecelia Amory can be contacted at 011 678 6165, e-mail cecelia@championtours.co.za or visit www.egyptandbeyond.co.za.
- Getting there: We travelled with Egypt Air, which flies directly to Cairo. There are domestic flights to Alex but taking the train or driving is much more affordable.
- Weather: Alex has a mild climate with little rain but experiences violent storms in winter. January and February are the coolest months, while July and August are the hottest. Beaches get very crowded in summer.
