After the BA Identity Conference: Where to Go in Shatby
What to do around Bibliotheca Alexandrina after the conference ends
For Alexandria regulars, the area around Bibliotheca Alexandrina is one of the easiest parts of the city to turn into a full afternoon or early-evening plan. That matters this week because the library is hosting the National Identity: Deep Roots and Renewed Vision conference from 21 to 23 September 2026, under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The event was announced by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and covered by Egypt’s State Information Service, with senior officials including Alexandria Governor Ahmed Khaled Hassan Saeed, BA Director Dr Ahmed Zayed and presidential adviser Dr Khaled Fouda involved in preparations and the launch events.
Once the final sessions wrap on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, you are already in one of Alexandria’s most walkable cultural pockets: Shatby, the Corniche, and the run toward Raml Station. The smart move is not to rush straight home. Instead, use the BA as your starting point for a compact city guide built around the sea, a museum stop, and a café break that feels properly Alexandrian.
Start with the building itself before you leave
Even many Alexandrians treat the BA as a conference venue first and a visitor attraction second. That is a mistake. The library remains one of Egypt’s most significant cultural landmarks, and the official BA visitor information still makes it one of the easiest major institutions to explore on the same day. The Main Library reading area operates Sunday to Thursday from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, while visits, tours, museums and the Planetarium run Sunday to Thursday from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm. The BA also notes that guided tours are available in Arabic, English and French, and that museum and Planetarium access require separate tickets from the main library ticket.
If your conference schedule leaves even 30 to 45 minutes free, use it for the internal visit route rather than just photographing the façade and leaving. The BA’s own guidance highlights a one-way path through the exhibitions and museums level, starting with the Antiquities Museum and ending near the Planetarium. That route works especially well after a long conference day because it is structured, air-conditioned and close at hand.
One timing note for anyone planning to stay in the area after 23 September: the BA’s Planetarium Theatre is scheduled to close for upgrades from 28 September to 1 October 2026, so conference visitors finishing on the 23rd still have a small window before that closure. The same Planetarium Science Center is also preparing its Science Festivity 2026 for 26 to 28 September at the BA Plaza and Conference Center, which means the wider BA precinct will stay active even after the identity conference ends.
Then do the obvious Alexandria move: walk the Corniche
The easiest post-conference reset is the stretch directly outside the library. Bibliotheca Alexandrina sits on the Mediterranean in El Shatby, and Alexandria Governorate’s tourism material continues to list Shatby among the city’s notable seafront districts. In practical terms, that gives you the city’s classic Alexandria combination in a single short walk: monumental architecture, open sea, traffic, breeze and a changing sky over the Corniche.
Leave through the BA side facing the waterfront and give yourself a slow 20 to 30 minutes on foot. Around sunset, this is less about ticking off attractions and more about shifting pace after a formal event. The sea wall here is one of the best places to decompress with a takeaway coffee, watch fishing rods and small groups gather, and let the city take over from the conference atmosphere.
If you are with out-of-town guests, this is also the right moment for photos. The BA’s disc-like slanted exterior remains the single most recognizable landmark in this pocket of Alexandria, and it is at its best when framed from the Corniche rather than from right outside the entrance.
Add one serious culture stop nearby
If you want to keep the day rooted in Alexandria’s cultural side, head next to the Alexandria National Museum. Official Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities information lists the museum at 110 Al Horreya Road, with daily opening hours of 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The ministry currently lists ticket prices for Egyptians at EGP 20 for adults and EGP 5 for students, with the ticket window closing at 4:00 pm.
The museum is a strong companion stop to the BA because it shifts you from a live national conversation about identity into the city’s layered historical record. Its displays cover different eras of Egyptian history, and for visitors who have spent the day in conference halls, that contrast can be refreshing: less speech, more object-based storytelling.
If your final BA session runs late and you miss museum hours, keep this for the next morning. But if you leave the conference by mid-afternoon on 23 September, it is one of the best nearby add-ons.
Where to sit for coffee or something sweet nearby
The most practical café advice around the BA is to stay realistic about the area. This is not one concentrated restaurant strip in the Sheikh Zayed sense; it is more of a city-center cluster where you choose between convenience, heritage atmosphere and sea views.
Start with the easiest option: the BA itself notes in its visitor FAQ that there are cafés near the library entrance, including the restaurant and café hub on the Plaza and La Poire Café. For conference visitors who want a low-effort stop before ordering a car, that is the simplest answer. You are still inside the BA orbit, service is straightforward, and you do not lose time navigating cross-streets.
If you want a more classic central Alexandria coffee break, continue west toward the Raml area, where long-established names like Trianon and Délices remain part of the city’s café memory for many Alexandrians. They work best if your plan is less “quick caffeine” and more “sit down, reset, and order dessert.” This is also the more atmospheric option if you are showing the city to someone visiting from Cairo.
For a more contemporary chain-style coffee stop close to the BA zone, the wider Corniche and Port Said Street area gives you familiar choices, including Cilantro branches referenced in nearby restaurant listings. That will not give you the old-Alexandria mood of a pastry room, but it is dependable if you need Wi-Fi, an iced drink, or a casual meeting point after the event.
A simple post-conference itinerary that works
- 4:00 pm: Step out of your final BA session and take 15 to 20 minutes for photos around the exterior and plaza.
- 4:20 pm: Walk the Corniche beside Shatby and sit by the sea for a breather.
- 5:00 pm: If timing allows, move toward a museum stop on another day; if not, go directly for coffee.
- 5:30 pm onward: Choose between the BA plaza cafés for convenience or continue toward central Alexandria for a more classic café setting.
The local verdict
The real appeal of this part of Alexandria is that you do not need a complicated plan. The National Identity: Deep Roots and Renewed Vision conference gives people a concrete reason to be at Bibliotheca Alexandrina from 21 to 23 September 2026, but the area rewards anyone who lingers after the official program ends. Between the library itself, the seafront in Shatby, and easy café options in the surrounding center, this is one of the city’s best low-effort cultural outings.
For Egypt-based readers, that is the most useful way to think about the BA this week: not only as a venue for a real national event, but as the anchor for a very Alexandrian afternoon. Finish the conference, stay by the sea, and let the neighborhood do the rest.