Alexandria’s Sunken City Show: What to See and Eat Nearby
Why this Alexandria exhibition matters now
If you have been waiting for a timely reason to plan an Alexandria museum day, “Secrets of the Sunken City” at Alexandria National Museum is exactly that. The exhibition was inaugurated by Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy and Alexandria Governor Ahmed Khaled Hassan Saeed during the Ministry’s underwater cultural heritage activities in Alexandria on 20 August, and the ministry says the show runs for six months. That makes it a current, limited-window cultural stop rather than a vague “someday” museum idea.
The headline figure is strong: the exhibition brings together 86 artefacts recovered from the submerged ancient cities of Canopus and Heracleion in Abu Qir Bay, east of Alexandria. Even more compelling for repeat museum-goers, the ministry explicitly said that a group of underwater finds discovered in the 2023 Abu Qir excavations is being displayed for the first time. For Alexandria residents, Cairo weekenders and North Coast visitors looking for a culturally serious outing, that is the real hook.
What is “Secrets of the Sunken City” actually about?
This is not a generic ancient-Egypt showcase. The exhibition is built around the long-fascinating story of Alexandria’s offshore archaeological world: the cities and ports that once thrived around Abu Qir before gradually sinking beneath the Mediterranean because of a mix of earthquakes, land subsidence and rising sea levels, according to official Egyptian statements on the exhibition and Abu Qir Bay’s underwater heritage.
The ministry says the 86 displayed pieces reflect daily life, beliefs and the archaeological character of the site during the Ptolemaic and Roman eras. That matters because visitors often imagine underwater antiquities as only giant statues and dramatic treasure objects. In reality, the exhibition’s value lies in how it links Alexandria’s glamorous ancient past with the practical life of its ports, sanctuaries and trading world.
Abu Qir Bay itself remains one of Egypt’s most important underwater archaeology zones. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities says the bay lies about 22 km east of Alexandria, and that major modern exploration resumed in 1996 with the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology led by Franck Goddio, using sonar and magnetic survey techniques.
What is on view for the first time?
The most newsworthy point for visitors is simple: some of the artefacts now on show were unearthed in Abu Qir in 2023 and are being publicly exhibited for the first time. Official ministry coverage does not publish a full object-by-object checklist on the museum page, so it is better not to overclaim individual pieces. But the confirmed takeaway is that this is not merely a reheating of familiar Alexandria museum holdings; it includes newly presented material from recent excavation work.
That first-time factor is especially important because Alexandria National Museum already has a known relationship to underwater finds in its permanent displays. The State Information Service notes that the museum is distinctive for a dedicated hall of sunken antiquities and even includes underwater-discovered coin material in its wider collection. In other words, this temporary exhibition works best when seen as an update to an existing Alexandria story: the museum already had the foundation, and “Secrets of the Sunken City” deepens it with newly spotlighted Abu Qir material.
How to plan your visit to Alexandria National Museum
For practical planning, Alexandria National Museum is one of the easier heritage outings in the city center. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities lists the museum at 110 Tareeq El Horreya and gives regular daily opening hours of 9:00am to 5:00pm. The last ticket sale is listed at 4:00pm.
Current official ticket prices listed by the ministry are EGP 20 for المصري adults and EGP 5 for المصري students, while foreign visitors are listed at EGP 220 for adults and EGP 110 for students. The ministry also states that mobile-phone photography is free, but flash photography should be avoided. Free entry applies to several categories including Egyptians aged 60 and over, Egyptians with special needs, orphaned children, certain pre-booked school trips, and children under 6.
A realistic visit time is 90 minutes to two hours if you want to see the temporary exhibition properly and still move through the permanent galleries. Because the museum itself already tells Alexandria’s story across pharaonic, Graeco-Roman, Coptic, Islamic and modern periods, the smartest route is to start with the temporary underwater-antiquities section, then broaden out into the permanent displays for context.
- Best for: history-minded day trips, cultural weekends, visitors hosting out-of-town family
- Bring: water, comfortable shoes, and a charged phone for non-flash photos
- Avoid: arriving too close to 4:00pm, when ticket sales close
How to turn it into a full Alexandria day out
This exhibition fits naturally into the kind of local coverage Egyptian readers actively use: where to go in Alexandria, then where to eat nearby. Because the museum is central, you do not need to treat the visit as an isolated stop. Pair it with a heritage lunch, coffee, dessert, or a short Raml Station and Corniche walk.
If you want the classic Alexandria mood after antiquities, the museum’s location gives you easy access to the downtown-Raml axis rather than forcing a long detour across the city.
Where to eat nearby after the exhibition
1) Délices, Raml Station
Délices (@delicesgroup on Instagram) is one of the easiest post-museum choices if you want somewhere recognizably Alexandrian rather than a generic chain. Its TripAdvisor listing gives the address as 46 Saad Zaghloul Street, Raml Station, and the business description says the venue was founded in 1907 and officially established in 1922. It is best for pastries, coffee, dessert, breakfast, brunch or a light lunch, especially if you want to keep the outing elegant and central rather than heavy.
This is the kind of stop that suits the exhibition’s mood: old Alexandria, not rushed Alexandria.
2) Potasta, Fouad Street area
If your group wants a more straightforward sit-down meal, Potasta, 22 Fouad Street, is a practical central option often suggested in the museum-and-downtown circuit. It works well for visitors who want lunch without turning the outing into a transport exercise. Fouad Street also keeps you close to the city’s historic core.
3) Mohamed Ahmed for a more local Egyptian meal
If your ideal Alexandria food stop is unapologetically local, Mohamed Ahmed remains one of the city’s best-known names for Egyptian staples such as foul, taameya and breakfast-style plates. It is a better fit for visitors who want something casual and distinctly Alexandrian-Egyptian after the museum rather than patisserie culture.
The bottom line
“Secrets of the Sunken City” is worth going to now because it offers something genuinely current: a six-month Alexandria exhibition centered on 86 Abu Qir Bay artefacts, including finds from the 2023 excavations shown for the first time. For Egyptian readers, that makes Alexandria National Museum more than a standard heritage recommendation; it becomes a timely cultural outing with a clear deadline.
Go for the underwater antiquities, stay for the wider museum, then finish the day the Alexandria way: coffee or dessert at Délices, or a proper local meal nearby, followed by a slow walk toward Raml Station or the sea. In a city full of mythology, this is one of the rare outings where the hype is not invented. The artefacts are real, the timing is real, and right now Alexandria has a fresh reason to be revisited.