How to Turn the BA Identity Conference Into an Alexandria Day
A real September event that gives you the perfect excuse for an Alexandria day out
From 21 to 23 September 2026, Bibliotheca Alexandrina is hosting the National Identity Conference: Deep Roots and a Renewed Vision, a three-day event announced by the library under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. At the press conference announcing the event on 10 September 2026, Bibliotheca Alexandrina said the conference would bring together ministers, experts, writers, researchers and artists, with around 450 young participants representing different groups of Egyptian society and all 27 governorates. The program also includes scientific sessions, dialogue sessions, cultural performances, a handicrafts exhibition, an art exhibition by the Ministry of Culture, and a closing musical performance by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Orchestra.
For readers in Egypt, that matters for a second reason too: this is exactly the kind of local event that can anchor a full, well-planned Alexandria outing instead of a rushed in-and-out conference visit. Because the venue is Bibliotheca Alexandrina, right on the Corniche in El Shatby, you are already starting from one of the city’s most walkable culture addresses.
Start with the library, not just the conference hall
Even if the conference is your main reason for going, give yourself extra time for the building itself. The library’s official visitor information lists visits, tours, museums and the Planetarium from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, Sunday to Thursday, with Saturday hours from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm; the main library reading area runs later, to 7:00 pm on weekdays. The BA also notes cafés near the library entrance, including the restaurant and café hub on the Plaza and La Poire Café, which makes it easy to pause without leaving the complex.
This is the best first move for a conference day: arrive early, do one guided or self-paced cultural stop inside the BA, then head into the conference sessions. The complex is not just a lecture venue. The library officially highlights its museums, exhibitions and the Planetarium Science Center as part of the visit experience, so a culture-day itinerary here feels natural rather than forced.
What to prioritize inside BA
- Main library and architecture: the dramatic slanted granite form remains the most photographable part of the day and the clearest visual symbol of the outing.
- Manuscripts Museum: one of the easiest meaningful add-ons if you want your day to keep the identity, memory and heritage theme going.
- Permanent exhibitions: Bibliotheca Alexandrina currently lists permanent exhibitions including Impressions of Alexandria: The Awad Collection and The World of Shadi Abdel Salam, both strong choices if you want an Alexandria-rooted cultural stop without extra transport.
If you choose the Manuscripts Museum, the museum’s official page says it operates Sunday to Thursday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. It also lists ticket prices at EGP 20 for Egyptians and EGP 10 for Egyptian students. That makes it one of the simplest paid additions to your conference day.
Use the Corniche location to your advantage
One reason this event works so well as an outing is location. The BA sits in El Shatby on Alexandria’s Corniche, facing the Mediterranean. Once your session block ends, the easiest upgrade is not a long city detour but a short waterfront walk. That lets you keep the day anchored around one district: library, sea, coffee, then dinner.
For Egypt-based readers planning around traffic and parking, this matters. A realistic Alexandria day is rarely about ticking off every landmark. It is about choosing a tight radius and letting the city breathe a little. Around Bibliotheca Alexandrina, that radius is unusually rewarding because the cultural stop and the seaside promenade are already intertwined.
Add one more museum stop if you want substance, not just scenery
If you still have energy after the conference, the strongest nearby add-on is the Alexandria National Museum. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities lists it as open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, with the ticket window closing at 4:00 pm. Current ticket prices listed by the ministry are EGP 20 for المصري adults and EGP 5 for Egyptian students.
That is an affordable extension for anyone turning the conference into a history-focused day. Editorially, it also fits the event’s theme better than a random mall or chain café stop: if the conference is about national identity, a museum visit gives that idea a physical, visual afterlife.
Where to stop for coffee nearby
There are two practical ways to handle coffee. The easiest is to stay inside or directly beside the BA complex, where the library itself says there are cafés near the entrance and on the Plaza, including La Poire Café. This is the low-friction option if you have a short gap between sessions.
If you want the coffee stop to feel like part of Alexandria’s old social life, head downtown afterward to Délices (@delicesgroup on Instagram). The historic Alexandria patisserie, café and restaurant says it was established in 1922, remains run by the same Greek family, and is at 46 Saad Zaghloul Street, Raml Station. Its own site says it is open daily from 8:00 am to 1:00 am. That makes it ideal as either a late-afternoon dessert-and-coffee stop or a post-dinner finale.
Délices works especially well for this article’s local angle because it is not just a place to sit; it is part of Alexandria’s food memory. Its site also notes the business baked King Farouk’s coronation cake in 1937 and his royal wedding cake to Queen Farida in 1938, details that give the stop real historical texture.
Where to go for dinner after the conference
For dinner, the smart choice is to stay with Alexandria institutions rather than overcomplicate the plan. Trianon says on its official site that it has been part of the city’s social and culinary life since 1905. Today it operates multiple Alexandria locations, including Le Salon, San Stefano, Roshdy and Sporting Club. If you are ending your conference day with family or friends, Trianon makes sense because it combines heritage value with the comfort of a proven all-rounder rather than a one-dish stop.
If your mood is more classic downtown Alexandria than seaside wandering, pairing Délices for coffee with Trianon for dinner also works well. Both are rooted in the city’s own dining history, which keeps the entire day squarely within the Alexandria & North Coast brief: a real local event, a real Egyptian cultural venue, and food addresses that belong to Alexandria’s own story.
A practical one-day itinerary
Option 1: The efficient conference day
- 9:30 am: Arrive at Bibliotheca Alexandrina early enough for a quick interior visit.
- 10:00 am–afternoon: Attend conference sessions.
- Break: Coffee at the BA Plaza or La Poire Café.
- Late afternoon: Corniche walk in El Shatby.
- Evening: Dinner at Trianon or downtown dessert at Délices.
Option 2: The fuller culture day
- Morning: BA visit plus the Manuscripts Museum.
- Midday: Conference attendance.
- 4:00 pm cutoff in mind: Move to Alexandria National Museum before ticket sales close.
- Sunset onward: Coffee and pastries at Délices, then dinner.
The bottom line
The National Identity Conference at Bibliotheca Alexandrina, 21–23 September 2026, is more than a diary listing. It is one of those rare Alexandria events where the venue does half the planning for you. Because the conference sits inside one of Egypt’s major cultural institutions and directly on the Corniche, you can build a full day around it without padding the itinerary with generic stops.
The winning formula is simple: conference + one BA cultural stop + waterfront walk + heritage coffee or dinner. In a city that rewards mood as much as movement, that is the Alexandria version of a well-spent September day.