We booked the Alexandria day trip with guide and driver. Our guides name was Khaled Mamdouh, and the vehicle was a mini van with great air conditioning and lots of room.
Overall it was a great day, full of information, sights, and experiences. The main reason for the success of the tour was Khaled. Not only was he extremely knowledgeable about all of the sights we visited and the history surrounding each, but more importantly, he was friendly, outgoing, down to earth, and engaging. This is an important element to have in your tour guide when youre spending 12 hours with him.
The Roman Catacombs are a must see, and Khaled provided the history and insight as we toured the depths of the tunnels. Pompeys Pillar, the site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, and a delicious fresh fish lunch served at a sea front restaurant were also highlights of the day. In addition to the tourist sites we visited, we thoroughly enjoyed the experience of traveling through the busy, chaotic, narrow streets of Alexandria. Getting safely from point A to B with no apparent rules of the road was incredible, and our driver, although probably used to it on a daily basis, performed admirably.
It was a long day, approximately 11-12 hours or so, but lots of history was seen and learned, and we got a taste of the local culture. I would definitely recommend Khaled as a tour guide, and will ask for him in the future when we return to Cairo which we will, as theres just too much to see in one visit.