Best Lighthouse Of Alexandria Day Trips & Things to Do

Rising on the island of Pharos in ancient Alexandria, the Lighthouse of Alexandria was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and a marvel of engineering. Built around 280 BCE, it guided sailors across the Mediterranean with its brilliant beacon, said to burn day and night. Standing over 100 meters tall, its three-tiered design—square base, octagonal midsection, and circular top—inspired centuries of lighthouse architecture. Though destroyed by earthquakes by the 14th century, its legacy lives on in Alexandria’s Qaitbay Citadel, constructed on its original site. Today, visitors explore the fortress and nearby underwater ruins, where remnants of the lost city, including scattered stone blocks believed to be parts of the lighthouse, lie beneath the waves, offering a tangible link to one of history’s greatest maritime icons.