If The Odyssey Has You Dreaming of Greece, Go to Alexandria Instead

Every hero needs a dramatic opening scene. Odysseus had omens, gods and a very complicated relationship with Poseidon. You have Byzantine domes, marble details and centuries of history.

The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation is one of Alexandria’s most important Greek landmarks, tied to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa, an institution that has watched over the city’s Greek Orthodox community for centuries.

Inside, expect glowing icons, intricate details and the kind of atmosphere that makes you instinctively lower your voice, even if you’re usually the person who gets told “please don’t touch that.”

Before Odysseus can battle monsters, he needs a crew. Luckily, Alexandria already has one.

Housed within the historic Averofio building, the Hellenic Foundation for Books and Culture has become one of the city's strongest keepers of its Hellenic spirit. Through Greek language programmes, literary talks, exhibitions and cultural events, it keeps centuries of tradition sailing between Greece and Egypt.

Today, it's one of the best places to get a glimpse of Alexandria's living Greek identity, with enough stories, ideas and creative energy to earn a nod of approval from Athena (and Zendaya) herself.

Any epic journey - especially one lasting 10 years - needs a feast. Preferably one with sea views.

Founded in the 1920s on land acquired from Prince Omar Toussoun, Greek-founded seafood restaurant Zephyrion became one of Alexandria’s iconic seafood spots during the city’s cosmopolitan golden era, when Greek, Egyptian and Mediterranean cultures all gathered around the same tables.

Nearly a century later, following its recent renovation, Zephyrion continues to hold onto that seaside spirit: tables facing the waves, plates filled with the day’s catch, and stories carried in from the harbour. There’s even an elderly woman who reads your fortune using seashells, a seaside oracle if ever there was one.

Not every Greek battle is won with a sword. Some are won with wisdom.

While the modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina isn't the same library that once stood here, it still carries forward the spirit of Alexandria's most legendary institution. The original Library of Alexandria was the intellectual heart of the Hellenistic world, drawing philosophers, mathematicians, astronomers and scholars from across the Mediterranean, all chasing the same thing: knowledge.

Today, that legacy lives on through exhibitions, museums, cultural events and one of the world's most striking libraries. Spend an afternoon wandering its halls and you'll quickly understand why Alexandria has always been as much a city of ideas as it is of the sea. Athena, goddess of wisdom, would almost certainly have made this her first stop.

Every hero eventually has to enter the underworld. Luckily, Alexandria’s version comes with fewer monsters and far better architecture.

Hidden beneath the city streets, the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa are one of the country’s most fascinating reminders that cultures don’t simply replace each other, they blend. Built in the 2nd century AD, this underground necropolis combines Egyptian, Greek and Roman influences, creating a maze of carved tombs, statues and symbols that feels like three civilisations decided to share the same afterlife.

And just like Odysseus venturing into the realm of the dead in search of answers, your mission here is simple: explore, decode the clues, and make it back above ground without upsetting any ancient spirits.

Odysseus had to resist the sirens. Your challenge is much sweeter.

Opened in 1922 by Greek confectioner Cleovolous Moustakas, Délices quickly became one of Alexandria’s most beloved institutions, serving up freshly baked pastries, elegant cakes and old-world sweetness. The patisserie’s reputation eventually reached Egypt’s royal circles, with Délices creating the coronation cake for King Farouk in 1937 and his wedding cake to Queen Farida in 1938. There’s even a museum with old photographs, hand-painted signs, vintage cash registers and the tools that built the patisserie’s legacy.

Now that you've answered the sirens' call, you’re ready for the next chapter of your own Odyssey; one that is hopefully devoid of six-headed sea monsters.

After navigating ancient legends, Greek flavours and unexpected detours, you’ve finally reached the last chapter of your Odyssey: home.

In a quiet apartment tucked away in Alexandria’s Greek quarter, the Cavafy Museum preserves the home of Constantine P. Cavafy, the Greek Alexandrian poet who spent much of his life observing its streets, communities and contradictions, carrying the city far beyond Egypt’s shores. His famous poem Ithaka reimagined Odysseus’ journey home as a meditation on life itself: the idea that the voyage matters as much as the arrival.

Today, the Cavafy Museum preserves his personal belongings, manuscripts and living spaces, offering a glimpse into the mind of the man who gave Alexandria its own mythology. And, now that your quest has finally come to an end, it might just be the perfect place to find a bard willing to turn your Alexandrian Odyssey into an epic of its own.