Private Rosetta Rashid Day Tour from Alexandria

5.0 (1 reviews) Alexandria, Egypt
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Duration6h - 8h
Free cancellationFull refund up to 24 hours before
Instant confirmationYour booking is confirmed right away
TicketMobile or paper ticket accepted
LanguagesGerman, Arabic, English, Italian, French, Spanish
Private tourOnly your group will participate
Pickup offeredSee the meeting and pickup details below

Overview

Rosetta, or Rashid, sits where the Nile meets the Mediterranean, about 65 km east of Alexandria, and it is the town that gave the world the key to reading hieroglyphs.

This is where French soldiers unearthed the Rosetta Stone in 1799, the slab whose three scripts let Champollion crack ancient Egyptian writing. Your guide takes you to the fort where it was found and through a town that is effectively an open-air museum of Ottoman-era architecture: tall merchant houses of red and black brick, the old mills, and the Rashid National Museum. A short boat trip on the Nile shows the quieter eastern bank as it looked two centuries ago.

It is a relaxed, off-the-trail day of about 6 to 8 hours, well away from the cruise crowds.

Ideal for history lovers and anyone curious about the French Expedition and Ottoman Egypt.

What's included

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off in Alexandria in private air-conditioned vehicle
  • All entrance fees to Rashid National Museum, Qaitbey Citadel of Rosetta, and Ottoman-era house museums (if price option selected)
  • All Service charges and taxes
  • Local lunch at a quality restaurant (if price option selected)
  • Private Egyptologist guide
  • Gratuities for guide and driver (optional)
  • Entry visa to Egypt.
  • Personal expenses, souvenirs, and anything not listed as included

What to expect

  1. Rosetta
    1h
    You stand at the fort guarding the mouth of the Nile, the spot where a French officer repairing the walls in 1799 turned up a dark granite slab carved in three scripts: the Rosetta Stone. Your guide tells the story of that find and how the stone, with its Greek, Demotic, and hieroglyphic text, became the key that unlocked 3,000 years of silent Egyptian writing. The original sits in the British Museum now, but standing where it was found makes the story land. The river and sea meet just beyond the walls.
  2. Rosetta
    2h
    You walk into the old town, one of the best-preserved Ottoman-era streetscapes in Egypt. Tall houses of interlocking red and black brick rise three and four storeys, their carved wooden mashrabiya screens leaning over the lanes, built by the merchants who grew rich when Rosetta was Egypt's main port before Alexandria revived. Your guide leads you inside one or two of the restored houses and through the old mill and market. With almost no other tourists, it feels like a town that time set aside.
  3. Rosetta
    1h 30m
    You visit the Rashid National Museum, set in a grand old Ottoman house, where the town's layered story is laid out, from its medieval port days to the French Expedition of 1798 to 1801. Then you take a short boat onto the Nile, where the river runs wide toward the sea and the undeveloped east bank gives a clear sense of how Rosetta's waterfront looked two centuries ago. Your guide fills in the history as the water slides past. It is a calm close to an unusual day.

Meeting and pickup

Pickup details

Please share your hotel name and address in Alexandria when booking. Your guide will meet you at the hotel lobby in the morning for the approximately 1 to 1.5 hour drive northeast to Rosetta (Rashid). The tour involves walking through Rosetta's historic streets with some uneven surfaces. Modest dress recommended for visits to religious sites.

Additional information

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Reviews

5.0 (1)
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Operated by Egypt Day Tours · Booked through Viator
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