Alexandria

Yes, and most people do. It is about three hours each way by road, which makes for a long day but a rewarding one: the Catacombs, Qaitbay Citadel, the Bibliotheca and lunch on the water fit comfortably. Staying a night turns it into something more relaxed and lets you walk the Corniche in the late afternoon, which is when the city is at its best.

Less than people expect, and that is worth knowing before you arrive. The Pharos lighthouse and the great Library are gone, much of the ancient city is under the modern one or under the sea, and Qaitbay Citadel stands on the lighthouse's foundations rather than beside it. What survives is remarkable in a different way — the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa in particular, where Egyptian, Greek and Roman funerary art sit in the same carved chambers.

It is a modern library, opened in 2002, not a reconstruction of the ancient one — go for the building and the setting rather than for antiquity. The reading room is genuinely striking and there are museums inside. If your day is tight and you have to choose, the Catacombs are the more unusual visit.

September to April. The Mediterranean makes it milder and more humid than Cairo year-round, and the sea breeze is a relief in the shoulder months. Winter can bring real rain and rough seas — dramatic along the Corniche, less good for a day of walking.

Yes, and it is the sensible way to reach Siwa if you want to break the journey. A night in Alexandria then on to Siwa the next day turns a punishing single drive into two manageable ones. We build it this way whenever a trip includes both.