The Alexandria Tram

The Alexandria tram is the cheapest, most atmospheric, and most photographed urban transport in Egypt. The Ramleh Line (blue trams) follows the corniche from Mahatet el-Raml downtown out to Victoria, passing all the major neighbourhoods of the eastern city — Stanley, San Stefano, Sidi Bishr, Mandara, Montazah. A full one-way ride takes about an hour and is one of the best ways to see eastern Alexandria.

Carriages have wooden benches, single-blade ceiling fans, and large open windows. Men and women sit in separate carriages on some trams (the women's carriage is in the middle). Pay the conductor on board. Try at least one trip in each direction; the views from the rear-facing seats of older carriages are among the best people-watching opportunities in the city.

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Alexandria's tram system, opened in 1860, is the oldest in Africa and one of the oldest in the world — older than London's, older than New York's, older than Cairo's (long-defunct) tramway. The system has two networks: a yellow tram running through the city centre, and a blue tram (the Ramleh Line) running 16 km along the corniche to Victoria. Most of the rolling stock is decades old, often unchanged since the 1960s; some carriages are still wooden inside. The fare for a full trip is around 5 EGP — perhaps 15 US cents.