Setting the scene
As a Scottish person, I have a unique affinity with beautiful Castles, particularly as I grew up in Edinburgh, spending my days gazing at the picturesque Castle. I fully intend to write a blog post on Castles in the UK at some point. The Citadel of Qaitby was a remarkable place to visit.
Originally built in the 15th Century by Sultan Qaitby, it serves as a remarkable fortress on the Mediterranean Sea. It is built at the site where the Lighthouse of Alexandria once stood, one of the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World. You will be treated to truly majestic views of the Sea, travel in underground tunnels & walk the beautiful Citadel walls.
top tips!
As you make your way through the Citadel you can climb stairs up into the higher levels. Some of the stairs are heavily worn down so it can feel a little strenuous. However, definitely stick with it, the rooms on the corners of the castle have look out gaps in the walls, giving you the most stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea.
Depending on the time of year, it can be a little windy as there is nothing but Sea on one side. Be very careful with your phone or selfie stick etc, gusts of winds can come at anytime. Whilst I did feel bad for a gent who lost his phone, he climbed onto a wall for a photo, when the sign said no climbing. He was lucky that the gust of wind blew his phone overboard & not him. I won’t out the gents nationality, lets just say they have a certain propensity for causing carnage wherever they go. Let me know in the comments what you think 🫡(purely as a bit of fun, the description could even be us Scottish people)
Important Information
| Opening times | 09:00-17:00 however this appears to vary by season |
| Entry fee | It was around 250EGP for me at the time, however the price varies depending on your nationality & it changes all of the time anyway, so always check ahead |
| Time to complete visit | For me it was around 2-3 hours as I really took my time going round as I am obsessed with Castles. However, if you just want a couple of nice photos & a quick look around, you could get it down to about 60-90 minutes |
| Getting there | Taxi is your best bet, I walked from station & was absolutely broken by the end of it. You also then have to weave in & out of people selling all manner of things. As the Taxi gets closer to the site, the roads become mayhem, I am not even sure if the Taxi can bring you all the way in or not, one to check before going |
| Tours | I didn’t take a tour, there aren’t a whole lot of historical artefacts in the building & it doesn’t seem there is a lot of stories to tell, so hard for me to see the value in it. For me it was more a case of marvelling at the beauty of the architecture more than anything else |
I am completely new to blogging & only set this up to help people out on their journeys. If you have any questions about the article or feedback, please do leave a comment & I will get back to you. You can also subscribe for free to get a notification when my next post goes live. Thanks for taking the time to read through ❤️
Tyler's Travel Tales 