# Montaza Palace and Gardens, Alexandria > Montaza is the former royal summer estate 15 km east of central Alexandria: the Turkish-Florentine Haramlik palace, huge seaside gardens, beaches and a little bridge to a tea pavilion. The palace interior is closed — you see it from outside. Garden entry is about 50 EGP, daily from 8:00 until evening. Allow 90 minutes, plus a 30–40-minute taxi ride. Web page: https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/montaza-palace - City: [Alexandria](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria), Egypt - YesGo score: 22/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h 30 min - Entry: ≈ 50 EGP, gardens - With kids: Fine with kids - Garden entry: ≈ 50 EGP per person; no official foreigner rate published - Haramlik palace interior: Closed to regular visitors — exterior only - Hours: Daily from 8:00; closes from 18:00, on holidays and in summer as late as 23:00 - Closed: Open every day - Beaches: Separate fee; crowded in summer - Payment: Bring Egyptian pounds in cash; card payment at the gate not confirmed - Location: Eastern end of the Corniche, ≈ 15 km from Saad Zaghloul Square - Getting there: Taxi, Uber or Corniche minibus; the Raml tram and Abu Qir train are not running - Coordinates: 31.28860, 30.01590 - Facts checked: 03.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1892** — Khedive Abbas II built the Salamlik hunting lodge — today a hotel (source: English Wikipedia; Wikivoyage; Studio Matrx) - **c. 1932** — King Fuad I built the main Haramlik palace (some sources say 1927) (source: English Wikipedia; Studio Matrx; Dina El-Mahdy) - **150+ ha** — gardens of about 370 feddans running down to the sea (source: Youm7; Wikidata Q1350295; Dina El-Mahdy) - **Ottoman meets Florence** — the Haramlik's style, with a tall Italian Renaissance-style tower (source: English Wikipedia; CSA Living) - **1936** — King Farouk's tea pavilion, designed by Mustafa Fahmy (source: Egypt Independent; Dina El-Mahdy) - **Italian Gothic** — style of the Farouk-era bridge across the bay to a small island (source: Studio Matrx; Dina El-Mahdy) - **Abbas II** — the khedive who first turned this headland into a royal retreat (source: English Wikipedia; CSA Living) - **Public since 1952** — the closed royal park was opened to the public after the revolution (source: CSA Living; Dina El-Mahdy) - **Sadat's chalet** — the president's small cliff-top house still stands by the sea (source: CSA Living; Dina El-Mahdy) - **State-owned** — the Haramlik still serves the Egyptian presidency for official use (source: English Wikipedia; Dina El-Mahdy) ## Montaza Gardens entry fee and opening hours Expect to pay **about 50 EGP per person** at the gate — the figure Egyptian press gives for the gardens. There is no official price list for foreign visitors: neither the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities nor the park publishes one, and travel guides quote anything from 25 to 100 EGP. You buy the ticket at the gate; there is no online sale. The gardens open **daily at 8:00** with no weekly closing day. Closing time varies — early evening on ordinary days, as late as 23:00 on public holidays and summer nights. The beaches inside charge their own fee. Bring **Egyptian pounds in cash**, ideally small notes. Foreign cards work in hotels and bigger shops in Egypt, but card payment at the garden gate is not confirmed. Ride-hailing apps can take your card in the app. > **You can't go inside the palace** The Haramlik is state property used for official functions, so its rooms are closed to visitors, and parts of the façade are sometimes under scaffolding. Come for the gardens, the sea and the view of the palace. For royal interiors, stop at the [Royal Jewelry Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/royal-jewelry-museum) on the way. ## What is Montaza Palace? Montaza is a royal estate on a headland at the eastern end of Alexandria's seafront: two palaces in more than 150 hectares of gardens that slope down to sandy bays. The landmark is the **Haramlik**, with long sea-facing arcades and a tall Florentine tower you can spot from almost anywhere in the grounds. **Khedive Abbas II** came first, building the Salamlik hunting lodge in 1892. **King Fuad I** added the much larger Haramlik as the family's summer palace, and his son Farouk added the bridge across the bay and a tea pavilion on the point. After the 1952 revolution the estate was nationalised and the gardens opened to the public. Today the Salamlik is a hotel, the Haramlik is used by the state, and the gardens are Alexandria's favourite park. Think of it as a long seaside walk with a palace in the frame rather than a museum visit. ## How to get to Montaza Palace 1. Start at Saad Zaghloul Square by Raml Station. Montaza is at the far eastern end of the Corniche (El-Geish Road) — about 15 km as the crow flies, roughly 18 km by road. 2. Forget the trams and trains: the Raml tram is closed for reconstruction until around the end of 2027, and the Abu Qir suburban line from Misr Station stopped running in 2024 while it is rebuilt as a metro. 3. Easiest is a taxi, Uber or Careem along the Corniche — 30–40 minutes, longer on summer evenings. Careem needs an Egyptian phone number. Street taxis have no meter, so agree the fare before you get in. 4. Cheapest is a white minibus heading east on the Corniche: wave one down on the sea side and say "Montaza". Pay the driver in cash; it helps to have the name written in Arabic (المنتزه). 5. Break the trip at the Royal Jewelry Museum in Zizinia (from 9:00, last entry 16:00) — Montaza is another 15–20 minutes by taxi from there. 6. Ask to be dropped at the garden gates (Hadayek el-Montaza), buy your ticket and follow the main avenue towards the sea — the palace and the bridge are deep in the grounds by the bay. ## Is Montaza Palace worth visiting? Yes, if you have two or more days in Alexandria or need a break from the noisy centre. It is the city's largest green space, with sea views and a fairy-tale palace as the backdrop, and on weekday mornings it is close to empty. Skip it on a one-day visit. The round trip eats up an hour and a half and you can't go inside the palace anyway. With one day, stick to the centre: [Qaitbay Citadel](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/qaitbay-citadel), the [Bibliotheca Alexandrina](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/bibliotheca-alexandrina) and the [Kom el-Shoqafa catacombs](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/kom-el-shoqafa) are much closer together. ## What to see in the Montaza Gardens - **The Haramlik** — sea-facing arcades on every floor and a tower dressed in Italian Renaissance detail. The best views are from the avenues in front and from the edge of the bay. - **The bridge to the island** — a curving Italian Gothic bridge built under King Farouk across the bay to a tiny island. - **The tea pavilion** — a single-storey 1930s pavilion in its own garden on the point; ask at the gate whether it is open. - **The Salamlik** — the older 1892 lodge, now a hotel; park visitors see it from outside. - **Avenues and groves** — palms, pines and flower beds; quiet even at midday on weekdays. - **Bays and beaches** — sandy coves along the gardens, for swimming in summer with a separate ticket. - **Sadat's chalet** — the late president's small cliff-top house right above the sea. ## Montaza, the Royal Jewelry Museum or Qaitbay Citadel? | | Montaza | Royal Jewelry Museum | Qaitbay Citadel | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What you see | Palace exterior, gardens, sea | Palace interiors and royal treasures | 15th-century fort on the sea | | Foreign adult | ≈ 50 EGP (unofficial) | 220 EGP | 200 EGP | | Hours | From 8:00 until evening | 9:00, last entry 16:00 | From 9:00, last entry 17:00–19:00 by season | | From Saad Zaghloul Square | ≈ 15 km, 30–40 min by taxi | On the way to Montaza | ≈ 2 km | | Time on site | 1.5 h | 1–1.5 h | 1 h | Museum and citadel prices and hours are official, from Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. With half a day out east, pair Montaza with the jewellery museum — they are in the same direction. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Cash in small Egyptian pound notes - [ ] Water and a hat — few cafés in the gardens - [ ] Swimwear if it's summer - [ ] Comfortable shoes — the grounds are big - [ ] A ride back arranged or the Uber app ready - [ ] Jewelry museum before 16:00 if you're stopping > **Where to take the photo** Shoot the palace from the bay: the Haramlik tower rises above the palms with the water and the bridge in front. In the afternoon the sun moves west and lights the garden side of the façade. ## Alexandria's palaces, compared Palaces and royal residences in Alexandria rated by YesGo. - [Royal Jewelry Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/royal-jewelry-museum) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · 220 EGP, students 110 - [Montaza Palace and Gardens](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/montaza-palace) — YesGo score 22/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ 50 EGP, gardens ## Eastern Alexandria in half a day The library on the seafront in the morning, royal jewels at midday, then Montaza's gardens and the sea. 1. [Bibliotheca Alexandrina](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/bibliotheca-alexandrina) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 150 EGP, 300 EGP with museums 2. [Royal Jewelry Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/royal-jewelry-museum) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · 220 EGP, students 110 3. [Montaza Palace and Gardens](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/montaza-palace) — YesGo score 22/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ 50 EGP, gardens ## Good to know Helnan Palestine and Rixos Montaza are hotels in or next to the gardens, and the Salamlik is a hotel too — booked separately, not a museum. "Montaza" also names Alexandria's whole eastern district and the beaches along the gardens. ## Tips - Come on a weekday morning: the gardens are quiet and cool, while summer evenings and public holidays bring huge crowds. - Bring water and a snack — cafés inside are few and beach prices are higher than in town. - Never get into a street taxi without agreeing the fare first; there are no meters in Alexandria, so Uber is simpler. - If interiors are what you want, visit the Royal Jewelry Museum first — it closes long before the gardens. - Ride back along the whole [Corniche](https://yesgo.io/egypt/alexandria/alexandria-corniche) for a free tour of the seafront. ## Questions ### How much is the entry fee to Montaza Gardens? About 50 EGP per person according to Egyptian press. There is no official rate for foreigners, and guides quote 25–100 EGP. Pay in cash at the gate. ### Can you go inside Montaza Palace? No. The Haramlik palace is closed to regular visitors and used for official state functions. You walk the gardens and see the palace from outside. ### What are the Montaza Palace opening hours? The gardens open daily at 8:00 and close in the evening — as late as 23:00 on holidays and in summer. There is no weekly closing day. ### How do I get to Montaza Palace from downtown Alexandria? Take a taxi, Uber or Careem along the Corniche — 30–40 minutes — or a minibus heading east. The Raml tram is closed for works and the Abu Qir train is not running. ### How far is Montaza from the city centre? About 15 km in a straight line from Saad Zaghloul Square, roughly 18 km by road along the Corniche. ### Is Montaza Palace worth visiting? Worth it if you have two days or want a green, seaside break. On a single day in Alexandria, the citadel, library and catacombs in the centre are a better use of time. ### Can you swim at Montaza? Yes, there are beaches along the gardens, but they charge a separate fee. Swimming season is summer, when they get crowded. ### How long do you need at Montaza? About 90 minutes to walk to the palace, the bridge and the bays; half a day with the beach. Add an hour for the round trip. ### Is Montaza good for kids? Yes — it is a park with lawns, avenues and beaches. Distances are long, so bring water and hats. ## How we checked Neither the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities nor the park publishes an official price or hours for Montaza Gardens, so both are marked unofficial. The 50 EGP per person and 8:00–23:00 come from Egyptian press holiday listings; Wikivoyage still says 25 EGP, and guides range from 25 to 100 EGP. Most sources agree the palace interior is closed, but there is no official statement. The garden area differs between sources (Wikipedia 300 acres, Wikivoyage 80 ha open to the public, Egyptian press 370 feddans); we say over 150 ha from the feddan figure. The Haramlik is dated 1932 or 1927, and sources name different architects for the Salamlik, so we leave the architect out. Museum and citadel figures are official. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Montaza Palace; Wikidata Q1350295 - Youm7: Alexandria park prices and hours during the holidays - Wikivoyage: Alexandria — Montaza, Corniche transport, Uber and Careem - Studio Matrx: Montazah Palace Gardens, Alexandria — architecture guide - CSA Living: Al Montaza — the story of two Alexandria palaces and their surrounding gardens - Dina El-Mahdy: Recapturing Al-Montazah's splendour - Egypt Independent: Montazah tea pavilion opens to the public - Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (egymonuments.com): Royal Jewelry Museum, Qaitbay Citadel - Global Mass Transit, Reuters — Raml tramway closure for reconstruction - Akhbar El-Yom, Masrawy — Abu Qir railway suspension and metro conversion --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.