At the eastern end of the city, the Montaza gardens sprawl over hundreds of acres of pine and palm along a rocky, cove-cut shoreline that was once the summer estate of Egypt's royal family. The centrepiece is the Haramlik Palace, a florid blend of Turkish and Florentine styles built by King Fuad in the 1930s, with a tall clock tower modelled loosely on Florence's Palazzo Vecchio; the interior is generally closed, so the grounds are the point. You pay to enter and wander manicured lawns, shady groves, and a much-photographed curved bridge out to a small island, with private-feeling beaches tucked into the coves below. It is a favourite weekend picnic spot for Alexandrian families and a real green escape from the dense city. A couple of hotels sit inside the estate, so you can also come simply for a meal or a beach day with the palace as a backdrop and the Mediterranean in front of you.
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