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Marsa Matrouh and Siwa

Turquoise water on the coast, a mud-brick fortress far inland.

Two places with nothing in common but the road between them. Of Marsa Matrouh the guide keeps only the cove at Agiba, to the west: small, without a tree, reached by a stair cut into the cliff — come first thing in the morning, and not out of season, when the cafés shut and the wind spoils the swimming. Siwa is a Berber-speaking oasis: springs, salt lakes, a palm grove, and the mud fortress of Shali in the middle of town, which you climb on foot, lane by lane. It is reached only by road and the drive runs to hours, so not as a day trip: take cash from Matrouh or Cairo, know that the oasis is conservative — you bathe covered at the springs, and the lake, too salty for it, is not a place to swim — and leave the dunes to a 4x4 with a local at the wheel.

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Pyramids, temples, museums, mosques, Coptic churches

Monuments & sites

  • El Alamein military museum

    The 1942 battle told on the ground, among tanks, maps and cemeteries.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaEl Alamein, north coast

    € BudgetHistoric venue

  • The El Alamein Commonwealth cemetery

    Seven thousand headstones aligned facing the desert, in total silence.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaEl Alamein, north coast

    € BudgetHistoric venue

Feluccas, desert, diving, markets, cruises

Outings & activities

  • Cleopatra's Spring

    A stone pool fed by a spring, lit after dark, on the Aghurmi road out of Siwa.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    € BudgetOpen late

  • Fatnas Island

    A spit of palms in Siwa's salt lake, where people sit down for the sunset.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    € BudgetSunset

  • The Great Sand Sea

    Unmissable

    Dunes as far as the eye can see west of Siwa, up to the Libyan border.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    €€€ High endSunset

  • Bir Wahed

    A hot spring in the middle of the dunes, and a salt lake a few hundred metres away.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    €€ Mid-rangeSunset
  • A paved seafront promenade at dusk, a line of towers in the distance.

    New Alamein

    A seaside city risen from the sand in five years, its towers standing in the Mediterranean.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaEl Alamein, north coast

    €€€ High endSea view

  • El Alamein military museum

    The 1942 battle told on the ground, among tanks, maps and cemeteries.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaEl Alamein, north coast

    € BudgetHistoric venue

Parks, water parks, things to do with children, swimming pools

Family outings

  • The pool at Safir Marsa Matrouh

    A real pool facing the lagoon, with a separate basin for small children — but you get in by taking a room.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaCleopatra Beach, on the El Gharam lagoon

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly

  • The three pools at Address Marassi

    Three pools facing the Mediterranean — behind the gate of a closed compound.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaMarassi, Km 129 Matrouh Road, El Alamein

    €€€ High endFamily-friendly
  • Two stainless-steel handrails at the entrance to a pool, clear water in front.

    The pools at Rixos Premium Alamein

    The only one on this coast to advertise indoor pools: you can still swim when the coast has shut.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaNew Alamein, Km 107 North Coastal Road

    €€€ High endFamily-friendly

Egyptian, street food, fine dining, brunch

Restaurants

  • Brown dates in a wooden bowl and on a wooden spoon, set on a pale plank table.

    Abdu

    Siwa's canteen since the 1980s: tagines, dates and Siwan pizzas.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    € BudgetWhere locals go
  • A platter of butterflied grilled fish with prawns, calamari rings, rice and lemon slices.

    The tables of Sidi Abdel Rahman

    Fish in front of the clearest water on Egypt's Mediterranean.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSidi Abdel Rahman, north coast

    €€€ High endSea view
  • Sailboat masts silhouetted against an orange sky as the sun sets over a marina.

    The tables of Marina

    The north coast's marina and its summer terraces.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaMarina, north coast

    €€€ High endSea view
  • Whole fish laid out on ice

    Marsa Matruh's fish houses

    Western Mediterranean fish, sold by weight along the corniche.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaMarsa Matruh

    €€ Mid-rangeSea view
  • Red kilim benches lined up under an awning

    The tables of Siwa

    Dates, olives, garden vegetables: oasis cooking, largely vegetarian.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    € BudgetWhere locals go

Parks, gardens, beaches, reefs, walks

Nature & downtime

  • Siwa Oasis

    Our favourite

    A desert depression with salt lakes, a palm grove, and a mud-brick fortress in the middle.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    €€ Mid-rangeSunset

  • Ageeba Beach

    A small turquoise cove at the foot of a limestone cliff, west of Marsa Matrouh.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaMarsa Matrouh

    € BudgetSea view

  • The Great Sand Sea

    Unmissable

    Dunes as far as the eye can see west of Siwa, up to the Libyan border.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    €€€ High endSunset

  • Bir Wahed

    A hot spring in the middle of the dunes, and a salt lake a few hundred metres away.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    €€ Mid-rangeSunset
  • A lodge and its palm grove, ringed by the dune.

    Siwa's lodges

    Sleeping in karshif — salt and clay — by candlelight, without electricity.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    €€€ High endBooking advised

  • The pool at Safir Marsa Matrouh

    A real pool facing the lagoon, with a separate basin for small children — but you get in by taking a room.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaCleopatra Beach, on the El Gharam lagoon

    €€ Mid-rangeFamily-friendly

  • The three pools at Address Marassi

    Three pools facing the Mediterranean — behind the gate of a closed compound.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaMarassi, Km 129 Matrouh Road, El Alamein

    €€€ High endFamily-friendly
  • Two stainless-steel handrails at the entrance to a pool, clear water in front.

    The pools at Rixos Premium Alamein

    The only one on this coast to advertise indoor pools: you can still swim when the coast has shut.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaNew Alamein, Km 107 North Coastal Road

    €€€ High endFamily-friendly

Specialty coffee, historic ahwas, rooftops

Cafés & tea houses

  • The cafés of Siwa square

    Morning tea under the palms, at the foot of the Shali fortress.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    € BudgetWhere locals go
  • A glass of mango and peach juice with mint, on a wooden terrace table.

    The corniche cafés of Marsa Matruh

    A mango juice facing the most turquoise lagoon on the north coast.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaMarsa Matruh

    € BudgetSea view

Souks, fair-trade crafts, concept stores

Shopping

  • Woven rugs with geometric patterns hung above clothes in a craft shop.

    Siwan crafts

    Siwan embroidery, Berber silver, palm baskets and oasis olive oil.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    €€ Mid-rangeHandmade
  • Open sacks of spices and grains on the stall

    Marsa Matruh market

    The coastal town's market: figs, dates, Bedouin wool and beach goods.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaMarsa Matruh

    € BudgetWhere locals go

Recent openings, new concepts, addresses that have just arrived

What's new

  • A paved seafront promenade at dusk, a line of towers in the distance.

    New Alamein

    A seaside city risen from the sand in five years, its towers standing in the Mediterranean.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaEl Alamein, north coast

    €€€ High endSea view
  • A lodge and its palm grove, ringed by the dune.

    Siwa's lodges

    Sleeping in karshif — salt and clay — by candlelight, without electricity.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaSiwa

    €€€ High endBooking advised

Bars, pubs, clubs, lounges — local rules flagged

Nightlife

  • Sailboat masts silhouetted against an orange sky as the sun sets over a marina.

    The tables of Marina

    The north coast's marina and its summer terraces.

    Marsa Matrouh and SiwaMarina, north coast

    €€€ High endSea view