Marsa Matruh

An Egyptian summer resort

Marsa Matruh has been the summer beach of Egyptian holidaymakers for generations: the town appears in Egyptian films of the 1950s and 1960s, and it has kept a quiet, somewhat old-world character. The town lives to the rhythm of summer.

That decides when to go. In summer, most shops, restaurants and water sports are open, and the sea air makes the town cooler than the rest of Egypt. It is also the busiest period. April, May, October and November are quieter, with pleasant weather; some businesses are then closed.

The 1991-2020 normals of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for Marsa Matruh give the measure:

• In July and August, an average maximum of 30 °C and nights around 22 °C: the best season for swimming.
• In May, June, September and October, 26 to 30 °C.
• From December to February, 18 to 20 °C average maximum, cool nights around 10 °C and most of the year's rain, 35 mm in January: beach season is over.

The beaches

Marsa Matruh's bays owe everything to the colour of the water, turquoise over white sand.

• Cleopatra's Beach, with clear water and rocks rising from the sea, suits families thanks to its shallows. Here you can see "Cleopatra's Bath", a rock-cut pool that local legend links to the queen.
• Al-Maya al-Baida is reached by hired boat: you swim in shallow, clear water that the deeper water around makes look luminous.
• Agiba Beach, whose name means roughly "the miraculous" in Arabic, is a cove between cliffs, reached by steep steps. It suits swimming and snorkelling; facilities are scarce, so bring water and snacks.
• Almaza Bay, about 37 km east, is a more recent resort area with private beaches and water sports.

Sailing, kitesurfing, jet-skiing and parasailing are on offer. A desert outing with a licensed agency is the way to taste zarda, a Bedouin meal of lamb or chicken cooked in a pit dug in the sand.

A town of military history

In antiquity, Marsa Matruh was called Paraetonium. A port near the Libyan border, it has always had strategic value, and it was an important military base during the Second World War, heavily bombed during the North African campaign. The Rommel Museum is set in the coastal cave that served as headquarters for the German general Erwin Rommel; it displays maps, uniforms and equipment from the campaign. An early Coptic chapel, recently discovered near the shore, is linked to caves bearing Coptic inscriptions.

The cemeteries and museum of El Alamein, to the east on the road to Alexandria, complete the story.

Getting there, and on to Siwa

• By road from Alexandria: about 290 km, 2.5 to 3 hours; from Cairo, about 6 hours. West Delta buses link the town with Alexandria and Cairo.
• By air: Marsa Matruh International Airport (MUH) receives domestic flights and, in summer, direct flights from Cairo and charter flights from Europe.

Between Alexandria and Marsa Matruh, the coast is being developed: the Ras El-Hekma headland is the subject of a development deal signed on 23 February 2024 with a consortium led by ADQ, an Abu Dhabi investment fund, worth 35 billion dollars.

Marsa Matruh is also the starting point of the road to Siwa Oasis, about 300 km to the south-west. Official advice differs from country to country, for the coast, the Siwa road, the desert south and west of the town and the Libyan border alike: your ministry's appears in the "Travel advice" table on this page. Sabaro advises driving in daylight, with a driver, and checking your own country's advice before setting off.