Beach · Matrouh
Marsa Matruh
A Mediterranean resort town on Egypt's north-west coast: a calm bay of white sand and clear water, and the gateway to the desert road to Siwa Oasis.
The story
Marsa Matruh began as a small port on the western coast and was known in Ptolemaic and Roman times as Paraetonium, a stop on the trade route between the Nile Valley and Cyrenaica. Tradition holds that Alexander the Great passed through the area on his way to the Temple of Amun at Siwa. In the Second World War it became an important military base and was the focus of battles between Allied and Axis forces; visitors today can see the Rommel Cave Museum, which tells that story. The capital of Matrouh Governorate now sits on a bay whose natural rock barriers calm the water, making it one of Egypt's favourite summer beach towns. Roads lead east to Alexandria and south to Siwa.
Good to know
- In antiquity the town was called Paraetonium and served as a port for shipping Egyptian grain to Rome.
- A natural barrier of rocks shelters the bay, keeping the water calm and clear above soft white sand.
- Favourite spots include Cleopatra's Bath, Agiba Beach with its cliffs and caves, and Rommel Beach.
- The Rommel Cave Museum occupies a rock cave used as a headquarters in the Second World War, with maps and items from that period.
Visiting tips
Summer is the beach season, and the town is quieter the rest of the year. The Rommel Cave Museum and Cleopatra's Bath fit easily into one day. Please check museum hours, prices and the weather before visiting, as they can change.