Marsa Matruh

Matruh sits on a wide lagoon closed off from the open sea by a natural ridge of rock, and the effect is a bay of shallow, still, startlingly clear water in shades from white-green to deep blue, which is why the town has been a Egyptian summer destination for generations rather than a foreign one. The best-known beaches lie west of town: Agiba below its cliff, Cleopatra's Bath in the rocks, and the long sweep of Rommel Beach where the German commander is said to have swum, with a small museum in a cave he used as a headquarters. In antiquity the harbour served Alexander's route to the oracle at Siwa. The town itself is functional rather than pretty and empties almost completely in winter.

What you actually see

• The sheltered lagoon - clear shallow water behind a natural rock barrier.
• Rommel Beach and cave museum - the wartime headquarters cut into rock.
• Cliff-backed beaches west of town - Agiba and its neighbours.
• The old harbour - the anchorage on the route toward Siwa.

When to go

May to October. July and August are full of Egyptian families and prices double; June and September are the sweet spot. Two to three days to reach the western beaches properly. Winter is out of season and most places close.

Honest expectations

The town is plain and heavily built up with unfinished concrete. In peak season the central beaches are crowded and noisy. Alcohol is largely unavailable and the atmosphere is conservative; women should expect to swim covered on public beaches. Winter closure is near-total.

Nearby

Agiba and Cleopatra's Bath are west along the coast; Siwa is a long drive inland.