Egypt by the sea: Marsa Matruh, Alexandria and Sinai

Three weeks from Cairo to Siwa, then Alexandria and Sinai

In April 2024, we spent three weeks in Egypt, discovering Cairo, the hidden oasis of Siwa, fabulous Alexandria, and Sinai. We built this trip independently, designed to get off the beaten track, and I’ll tell you about it in three articles:

• Explore Cairo in five days, and take your time!
• En route to the little-known Siwa oasis in the Libyan desert
• Egypt by the sea: Marsa Matruh, Alexandria and Sinai (this article)

I’ve also written another article with a few keys to independent travel in Egypt so that you can make the most of this extraordinary country.

In this article, the last part of our Egyptian trip, we start by discovering the Mediterranean coast, followed by Alexandria. Then we fly to Sinai, where we stay for a week in Dahab. We continue to Saint Catherine before concluding our trip in Ismailia on the banks of the Suez Canal.

Discovering Egypt’s Mediterranean coast

After leaving the Siwa oasis, we decide to make a midway stop at Marsa Matruh. Don’t look for this town in the catalogs of European tour operators because although it’s a major tourist destination, it’s only known to Egyptians. It lies along the Mediterranean coast 300 km west of Alexandria.

Marsa Matruh: Cairo’s seaside resort

Marsa Matruh is one of Egypt’s largest seaside resorts, but it’s mainly Cairenes who go there in summer to escape the stifling heat of Cairo.

The city stretches around a pretty bay, but the architecture is very haphazard and lacking in harmony. The atmosphere is pleasant, however, and the main reason to visit is to observe Egyptians on vacation.

Beautiful beaches of fine white sand line the seashore, with turquoise water more reminiscent of the tropics than the Mediterranean. We’re in April, at the very start of the summer season, and no crowds are on the sand. The women, even the young ones, are well covered, while the men are free from strict religious rules.

As throughout the Middle East, the city comes alive in the evening around the corniche and shopping streets. But it’s like being in Italy, with “la passeggiata,” where everyone strolls around to see, be seen, relax, and chat.

We dine in an excellent and popular fish restaurant. The menu is in Egyptian only, but a waiter takes the time to explain it to us.

Marsa Matruh could be a charming town if it weren’t so dirty. We walk on a veritable bed of plastic garbage at specific points along the corniche!

More generally, we were pretty shocked to see litter and plastic everywhere in Egypt, including some of the country’s most beautiful natural sites, such as on the way to Mount Sinai. Education is still needed to make both Egyptians and tourists aware of the importance of preserving the environment so that the image of dirtiness often associated with the country can gradually be erased.

From Marsa Matrouh to Alexandria by car: urban surprises!

The next day, a driver is waiting to take us to Alexandria. As soon as we leave the city, we’re on a dual six-lane freeway, and on either side, we’re also on a national highway! It’s absolutely deserted.

Shortly after our departure, we came across a nuclear power plant under construction: El-Dabaa. This old project began in the 1980s and was abandoned and relaunched thanks to cooperation with the Russians. It should be operational in 2030 and will cover 10% of Egypt’s electricity needs.

Halfway along the road, we pass New Alamein City, which is quite simply a new town.

Then, along the coast, there’s a string of resorts more or less under construction. We almost feel like we’re in Dubai!

I had no idea I’d see so many pharaonic projects on such a little-known coast. An old French tourist guidebook from the 80s told me the coast was deserted, lined with magnificent white sandy beaches and turquoise seas. That’s all changed now, and I’m asking myself many questions, some of which I’ll be able to answer later by researching the Internet. It appears that the enormous funds come mainly from the Saudis and Emiratis.

The objectives are unclear.

• Developing a new tourist region? This seems overdone, as its appeal is limited to wealthy Cairenes or Middle Easterners and only during summer.
• Creating a new city to relieve congestion in Cairo and the Delta? A little too far from the country’s economic centers.
• As for the “North Coast Road,” worthy of a Californian freeway, but without the traffic, is it there to encourage trade with Libya? Unlikely! Or does it also have a hidden military objective?

All of this sounds like a lot of hot air to me when my visit to Cairo demonstrated the absolute urgency of investing to keep the megalopolis afloat.

After a three-hour drive, we arrive in Alexandria.

Alexandria: a Mediterranean or Arab city?

We were due to stay in Alexandria for three days, but on arrival, we learned that Air Cairo, the airline we’d booked for the rest of our trip, had canceled one of its three weekly flights. As a result, our stay is cut short, leaving us with just one day and two evenings to explore the city. We’re adapting!

Don’t come with preconceived notions, as the famous lighthouse no longer exists.!

Alexandria is one of those cities that evoke a powerful imagination. Its lighthouse was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and its library was universally renowned. I knew these iconic monuments had disappeared, but the photos of the arched bay I had seen before leaving were spectacular. I unconsciously associated it with the lost heritage that Asterix was lucky enough to see on his way to Cleopatra!

Contemporary Alexandria no longer has the prestige of its glorious past when it was the ancient world’s cultural, artistic, and scientific center. Even in the early 20th century, the city was one of the most attractive in the Mediterranean basin, alongside Beirut, with its many palaces attracting the world’s elite.

Therefore, one must detach from this image to appreciate it for its current face, which is both somewhat Mediterranean and increasingly Egyptian, as the city is dynamic and charming.

The Windsor Palace Hotel with its old-world charm

We descend to the Windsor Palace Hotel. Today, it’s no longer the city’s most luxurious palace, but as soon as we enter the lobby, we feel its historic atmosphere. It’s not hard to imagine that we’ve just disembarked from our ocean liner from Marseille! We reach our room via a superb elevator, still in its original state.

We are amazed by the high ceilings in our room. In the days before air conditioning, this allowed warm air to escape, keeping the floor relatively cool.

We then head up to the panoramic restaurant for a drink on its terrace overlooking the famous Bay of Alexandria. It is arched and has retained the shape of the ancient port.

It’s already the end of the day, and like the Alexandrians, we head down to the corniche to admire the sunset.

By night Alexandria is even more seductive

After dark, we visit Ahmed Oraby Square and Al-Tahrir Square. The two rectangular squares are contiguous and form a T-shape, with beautiful palm-lined avenues at their center. Several colonial-era buildings surround them, lending a certain majesty to the whole. Night-time lighting enhances the architecture, which has seen better days. The liveliness of the sidewalks is simply incredible, with many stalls, boutiques, and cafés.

On our way back to Windsor Palace, on Ahmed Oraby Square facing the sea, we pass the imposing war memorial to all Egyptian soldiers who died for their country. Next to it stands the French Consulate, which seems disproportionate to its current function. It recalls a time when French influence was strong in Egypt.

Later that evening, we decide to dine at ” White and Blue “, the yacht club’s excellent Greek restaurant. Facing the beach and the boats, we feel like we’re on a small island in the Cyclades! It’s located at the end of the bay, in place of the old lighthouse.

Stroll along the corniche of Alexandria Bay

Alexandria is Egypt’s second-largest metropolis, but its historic center is easily explored on foot without a specific itinerary.

From the hotel, we head west along the corniche. We have to ignore the incessant road traffic to enjoy the stroll. Some of the Art Deco-style buildings still look their best.

We notice the Abou el Abbas el Morsi mosque, with its 73 m-high minaret—a Mecca of Sufism.

We pass a private beach, but the dirtiness of the beach and water don’t make us want to stop there. Next, we discover a charming fishing port with pretty wooden boats.

We arrive at the fish market before moving on to Fort Qaitbay, built from the stones of Alexandria’s famous lighthouse.

In the heart of the Anfoushi district and its market

After seeing the Ras at Tin Beach, particularly interesting for its shipbuilding, we enter the heart of the Anfoushi district through narrow streets topped by very tall, often dilapidated buildings. This is the old Ottoman quarter. The atmosphere here is village-like and tranquil, contrasting with the oppressive architecture.

We reach the vast, bustling market that stretches through many streets to Al-Tharir Square.

We have lunch at La Taverna, a popular restaurant near the Ramleh streetcar station. We then spend some time watching the fascinating ballet of wobbly streetcars, some of them even double-decker!

Alexandria’s new library

We visit the Great Library of Alexandria. In the ancient world, the ancient library was the largest and most prestigious in the world, with a collection of up to 900,000 scrolls. Unfortunately, it burned down in 48 BC. The architecture of the new building, which was inaugurated in 2002, is highly successful. On the outside, it takes the form of a solar disk rising from the sea to the sky, symbolizing the library’s past roots and openness to the future.

Due to the cancellation of the Air Cairo flight, which took a day off our stay in Alexandria, we cannot visit the interior. Today is Saturday, and the library closes at 2pm.

The Greco-Roman Museum: a nugget of light

We decide to visit the Greco-Roman Museum, which has been completely restored and is an unexpected gem. The collections are superbly presented. We’ve fallen in love with the Tanagra statuettes, named after the Greek city where they were discovered. These miniature terracotta funerary figurines dating from the 4th to 3rd centuries BC are impressive for their realism.

A map shows ancient Alexandria’s appearance on a strip of land between the sea and a lagoon.

Alexandria: leaving you wanting more

We end our stroll with a drink on the terrace of the Métropole, another of Alexandria’s former palaces.

We could only fly over Alexandria in one day and two evenings, but it made us want to return and discover it even more. Although its roots are very Mediterranean, today’s city seems to have forgotten this and has become more focused on the Arab world.

Flight to Sinai

To round off our tour of Egypt, we decided to head for Sinai to discover the world-famous Red Sea seabed, Mount Sinai, and the monastery of Saint Catherine.

We generally prefer overland transport, allowing us to see more of the landscape, but the 12-hour overnight bus journey was daunting. So we decided to fly.

Panoramic view of the Nile Delta with Air Cairo…

We arrive at Borg El Arab Airport, 40 km west of Alexandria. This airport, mainly dedicated to Egyptian and Middle Eastern destinations, bears witness to the city’s appeal and the Mediterranean coast being mainly unknown to European tourists.

At least aboard an ATR 72, a propeller-driven aircraft as it used to be, the charm of our trip is not totally broken, despite the inevitable airport security filters.

Take-off offers us a magnificent view of Alexandria to our left. As we look out over the city, which stretches as far as the eye can see beyond its historic center, we realize the full extent of the demographic pressure. It’s fascinating to think that in 1981, when I first visited Egypt, Alexandria had just 2.5 million inhabitants, compared with 5.5 million today. The comparison with the map of ancient Alexandria we saw the day before is even more incredible.

We then fly over the Nile Delta, whose many branches stand out clearly. But the reality is striking: Egypt’s breadbasket, with its agricultural land, is gradually being swallowed up by uncontrollable urbanization.

… and the Sinai mountains before landing

The desert gradually gives way to the Red Sea, and the Suez Canal, like a blue line through the earth’s yellow, can be seen in the distance. This flight is a real geography lesson. As we approach the mountains of southern Sinai, the scenery becomes even more impressive, especially as we fly at low altitude.

Finally, just before landing in Sharm el Sheikh, we catch a glimpse of the vast hotel complexes springing up around this seaside resort.

Dahab, the city of hippie charm

We were a little reluctant to stay on the Red Sea due to its massive development over the last twenty years. The coast is now a veritable paradise, or hell, of all-inclusive resorts, fed by hordes of low-cost flights from Europe and Russia.

As we land, an Aeroflot Boeing 777 catches our eye, a surprising sight given that these aircraft have been absent from Western skies since the war in Ukraine.

Avoid Sharm el Sheik and its endless resorts!

We rule out a stay in Sharm el Sheikh, known for its low-cost mass tourism and the many resorts that have proliferated in recent years. The view from the sky is distressing.

We take a cab from the airport to Dahab, 90 km to the north.

A small pension like in the Cyclades

Dahab has retained an alternative lifestyle, a legacy of its hippie past in the 70s and 80s. Hotels here are small, not very luxurious, and are located in the south of the city, slightly out of the way. You’ll find nothing but guesthouses and backpacker hotels in the rest of the town.

We chose to stay at SkyRock, an intimate guesthouse with just a few rooms and architecture reminiscent of the Greek islands: white buildings with blue windows. The beach is across the road, to get there, we just have to cross a dirt path mainly used by pedestrians and the occasional car.

Mask and snorkel to see the fabulous underwater world

We spend a week in Dahab, where our main activity is snorkeling along the coral reefs.

To our great satisfaction, the reefs are well preserved, and the marine life is abundant. We explore several snorkeling sites accessible by foot, bike, or cab. Although it’s late April, the water remains relatively cool, between 21 and 23°C; in the mornings, especially on windy days, we enjoy swimming with a thin wetsuit. (Illustrative photo by an unknown author)

The Blue Hole is the most famous snorkeling site. Its popularity often attracts groups of inexperienced swimmers equipped with buoys who swim in clusters for fear of getting lost. Nevertheless, it’s a world-renowned attraction for divers keen to explore an underwater chasm with a tunnel 56 meters below the surface. The many commemorative plaques of lost divers testify to its danger.

Even in Dahab, the dangers of over-tourism are not far away

At first glance, you can’t say there are too many tourists in Dahab. However, we realized that this is already the case in some places.

Laguna Beach is a pretty beach popular with Egyptian tourists to the south of the town. Right next to it is the Napoleon diving spot, which is very popular and often invaded by guided boat excursions, as seen in the photo below. Unfortunately, it has damaged the reefs due to the many apprentice snorkellers who have stepped on or accidentally touched the corals.

This is where we become acutely aware of nature’s fragility. Over-tourism occurs when a place receives more visitors than it can absorb, which means that a mere influx of a few hundred people can be enough to cause damage.

A cool and pleasant city

We like that Dahab is not a ghetto for wealthy Western tourists. Visitors come from all walks of life; many are Egyptians, who seem to belong to educated, liberal classes.

Dahab comes alive in the evening with its shopping streets, particularly around a vast, pleasant pedestrian area.

The restaurants we visit are good-quality and inexpensive, offering a wide variety, especially around fishing. We appreciate not being harassed, as we would be in Luxor, and being able to choose at our own pace.

Mount Sinai and St Catherine’s Monastery

After a week in Dahab, we continue our journey to a mythical place: Mount Sinai and the monastery of Saint Catherine. Leaving one morning, it takes us an hour and a half to get there by private car.

Don’t be like everyone elseto climb Mount Sinai!

Tourists’ habits can sometimes be deplorable, as they mindlessly follow the injunctions of social networks or tour operators.

Social networks swoon over the sunrise over Mount Sinai, a “must-see.” Many bloggers, copying each other, encourage you to climb to the summit at night. The result: hikers make the ascent in the dark, unable to appreciate the exceptional scenery, only to find dozens of them taking selfies against the light, which they then post on Instagram!

On the other hand, all agencies organize day trips from Sharm-el-Sheik to St. Catherine’s Monastery. The escapade involves a five-hour round-trip bus journey, barely taking an hour to visit a place largely closed to tourists! During our visit to the monastery, this led to the bitterness of a disappointed American, who, to our amused looks, exclaimed to his wife: ‘Never again!’

For our part, we choose to do things differently: we’ll be watching the sunset instead of the sunrise on Mount Sinai! And wishing to take our time, we opt for a night in the village of Saint Catherine, at the Sheikh Mousa Bedouin Camp.

We arrive from Dahab just in time to enjoy a lunch provided by our host, Mohammed, a Bedouin from the Jabaleya tribe, who welcomes us with the tea of hospitality.

He tells us that his tribe is descended from Macedonians and was sent in the 6th century by the Byzantine emperor Justinian to protect the monastery.

The village of Saint Catherine is very austere. We prefer to stay in camp for a nap before the ascent of Mount Sinai. A car then takes us to the monastery, 5 km from the camp.

Climbing Mount Sinai at sunset!

We begin our ascent of Mount Sinai, which starts at the foot of the monastery at around 3 pm. The hike is very accessible, but a guide is compulsory. We’re the only tourists at this time of day, and climbing in daylight allows us to enjoy the spectacular rocky landscape surrounding the monastery.

We take the Siket El-Basha trail, which winds gently up to the last section, where 750 steps are carved out of the rock. The views are magnificent, and occasionally, we come across improvised refreshment stands.

It takes us around two hours to climb the 715 m ascent, and to be honest, we don’t find the hike challenging.

Rising to 2,285 meters, a mosque and a chapel were built on Mount Sinai in remembrance of the place where Moses is believed to have received the Ten Commandments from God. Upon reaching the summit, a small group of American pilgrims finishes a collective prayer before departing, allowing us to enjoy the tranquility of the place.

We then descend, lit by the soft glow of sunset, and arrive at the monastery at dusk.

Saint Catherine’s Monastery

The next day, our host advised us to wait until late morning to visit the monastery once the hordes of tourists had left for Sharm-el-Sheikh. Thanks to this wise advice, we almost discover it on our own. That said, it’s the site of the monastery that’s worth exploring, as access is limited to the entrance to the basilica and the famous burning bush!

The end of the trip to Ismailia and the Suez Canal

After we visited the monastery, we drive again toward Ismailia, the final stop on our Egyptian journey before returning to France. Like the drive to Marsa Matruh, this road is perfectly maintained yet wholly deserted!

Leaving the mountains of South Sinai, we follow the Red Sea for a long time. This austere and unwelcoming coastline presents a raw, mineral landscape.

A canal under close surveillance

After a four-hour drive, we leave Sinai to cross the Suez Canal through a highly secure tunnel. Our papers are checked, and the car is searched from top to bottom. In all our travels worldwide, we have rarely been subjected to as many police checks as in Egypt.

Ismailia: the city of Ferdinand de Lesseps

Ismailia, located on the shores of Lake Timsah, is linked to the famous Suez Canal, which is of major strategic importance for world maritime trade. Our hotel, the Accor Mercure, stands on a beach overlooking the lake. In the distance, we can see some of the 50 ships plying this vital route daily.

Ferdinand de Lesseps founded Ismailia to house the company’s offices. At the end of the 19th century, the company was responsible for building and managing the canal. The town has preserved several elegant buildings from this period.

However, as in many Egyptian cities, the enormous demographic pressure has left it haphazard, with a succession of buildings that lack apparent harmony. It takes a real effort of imagination to glimpse the beauty it once possessed.

Ismailia thus marks the final stop of our Egyptian adventure before our return to France.”

It’s time to reflect on our journey

Our trip was a success: by taking the time to stay a little longer than the usual length of tourist stays, we could really grasp the Egypt of today.

We felt Egypt’s enormous overcrowding.

When I first visited Egypt in 1981, the country had a population of 43 million. By 2023, this figure had exploded to 113 million! Every year, 1.5 million new inhabitants are welcomed.

Another striking statistic is that the population is concentrated mainly along the Nile and in the Delta, where 95% of Egyptians live, on just 5% of the territory.

Our trip allowed us to grasp this reality. Cairo and Alexandria are suffocating, and uprisings similar to those in 2011 could happen again if the Egyptian economy suffers further crises. We felt the strain on many urban infrastructures, particularly in Cairo and Alexandria.

Although quieter and more remote, Siwa and Dahab are located in highly fragile regions, it wouldn’t take much – such as poor management of water resources or high levels of in-migration – for these places to become difficult to live in.

The influence of foreign powers is also a concern. We were astonished by the enormous investments made by the Emirates and Saudi Arabia on the Mediterranean coast, especially in comparison with the abandonment of certain areas of Cairo.

Finally, the consequences of the tragic events in Gaza, on the Egyptian border, could spread rapidly in a country where religion plays a central role.

We were seduced by its endearing people

Egypt is an endearing country. The Egyptians, aware they are heirs to a thousand-year-old civilization, have always welcomed us with a pronounced sense of hospitality. Our frequent absence from the major tourist sites enabled us to forge a more natural relationship with them.

Thanks to our friends Pascale and Sergio, we established more in-depth contacts with several Siwis in Siwa.

What sets Egypt apart is the youthfulness of its population, a real asset for the country. In the chaos of the cities, we perceived a joie de vivre and dynamism that are inspiring for the future.

We liked the pace and balance of our trip

Our trip gave us a comprehensive view of modern-day Egypt, not least thanks to its three-week duration, which enabled us to explore it in greater depth than the usual tourist trips.

The locations chosen were varied enough to reveal different facets of the country.

We also enjoyed many moments of relaxation throughout our stay, making the trip enjoyable without seeming too long or hectic.