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1 2 3 Contents 4 6 | The White Med 54| Accommodation in 81|Marsa Matrouh Map Alexandria 18| Alexandria 83| General White 24 Hours in Alexandria 56| Rosetta Mediterranean Travel 21| Undersea Alexandria P. 8 Section 58|Alexandria Map 22| Pompey’s Pillar 88| Your Journey 62| The North Coast & El- The Cleopatra Trail 29| Qaitbey Continues in Egypt Alamein P. 11 33| Abu Qir Wrecks 92| Practical Info 64| El-Alamein War Museum 36| Bibliotheca Alexandrina Shop Till You Drop 66| Commonwealth Memorial 41| Alexandria National P. 12 68| German Memorial Museum 71|El-Alamein Map 43| Coptic Cathedral of St. Mark Culture Vulture 74| Marsa Matrouh 44| St. Mena Monastery * P. 14 77| Cleopatra’s Bath 47| Roman Amphitheatre This Brochure’s Section Photos 78| Rommel’s Cave and Museum 48| Montazah Gardens P.2&4 Agiiba Beach, Marsa Matrouh 80| Agiiba Beach P.16 Stanley Bridge, Alexandria 53| List of local tourist p.60 Porto Marina, The North Coast information offices P. 72 Rommel’s Beach, Marsa Matrouh p. 82 Mosaic at Shady Abdel-Salam’s Exhibit at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina WORLD HERITAGE SITE * 5 Alexandria & The White Med your next great experience One of the great hidden secrets of Egypt El-Alamein battlefields to snorkeling the beaches is Alexandria, the main city of the White of Marsa Matrouh this is the place to go. Did You Know? Mediterranean, situated between a strip of Alexandria has its own weather perfect in summer The Mediterranean is called wonderful blue skies and impeccable beaches. with sea breezes, cooler in winter. It has its own in Arabic ‘the White Sea’ as Nearby are the picturesque sea towns of Rosetta people, influenced by the inflows and outflows opposed to the ‘Red Sea’ on the other end of the Suez Canal. and Marsa Matrouh as well as some brand new of all of humanity since the beginning of time. The Red Sea isn’t Red and the resorts such as Porto Marina and Almaza Bay. It is Mediterranean to be sure, but it has its own White Sea isn’t White but the What Alexandria offers most of all is the chance to distinct and rather beautiful character. It is friendly, names have stuck! Hence, of have a defining experience, one that you will take welcoming and full of historical interest. course, the designation ‘White Mediterranean”. away and always remember, a story you will want For those committed to seeing everything in Egypt, to retell to all your friends and family. it is possible to go in three hours by train to Cairo Here there is culture, history, sea and the or to drive there in a similar amount of time. Cairo attractions of a great and influential city. For those is a useful hub to reach other destinations in Egypt. seeking a holiday with huge variety from visiting You can take the sleeper train to Luxor from Cairo the greatest library in the world to exploring the or a coach to the Sinai Peninsula. Alternatively, you ancient Roman Catacombs to visiting the nearby can fly from Alexandria airport to Luxor, Aswan 6 and Sharm al Sheikh via Cairo. Each can be reached in about an hour by air. Road transfers from other North Coast airports to Alexandria and its airport are easy. THE NATURAL ALTERnaTIVE There is little agriculture on a mass scale on the northern coast, and there are no major industrial zones or polluting factories and this is reflected The White Med is known for its in the pristine bird and sea life. pristine water colours 7 Unforgettable experiences will come through your personal journey which could be an intense 24 hour trip, a longer JOurneys visit, or something very simple, something unique you do, see or buy. 24 HOURS IN ALEXANDRIA Start with breakfast outside the Hotel Cecil, overlooking the magnificent double harbour of Alexandria. Ride a double decker bus to the Jewelry Museum and make sure you see the ex-king’s diamond studded gardening tools. Keep going to take in the excellent Mahmoud Said Modern Art Museum followed by the Library of Alexandria. Whizz along the Corniche for a top fish lunch at Abu Qir, and have coffee on the way back at the stunning Salamak Hotel in Montazeh Bay. You should now squeeze in a visit to the Catacombs and Pompey’s Pillar, before doing some shopping at the antique buying area of Attareen. Take in traditional music at the Opera house, and dinner at a popular restaurant in Bahari. The Jewelry Museum P39 Mahmoud Said Modern Art Museum P40 8 24 HOURS IN THE ANCIENT WORLD Breakfast at one of the cafés near Pompey’s Pillar, then visit the Roman Amphitheatre, and El-Agami P26 The North Coast P62 Catacombs before heading out The War Museum P64 to Abu Sir, the ancient Agiiba P81 Roman site outside Pompey’s Pillar P22 Alexandria. You can The Catacombs P24 St. Mena P44 24 HOURS OF SUN, SEA also take in St. Mena, the Coptic Monastery AND DESERT. Beach breakfast at a Corniche café overlooking which stands some 40km away. the famous beaches of Alexandria. Then head Head back to Alexandria for the along to the historic beach of El-Agami before ruins at Canopus. turning inland to visit El-Alamein and see the incredible battlefields and the moving cemeteries of the Allied, German and Italian soldiers. Take in the Museum of the Battle then head towards Marsa Matrouh with its fabulous azure seas. A bit further on you should fit in a swim at Agiiba beach which is said to be the finest on the North Coast. 9 WRITERS AND ARTISTS TRAIL Alexandria has long been an inspiration to writers and artists. Follow this trail to learn and experience the lives of such eminent men as E.M. Forster, Constantine Cavafy and Lawrence Durrell. One of the great poets of the 20th century, Cavafy was Greek by descent, Egyptian by adoption. Start Cavafy’s house P39 at Cavafy’s house on Sharm El-Sheikh Street and amble towards the sea and the ancient harbour, the source of much of their and their fellow artists’ inspiration. Take in the modern art museum, then aim for the Villa Ambron where Durrell lived and wrote during World War II. His masterpiece “The Alexandria Quartet” can be used as a kind of guidebook; you can also use the real guidebook (still being sold in Alexandria and Cairo) written almost a hundred years ago by E.M. Forster, the writer who gave us A Passage to India and Howard’s End. 10 El-Nabi Daniel Mosque P51 THE ALEXANDER TRAIL Oracle temple P90 The Alexander Trail follows the route of Alexander the Great, starting at Pharos island and ending in the Siwa oasis. Alexander the Great founded the city of Alexandria because the island of Pharos was mentioned by Homer as a place that Alexander’s hero, Hercules, visited. Visit Pharos, now on a spit of land in the middle of Alexandria’s harbour. Take in the supposed sites of Alexander’s tomb at El- Nabi Daniel Mosque and Silsileh before taking a trip to Marsa Matrouh, where he prepared himself to cross the desert to Siwa. You may take a car or coach to Siwa and visit the Oracle temple where he sought guidance. Make sure you have a question of THE CLEOpaTRA TRAIL your own to ask! Cleopatra lived and died on the White Mediterranean, along the way winning the hearts of two of the most powerful men in the world: Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony. The last Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra’s palace was in Alexandria, as was her mausoleum. Her favourite place to visit was Paraetonium, the old name for Marsa Matrouh. Here you may scout the ruins of her villa, behind the old Governor’s palace. A short way along the coast you may bathe in the rock cut baths where she and Mark Anthony used to love to swim. Marsa Matrouh P74 11 EXperiences SHOP TILL YOU DROP Shopping is pure pleasure when you devote yourself to it wholeheartedly, and with bargain prices and fabulous opportunities the White Mediterranean provides great shopping experiences. From the great San Stephano shopping mall and the Attareen antiques area to the excellent Bedouin craft shops of Marsa Matrouh, there are shopping experiences Marsa Matrouh P74 available for all. 12 FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD Eating experiences make up a big part of any journey. Both the strange and familiar foods available in Egypt will make for great meals and great stories to tell. Egyptians love people who love their food so make sure you ask for the recipe at any restaurant where you really like what you have eaten. Often the chef will give you a tour of his kitchen and maybe a small pot of his homemade spices. On the White Mediterranean you should try fish so fresh it will melt on your palate, an utter delight. Try Calamari lightly fried, Sea Bream and oven roasted Bass. Try the local Rosetta P56 dishes of stuffed pigeon, the health giving Moloukheia soup, and make sure you try Karkadeh or Hibiscus, a delicious herbal tea proven to lower blood pressure. There are fabulous restaurants in Rosetta, in Alexandria along the Corniche, in Marsa Matrouh; and the beach resorts also offer great dining of traditional and international food. THE NATURAL WORLD For those intent on a natural Mediterranean experience, there are opportunities here not to be missed. At the Al-Omeyed nature reserve, not far west of Alexandria you may savour the sight of a rare gazelle or a desert fox.

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