The so-called "City" of El-Alamein squats on a dusty plain 106km west of Alexandria, situated along a spur road that turns inland from the coastal highway. Anyone driving past could blink and see nothing except construction debris until they pass the Italian War Cemetery 9km down the highway. If you can afford it, the easiest way of visiting El-Alamein is by rented car . Renting through Avis in Alex, you should expect the round trip to cost about £E180. Thomas Cook will do a car with driver for £E200. Depending on your bargaining skills, it should also be possible to rent a taxi for the day in Alex, for the same amount or maybe less. Though comparatively expensive, a car enables you to reach the far cemeteries and leave El-Alamein without difficulty - a major advantage over public transport.

 

Non-express buses from Alexandria's Masr Station to Mersa Matrouh (every 1-2hr from 6.30am to 5pm; £E6-7) usually call at El-Alamein's resthouse, which is conveniently close to the War Museum. Leaving can be tricky, however, as buses are packed when they arrive and you can't reserve seats from here. Service taxis from Midan el-Gumhorriya could drop you off along their run to Matrouh, but will probably expect the full fare (£E10). If that's the deal, make sure you're dropped at the resthouse and not at some distant intersection. Again, leaving is somewhat dependent on luck; flag down any minibus on the highway heading back to Alex or on to Mersa Matrouh. Staying in town, accommodation is fairly limited. The El-Alamein Resthouse (tel 430-2785; £E20-30 / US$7-10) itself is pretty grotty and the Al-Amana Hotel (tel 492-1340; £E20-30 / US$7-10), opposite the museum, is not much better - though it does have a restaurant serving standard Egyptian fare. Otherwise, for something a bit more comfortable, there's the Hotel Atic, about 15km east on the Alex road.