The War Museum at the west side of the village is near the bus stop and main square. It contains displays of weaponry, military garb, and descriptions of the actions of Rommel, Montgomery, and the other participants in the battle. A huge map, bedecked with hundreds of tiny red and green bulbs (many of them still operative), revives the changing fortunes of the North African campaign in glorious technicolor. (Open daily 8:3Oam-6pm; winter and Ramadan 9am4pm. Admission LE5.) Eight km west of town, perched on a petite peninsula overlooking the sea, are the less frequently visited citadel-like German and Italian Cemeteries. Without a private car or hired taxi it is difficult to visit the last two monuments. Look for the small marker about 3km west of the town center marking the farthest Axis advance; an arrow pointing east reads: “H Fortuna, Non II Valore: Alexandria, 11 lkm.”

Getting to Al-Alamein is easy; leaving is the hard part. Any bus traveling between Marsa Matrouh and Alexandria or Cairo can let you off at the Rest House, and many of them stop there. However, only the non-express West Delta buses from Matrouh or Goumhouriya Sq. in Alexandria will sell you a ticket to AI-Alamein (LE6); all other lines will force you to buy a ticket to the final destination. When leaving, you may be forced again to pay the full fare, and miglit have trouble finding room on a bus, as they are usually full, especially in summer. If you wave imploringly at the reasonably steady flow of passing buses, succor will arrive. In the direction of Alexandria, you can often find service taxis for about LE3-5O; they are uncommon in the direction of Marsa Matrouh.