A £160 million city of the future is taking shape on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast — a glittering megaproject designed to rival Europe’s most popular holiday destinations such as Spain, Italy and Greece.
New El-Alamein City, as it’s officially known, is being hailed as the “new face” of the Egyptian Riviera — a year-round coastal hub with pristine white-sand beaches, turquoise waters and average November temperatures of around 24°C. The ambitious development promises to transform Egypt’s North West Coast into a magnet for global tourism and modern urban living.
Built within the Marsa Matruh governorate, about 60 kilometres along the Alexandria–Matrouh international highway, the city is being constructed on an area of nearly 49,000 feddans (around 200 million square metres). Once complete, it’s expected to house close to three million residents and become one of the most advanced cities in the Middle East. The first phase of the project is already underway and includes some 400,000 residents.
According to Egyptian officials, New El-Alamein will be a fully integrated city, combining residential, cultural, tourist, industrial and research districts. Plans include international hotels, luxury resorts, a private university, and even two buildings designated for the President and Cabinet. The city’s infrastructure — including water treatment plants, sewage systems, and smart electricity networks — is being jointly developed by Egypt’s Urban Communities Authority and the Armed Forces Engineering Authority.
Divided into tourism, historical, and residential zones, New El-Alamein City will offer everything from five-star resorts to family homes and modern apartment complexes. The seafront will boast an international promenade stretching for miles along the beach, dotted with restaurants, cafés, shopping centres and entertainment venues.
Officials have also revealed that a “City of Culture and Arts” will sit at the city’s heart — a sprawling complex featuring a Roman-style theatre, opera house, cinema, and production studios, designed to make New El-Alamein a cultural hub as well as a tourist hotspot.
Beyond leisure, the project is also intended to ease population pressure on Cairo, providing a sustainable urban alternative that integrates cutting-edge technology, renewable energy, and smart transport systems.
Already, more than 30 developers have secured permits to construct over 30,000 hotel rooms as part of the city’s first phase, which is now well underway.
Described by officials as a “game-changer for the Mediterranean,” New El-Alamein aims to rebrand Egypt’s northern coastline and prove it can stand shoulder to shoulder with Europe’s beach paradises — offering sun-drenched escapes, luxury living and modern convenience, just a few hours’ flight from the UK.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
