Piraeus to restore coast and become the core of the Athenian Riviera

The project was funded through the European Recovery and Resilience fund and calls for one big public space

Last Friday, authorities in the Greek city of Piraeus announced a new project to restore the beachfront of the Temistocleous Coast. The project will be funded through the Greek Recovery and Resilience Package with the aim of making the coast, one of the most beautiful places in the municipality, a core part of the so-called Athenian Riviera.

Redeveloping the coast in Piraeus

The project has a budget of around 25 million euros and will have key implications for the development of Piraeus. According to a statement by the city, the new beachfront will be a hub for culture and tourism, as well as a prime new business destination.

Specifically, the project calls for establishing one continuous open and free public space along the Mediterranean Coast at Temistocleous. The area will be dedicated to pedestrians but also feature a bicycle route, as well as small service streets, to help supply the new retail space that would inhabit the space with great offers.

Furthermore, a coastal walkway will help travellers and locals experience the Kononei Wall, a small archaeological site featuring an ancient seawall. The redevelopment plan calls for establishing parking spaces, as well as ramps to allow people with disabilities access to the wall. The site itself would be preserved, made fit to handle tourist traffic and lit with decorative lights.

Mayor Yiannis Moralis was quoted in a statement, praising this project as another win in a long line of redevelopment schemes for the city. According to him, Piraeus has its best days ahead of it. He pointed to the Piraeus tower, a 50-year-old abandoned project of a large concrete tower.

The tower was a staple of the area, as a grey concrete husk, looming over the bustling port city, unfinished for half a century. Now, with new European funding, local authorities will be able to finish the project, with the tower set to open in 2023.

Mayor Moralis concluded: “We continue with an unabated pace, the same appetite and plan to change Piraeus step by step for the better. I am sure that the coming years will be much better for the city and for all of us."