The Athenian Riviera is a 70-kilometer-long coastal front located in the southeastern part of the Attica region, stretching from the port of Piraeus to Cape Sounio. It serves as the natural extension of the Athens basin toward the sea and functions as a key recreational area for the residents of Attica.
The project involves the construction of a unified network of bicycle and pedestrian paths, aiming to connect the urban coastal front of the Athenian Riviera along a 22-kilometer stretch. This route extends from the Municipality of Kallithea to the Town Hall of the Municipality of Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, passing through six municipalities (Kallithea, Palaio Faliro, Alimos, Elliniko-Argyroupoli, Glyfada, Vari–Voula–Vouliagmeni).
Τhe Project Preparation Facility (PPF) of Growthfund prepared the full 22-kilometer scope of the project and conducted the tendering process in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Region of Attica, the local municipalities, and the Hellenic Public Properties Company (ETAD S.A.).
On July 15, 2024, the contract was signed with the contractor company ZITAKAT S.A. (ZITAKAT Technical Commercial and Industrial Company) for a total value of €16.834 million (excluding VAT). The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
The total length funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is approximately 12 kilometers, compared to the originally stated 22 kilometers mentioned in the project investment fiche. This difference is due to the following segments:
- a) The section from the Port of Piraeus to the Peace and Friendship Stadium (SEF), approximately 4 km long, will be implemented as a separate bicycle-pedestrian path project by the Municipality of Piraeus.
- b) The section from SEF to the Olympic Properties, approximately 1.5 km long, will be implemented as part of the Faliro Bay redevelopment project, with the Region of Attica as the Contracting Authority.
- c) The segment that passes through Alimos Marina—approximately 1 km of bicycle and pedestrian path—is included in the obligations of the concessionaire under the 2020 Concession Agreement between the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF), the Hellenic Republic, the Hellenic Public Properties Company (ETAD), and the concessionaire “Marina Alimou – Development of the New Alimos Marina S.A.”, in accordance with the approved general master plan for the Alimos Marina (Presidential Decree of 13.08.2018 – FEK AAP 172).
- d) A segment of the project, 800 meters in length, runs within the property area of the Hellinikon investment project.
- e) The section running through the Municipality of Glyfada, approximately 2.5 km long, is being implemented as part of a separate project titled “Revitalization of the Glyfada Coastal Front,” with the Municipality of Glyfada acting as the Contracting Authority.
The project is implemented under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0”, with funding from the European Union – NextGenerationEU. It is subject to the specific implementation conditions of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) Actions and Projects. Following the model of major European cities, the project will expand green spaces and promote cycling as a means of transport, thereby contributing to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.
The project’s goal is to create the largest unified and accessible coastal front in Europe, comparable to the French Riviera, the Italian Riviera, Barcelona, Tel Aviv, Istanbul, etc., offering additional open space for citizens and enhancing public access to the coastline.
The intervention aims to establish, through the construction of the pedestrian and bicycle path, an upgraded public open space dedicated to pedestrians and cyclists throughout the Attica Basin. It also seeks to improve the urban environment by enhancing the quality of urban space, supporting existing economic activities, attracting new business operations, and creating new jobs.
The investment is intended to accelerate economic and sustainable growth and prosperity, both locally and nationally, as its implementation will support the attraction of productive activities—particularly in the fields of renewable energy, circular economy, territorial cohesion and convergence, construction using green materials, digital applications and products, etc.
Through this project, the green transition is actively promoted. All works to be carried out will aim to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, achieving significant energy savings and contributing to a low-carbon economy.
It is noted that the project is included in the Regulatory Plan of Athens – Attica (Law 4277/2014 – Government Gazette 156/A/01-08-2014), as it constitutes an intervention in the context of sustainable mobility.
