Two new urban beaches, measuring approximately 240 meters and 170 meters, are planned along the city’s coastal front as part of a €5.7 million project to protect the shoreline around Dermatas Bay and the Old Power Station. The beaches will be created on either side of the Natural History Museum of Crete and are expected to open to the public within the next three years.
The project, with a total budget of €5.716 million, has now been included in the European Regional Development Fund program, marking a major step toward implementation. Crete Regional Governor Stavros Arnaoutakis signed the funding agreement at Heraklion’s Loggia.
For Heraklion, the creation of the two beaches is arguably the most visible element of a project that otherwise focuses on coastal protection and infrastructure.
The eastern beach will extend for about 240 meters, while the western beach will cover another 170 meters. Together, they will add roughly 410 meters of new urban shoreline for public use in an area where the city currently has no functioning urban beach.
The beaches are planned as part of a broader intervention at Dermatas Bay that will address severe coastal erosion and shoreline undermining. The works will also protect sections of Heraklion’s Venetian Walls and coastal infrastructure from further damage.
A New Waterfront for Heraklion
The coastal works will include the construction of two submerged breakwaters, beach nourishment, and shoreline reinforcement. These measures are intended to reduce wave energy and stabilize the coastline while creating the conditions needed for the two new beaches.
The surrounding area will also be substantially redesigned.
Plans include ramps and pedestrian routes, retaining walls, new planting, an irrigation network, and new lighting. Existing infrastructure will undergo maintenance and restoration.
The result is intended to be more than an erosion-control project. It is a major transformation of one of Heraklion’s most prominent stretches of waterfront, combining coastal defense with new public space and access to the sea.
The two beaches will also add a new recreational dimension to the city center. Heraklion’s relationship with the sea is central to its identity. Yet, much of its immediate waterfront is dominated by port infrastructure, defensive structures, roads and hard shoreline rather than accessible bathing areas.
The Dermatas Bay intervention forms part of a wider plan for the regeneration of Heraklion’s waterfront, alongside ongoing and planned work involving the city’s Venetian Walls and historic Neoria.
Argophilia has previously reported on the broader Heraklion waterfront project, as well as the €5.7 million coastal protection plans for Dermatas Bay.
The immediate challenge now is implementation. With construction expected to unfold over approximately three years, the project sets a clear countdown toward the arrival of two new urban beaches in the heart of Heraklion.
