It is almost that time of year again for barge loads of sand to float down the Seine and transform the riverbanks of Paris into an urban beach. Beginning on the 20 July and lasting for one month, the Paris Plage offers the complete beach experience ... almost. The creators put together what could be best described as a caricature of a beach, complete with palm trees, deck chairs, ice-cream sellers and beach volleyball. There are three separate sections to the beach, the latest addition being at Bassin de la Villette. Set on the canal where Amélie once skimmed her stones, this beach offers free pedalos and rowing boats to complement the array of activities available on the other beaches, including swimming pools and free concerts. It may be a somewhat bizarre sight to see bikini-clad Parisians basking in sunshine as small children build sand castles in the foreground of Notre Dame, but its peculiarity is one of the attractions. After all this isn’t the seaside, this is Seine-side!

Port de la Gare, Louvre to Pont de Sully, and Bassin de la Villette.
www.paris.fr/portail/english/Portal.lut?page_id=8208&document_type_id=5&document_id=34146&portlet_id=18969

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If it's still summer and you want to avoid the more touristy places head to the "beach" at la Villette and enjoy free loungers, free mini-boats for kids aged 6 to 10 and even free tea snacks for the little ones.

There are two new excellent cinemas with bookstores/DVD/cds. Also, you can walk along the Canal and head towards La Vilette science and tech exhibition and the famous Cite de la Musique.

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