Every summer, Paris Beaches - or Paris Plages, as they're called in French - pop up along the banks of the Seine River, the Bassin de la Villette, and Canal Saint-Martin, transforming the riverside into a city resort with beach chairs and umbrellas, gardens, cabanas, three large swimming pools, and even swimming in the Seine River this year!
Pop-up bars, planned and impromptu concerts, dancing on the quais, sand-filled pétanque courts for boules, cafes, and ice cream stands along the water and on river-side barges add to the festive ambiance.
All activities are free - and you'll find plenty to choose from, including lots of things for families: swimming pools, movies, water sports, games, petanque, concerts, pedal boats, kayaks, canoes, art exhibits, plus lots of spots just for relaxing.
Paris Plages spans a two-month period from early July through the end of August, with some activities continuing through the first week or so of September.
This year includes the usual locations along the Seine River banks in the 1st, 4th, 6th, and 7th arrondissements in central Paris, the immensely popular Bassin de la Villette in the 19th where the swimming pools and most of the water sports take place, and the newest "beach" area along both sides of Canal Saint-Martin in the 10th and 11th.
New this year: Swimming in the Seine!
Take a look at my guide to fun things available to do at each Paris Plages location, including swimming area details.
You can find all the details about opening dates (plus any updates) in my July and August events articles, as well as end-date details in my September events article.
New in 2025: Swimming in the Seine!!!
Thanks to almost a decade of work and 1.4 billion euros to clean up the Seine River for the Paris 2024 Olympics, Parisians and Paris visitors will have the opportunity to swim in it at three locations this summer for the first time since the Belle Epoque period over a century ago.
All of the sites are accessible to people with reduced mobility, and offer hanging rooms, showers, toilets, a first-aid station, a reception area, and other amenities such as solariums on the nearby quays.
To keep swimmers safe from river boat traffic, temporary pontoons, buoys, and at the Bercy site, steel structures serve as barriers. Swimming is strictly limited to these protected areas.
Don't forget, you can also swim in the free temporary swimming pools installed during Paris Plages at Canal Saint Martin (10th arr) and the Bassin de la Villette (19th arr), making an unprecedented total of 5 swimming areas during Paris Plages this summer.
Bercy (12th arr): The Biggest Seine Swimming Location
Look for swimming areas on each side of the Simone de Beauvoir Footbridge and just below Bercy Park on Paris's Right Bank.
This accommodates up to 700 people, including 300 in the Seine and the rest spread out among 3 floating pools.
Hours: 11am - 9pm daily
Grenelle (15th arr): Seine Swimming with Eiffel Tower Views
You'll spot this swimming area by the river's Left Bank across from the Île aux Cygnes near the Eiffel Tower. It can accommodate about 200 people, and also includes a small pool for families and children.
Free kayaking lessons are offered nearby.
Hours: Monday to Friday 10am - 5:30pm; Saturday 10am - 4:45pm; Sunday 10am - 12 noon, 12:30pm - 2:15pm, 2:45pm - 5:30pm
Pont Sully Bridge (4th arr): The Smallest Seine Swimming Location
The branch of the Seine River that flows between Ile Saint Louis and the Right Bank will be blocked off from river traffic during certain hours to allow safe swimming near the Pont de Sully bridge.
This area accommodates only 150 swimmers, but you can also enjoy the other Paris Plages activities taking place along Quai des Celestines on the Right Bank to the west of the bridge.
Hours: Monday to Saturday 8am - 11:30pm; Sunday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Paris Beaches along Parc Rives de Seine on the Right and Left Banks
Along both sides of the Seine River in the heart of the city, Paris Plages transforms the entire Parc Rives de Seine - a beautiful park created from a former highway - into a scene from the French Riviera with beach chairs, colorful umbrellas, palm trees, and entertainment.
On the Right Bank, the Paris beaches stretch from the Pont Neuf bridge close to the Louvre to the Pont de Sully bridge just a few blocks from Place de la Bastille.
Along the Left Bank, the beach runs from the Pont de l'Alma bridge near the Eiffel Tower and Branly Museum to the Pont Royal bridge next to the Orsay Museum (almost opposite from the Louvre).
In the past, thousands of tons of sand and palm trees were trucked in for the event each year, only to be removed at the end of the summer.
Grass and local varieties of trees now replace the sand and palms for a more environmentally-friendly and literally "greener," approach. The whole area has become a year-round park, although activities amp up during Paris Plages.
On the Right Bank, the seasonal beach focuses on tranquility and enjoying the sun.
Except for when the music and dancing starts - because what's a summer evening without beach parties?
Even if you have just a few minutes to spare, relax in a chair or recliner while time slows down a bit.
If you have a little more time, stop by one of the pop-up bars or small cafes and buy a glass of wine and perhaps a snack. Find a comfortable place to sit, and gaze across the water at one of the best views in Paris.
Closest Metro stations to Right Bank beaches: Pont Neuf, Pont Marie, Sully-Morland
The Left Bank beach, sometimes called Les Berges des Seine, is where to go for games, activities, art displays, a climbing wall, lively restaurants and bars, and dancing by the water (although dancing also takes place on the Right Bank).
You'll find many kids' activities here as well, plus wide paths for running, biking, and skateboarding.
The Left Bank beach also provides deck chairs and plenty of other spots to relax with a book or a picnic.
Hungry? Try the lively pop-up restaurants offering casual food, wine, beer, and ice cream at outdoor picnic tables - or look for Rosa Bonheur, a floating restaurant on a barge near the Pont Alexandre III bridge.
Modeled after a guinguette - 18th century outdoor bars featuring cheap wine, food, music, and dancing, Rosa Bonheur serves up excellent pizza cooked on the terrace in the world's 8th largest wood-fired pizza oven, and of course, music and dancing.
Concerts by mostly local groups take place on a waterfront stage.
During recent years, floating bars (on boats) with music and dancing have starting anchoring along this stretch of the Seine year-round. Also don't miss Fluctuart, a combo graffiti art gallery (free admission) and bar housed on a boat in this same area.
Closest Metro stations to Left Bank beaches: Invalides, Assemblée Nationale
Closest RER: Pont d l'Alma, Invalides, Gare du Musée d'Orsay
Paris Beaches at Bassin de la Villette
Bassin de la Villette, a broad expanse of water about half a mile long connecting Canal Saint-Martin with Ourcq Canal in the 19th arrondissement, boasts four large Paris Plages swimming pools floating within the canal itself open daily from 11am to 8:30pm. To ensure safety, only 200 people can use the pools during the same time slot, and each pool is disinfected between time slots.
Each pool has a different water depth to accommodate young children, people with reduced mobility, and swimmers of all abilities.
With free admission and plenty of lifeguards, showers, and changing rooms, the pools are a huge hit on hot summer days.
Even more important, they showcase the city's delivery on its promise to clean up formerly-filthy urban waterways to be safe for public swimming.
Elsewhere around the Bassin, you'll find plenty of other waterfront activities offered free of charge - pedal (ie, bicycle) boats, paddle boats, ziplines, sailboats, kayaks, canoes, and various activities and workshops.
Look for the new climbing wall!
Instructors will be on hand throughout the day and evening help you have a fun and safe experience.
Waterfront cafes line the beach, so plan to reward yourself after your water sport adventure. Ice cream, wine, and snacks are just a few of the appealing options on offer.
Free movies and concerts round out the fun.
In addition to the beach recreation area, there's a lot more for you to explore near Bassin de la Villette. The area around Saint Martin Canal, one of Paris's newly trendy hot spots, practically overflows with interesting boutiques, galleries, pop-up stores, and hip bars and bistros serving up excellent food. You'll usually see lots of colorful street art on the neighborhoods walls.
Just beyond the Bassin is the expansive Parc de la Villette, home to one of Paris's best science museums, Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, with lots of interactive hands-on exhibits for kids of all ages. Philharmonie de Paris, the spectacular Paris concert hall designed by architect Jean Nouvel which opened in 2015, is here as well.
Free outdoor movies during the summer provide the perfect excuse for a picnic in the park under the stars - check our July and August calendars for exact dates.
Closest Metro to Bassin de la Villette: Juarès
For a scenic view of the Canal Saint-Martin and Bassin de Villette, hop on one of these fun cruises:
Paris Plages - A Cornerstone of Paris Going Green
Paris Plages provides lot of summer fun and entertainment - but it also showcases the city's increasingly green, clean, and human-friendly environment.
After its launch in 2002 with only one small artificial (and not very convincing) "beach," Paris Plages has greatly expanded and become a major summer attraction for locals and tourists alike - part festival, part riverside beach, and part reflection of the city's 21st century green culture.
The "beaches" along the Seine occupy land previously used for highways. Since permanently transforming the river roads into parks, exhaust fumes and pollution from traffic along the banks of the Seine has disappeared.
As a long-time Paris visitor, I can tell you that this transformation has meant, for me, that I can now spend weeks or months in this city without getting the inevitable upper respiratory infection that used to be the price I paid for every visit.
You can now enjoy pedestrian-only streets and bike lanes throughout the city. The sprawling paved plaza in front of Hotel de Ville, a former Paris Plage site, is being turned into an urban forest with just enough open space left to accommodate beloved events such as the annual fnac free concert in early July.
Swimming in the Seine River by the public (ie, not just Olympic athletes) has become a reality for Paris Plages in 2025.
What's next? Stay tuned! Paris is an ever-evolving city.
Paris Plages at Canal Saint-Martin
Paris Plages expanded last year to include a new and exciting location, the picturesque Canal Saint-Martin in the 10th arrondissement, where you will find swimming areas, free entertainment, and relaxation on both sides of the canal.
Closest Metros to Canal Saint-Martin: Louis Blanc, Chateau Landon, and Gare de l'Est on the west side of the canal, and Juarès on the east side
Check our July Events Article for dates
Paris Plages at Trocadero - Not this Year
Several years ago (but not last year or this year), the City of has hosted sports activities such as street basketball around the Trocadero fountains (16th arrondissement, on the Right Bank) as part of Paris Plages.
Even though this area isn't part of Paris Plages in 2025, it's still a lovely spot for a stroll, as well as a popular spot for cooling off if you need to stay comfortable during a Paris heat wave.
Close-up views of the Eiffel Tower are also a nice bonus!
Cool Off on the Water during these Paris Cruises
More Articles about Fun Things to Do in Paris in the Summer
- Easy Day Trips from Paris - How to visit Versailles, Giverny, Mont Saint Michel, D-Day Normandy Beaches, Disneyland, London, Bruges, & more places in just one day
- Firemen's Balls - Find out more about these fun Bastille Day (and Bastille Day Eve) parties!
- Paris Summer Sales - Our top 10 tips for getting the biggest discounts and bargains on Paris designer fashions
- Cheap & Charming Budget-Friendly Paris Hotels - Chic hotels offering cheap rates
- Top 10 Paris Attractions - Places and sights you won't want to miss!
- Paris Arrondissement Map & Paris Neighborhoods - Find top attractions and fun things to see and do throughout the city
