Beach in Paris
 

I remember a photo recently in a travel magazine that showed people sunbathing on an artifical beach somewhere in Paris. Anyone know about this?

Yes

In August during the Conges Annuels (month-long summer shutdown/vacation where traffic is a fraction of its normally hectic pace, the express road along the Right Bank of the Seine by the Louvre/Tuileries gardens i believe is closed off and tons of sand are brought in to create a beach in the heart of Paris for the month. Some other streets and squares are pedestrianized as well - August is a great time for Paris as the smog, caused largely by vehicular exhaust, is way down and traffic is much less making for better walking and a quieter town.

Last summer at the end of July through most of August was Paris Plage. It was along the banks of the Seine. Here is a website that tells about it:

http://www.v1.paris.fr/fr/actualites...is_plage_2004/

There were live band concerts there too.

Thank you PalQ and Catburt. Much appreciated the info and details.

Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel magazine (pg. 29 Jul/Aug '05 issue) has a short article on the 4th Paris-Plage festival, July 21 thru Aug 21, www.paris-info.com