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Paris Plages: What to expect from the city ‘beaches’ in summer 2023

From sunbathing and free swimming to pétanque, paddle-boarding and kid-friendly activities, here is what you can do at this year's Paris Plages.

Published: 26 June 2023 16:01 CEST
Updated: 7 July 2023 16:52 CEST
Paris Plages: What to expect from the city 'beaches' in summer 2023
A tourist boat passing in front of empty deckchairs along the Seine river during the annual Paris-Plage (Paris beach) summer event in Paris in 2022 (Photo by BERTRAND GUAY / AFP)

Each year, the beach comes to Paris – a programme of free activities initially set up by City Hall for those who could not afford a summer holiday, but these days increasingly popular with Paris residents and visitors alike.

In 2023, the Paris Plage will run from July 8th to August 27th at two locations – along the banks of the Seine in central Paris and on the Bassin de la Villette in the north of the capital.

Here’s a glance at what is in store.

Along the Seine

The Paris Plage events set up along the Seine will take place from Trocadero to Pont-Neuf and down to Pont Louis-Philippe. In addition to having lawn chairs, sun loungers and the typical Brumisateurs (mist-makers), this year there will be plenty of free events taking place along the river.

Activities

Tai chi – daily from 10am to 12pm on the Quai next to Pont-Neuf.

Baby-foot (table football/soccer) – daily from 1pm to 7pm next to Pont Notre-Dame.

Pétanque – daily from 10am to 10pm next to Pont Louis-Phillippe

Jumbo games – daily from 11am to 6pm in front of Hôtel de Ville

Running training sessions – Starting at the meeting point of the ‘Châtelet ramp’. Available Tuesdays from 6:30pm to 9pm and Thursdays from 8am to 10am. You can reserve a spot here.

Swedish gymnastics – courses to be offered on Saturdays and Mondays

Art and open-air exhibits – There will one one below the Châtelet ramp and another below the Célestins ramp. The theme to appreciate will be ‘street art’ – more info here.

Trocadéro gardens – For the Paris Plage, the gardens will be transformed into a sporting area with dedicated space for games

Creative workshops – From hat painting to decorating mini surf boards and drawing times for small children, there are plenty of artistic workshops to sign up for. Hat painting, for example, will run from Friday, July 14th to Sunday, August 20th, 2023, each weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) from 1pm to 5pm, as well as 10am to 12pm. 

Dance courses – Running from Friday July 14th to September 3rd, each week (Wednesday to Saturday) from 5pm to 8pm, free dance courses will be available. More information here. 

Reduce waste – There will be sessions teaching people how to reduce waste, going on Wednesdays to Saturdays, as well as Sundays from 11am to 6pm.

Water sports

This year, there will be water sports in the Seine as well. Head to the ‘Bras Marie’ (address: 68-74 Quai de la Rapée, Paris 12th arrondissement) for canoeing and kayaking. This is open to anyone aged 15 and older, and all minors must be accompanied by an adult and must know how to swim. 

Water sports along the Seine will be open on Sunday, July 9th from 8am to 11:45am, as well as each Sunday after July 30th until August 27th, from 8am to 11:45am.

Bassin de la Villette

Located in the north of Paris in the 19th arrondissement, the canal basin of the Bassin de la Villette transforms each summer, with deck chairs, swimming, pétanque and plenty of water activities like kayaking and canoeing. 

Swimming – The Bassin de la Villette will be open for swimming from July 8th to September 3rd, with two swimming pools and two ‘paddling pools’ along the Quai de la Loire side of the canal. All swimming will be free of charge and safe, with the water qualify monitored daily. 

The pools – one 1.2 metres deep, one 2 metres deep, and another two just 40cm deep for young children – are open from 11am to 9pm daily during the summer period.

Closer to the centre of the city, the City of Paris and the Mairie of the 10th arrondissement will offer open swimming on Sundays from July 9th to August 20th, between 12pm and 4pm.

The water quality will be checked before each opening of the baignade, which may be closed in the event of poor water quality or storms.

Activities – From table football to pétanque and tai chi, there will be plenty of activities along the Canal this year.

Reading (kids under 7) – Similar to 2022, there will be spaces set up for children ages three to seven years old called the “Ludo Plages” with small climbing areas, trampolines and age-appropriate fun, like the “Bibliotèques hors les murs” (Outdoor library) for free read-along sessions and workshops.

Dance – From the opening of Paris Plages to its closing in August, there will be various free dance courses available, from jazz and raggaeton to breakdancing and salsa. Courses will be on each Friday and Saturday from 6 to 9pm, as well as from 5 to 8pm on weeknights (Monday to Thursday) and Sundays.

Kids under 12 – This year, there will also be a carousal, accessible for children aged 5 to 12 years old, in addition to three trampolines of various sizes (for kids aged four to 12). 

First-aid workshops – You can also sign up for free first-aid courses. They will be held Tuesday to Saturday, as well as on Sundays, from 2 to 5pm. More information here. 

Water sports – Water sports, such as canoeing, paddle-boarding, kayaking, and pedal-boats, will be available. You can reserve a spot on-site. Typically, the city requires a 25m swimming certificate and parental authorisation for children. It is best to arrive early.

Other parts of the city

For those looking to take a free swim, the city of Paris will also set up several temporary outdoor pools from July 8th to August 20th.

They will be at Baignade Louis Lumière in the 20th arrondissement, Baignade Georges Carpentier in the 13th, Baignade Léo Lagrange in the 12th, Baignade Poissonniers in the 18th and Baignade Jules Noël in the 14th arrondissement. You can find more information on the town hall website here.

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COST OF LIVING

What is considered a good salary in Paris?

The higher-paying jobs are heavily concentrated in the French capital, but set against that is the high cost of living - especially the cost of renting or buying a home. So what is considered a 'high-earner' in Paris?

Published: 25 June 2024 16:51 CEST
What is considered a good salary in Paris?

Centrist Renaissance candidate Sylvain Maillard, running for re-election in France’s snap parliamentary elections, was trying to highlight the high cost of living in the capital in a debate on RMC Radio 

“You have extremely expensive rents [in Paris], between €1,500 and €1,700, and then there are all the charges and taxes to pay,” he said.

But what most people seized on was his comment that anyone earning €4,000 a month after tax would not be considered rich in Paris – he predictably was accused of being out of touch with French people’s lives.

There’s no doubt that €4,000 a month is good salary that most people would be happy with – but how much do you need to earn to be considered ‘rich’ in Paris?

National averages

Earlier this year, the independent Observatoire des Inégalités calculated poverty and wealth levels in France.

READ ALSO How much money do you need to be considered rich in France?

According to its calculations, to be considered ‘rich’ in France, a single person with no dependants needs to earn more than €3,860 per month, after taxes and social charges. Around eight percent of single workers have this sum deposited into their bank balance every month, it said.

A total of 23 percent of workers take home €3,000 or more every month, while the top 10 percent clear €4,170. 

To be in the top one percent of earners in France in 2024, one person must bring in at least €10,000 per month. After taxes and social charges.

The median income – the median is the ‘middle value’ of a range of totals – of tax households in mainland France is €1,923 per month after taxes and social charges, according to INSEE 2021 data, which means that a ‘rich’ person earns about twice as much as a person on the median income, according to the Observatoire.

Paris situation

About 75 percent of people living in Paris earn less than €4,458 per month, according to Insee data – so according to those calculations, 25 percent of Parisians earn the equivalent of the top 10 percent in France. 

But that city-wide average still hides a wide degree of variation. In the sixth arrondissement, the median income is €4,358 per month, after tax. In the seventh, it’s €4,255.  Further out, those bringing home €4,600 a month in the 19th and 20th arrondissements are among the top 10 percent in wealth terms.

But still, the median income in Paris is €2,639, significantly higher than the €1,923 France-wide median.

That would mean – using the Observatoire des Inégalités’ starting point for wealth – that a Paris resident, living on their own, would have to bring home €5,278 per month to be considered ‘rich’. 

France is a heavily centralised country, with many of the highest-paying industries concentrated within the capital, meaning there is much more opportunity to secure a high-wage job if you live in Paris.

Cost of living

Even these figures should all be taken with a pinch of salt because of the relatively high cost of living in the capital, compared to elsewhere in France. Paris is objectively an expensive place to call home.

In 2023, France Stratégie published a report on the disposable income of French households, after housing, food and transport costs were deducted. It found that, on average, people living in the Paris region had more left to spend, due to higher incomes and despite the fact that housing costs more.

It’s the income paradox in action. A person with a take-home salary of €4,000 per month has more money to spend if they live and work outside Paris. But they’re much more likely to earn that much if they live and work in Paris, where it’s not as valuable. 

Someone who earns a ‘rich-level’ salary in Paris might not appear rich – because they live in an expensive area, and a surrounded by very wealthy people in property that’s out of reach all-but the fattest of wallets. But they’re still earning more than twice the median income in France.

And that’s what Sylvain Maillard was getting at, clumsily as he may have expressed it.

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