Paris Plages at Le Bassin de la Villette

Paris Plages is back on the Bassin de la Villette, the artificial lake that connects the canals Ourcq and Saint Martin. And as Paris has come to expect, city centre summer relaxation involves sandcastles, refreshment kiosks and beach pétanque pitches. There’s even a pleasure port offering small boats, rowing, kayaking and pedalos on the canal, but the best thing has to be the ‘roller-tubes’, huge plastic spheres that allow you to walk on the water. There’s also mini golf on the Seine bank (new this year), and a mountain bike circuit in front of the Rotonde bar-restaurant (see below).

The local Festival L'Ourcq (until Aug 26) is joining forces with Paris Plages this year, offering a whole range of activities – see the complete programme here.