Life’s A Beach: Sand On The Seine, Et.Al.

If you can’t get to the beach this summer, why not bring the beach to you? Since 2001, that’s what has happened along the Seine River with Paris Plage, a strip of trucked-in sand that attracts bikini-clad hordes who enjoy deck chairs, beach bars, and Brazilian concerts. It all begins for a month this year on July 21.

Other European cities are on the truckwagon, too. In Rome, “Tiber Village” opened on June 18, near St. Peter’s Basilica, and will be open through September 17. Berlin has a few patches along the Spree River, plus a Bridge Bathing Ship. Brussels boasts the Brussels Spa from 7/22 to 8/21, along the Quai des Peniches. Not to be outdone, Amsterdam has a sandy beach called “Blijburg” (Happy Village) along the Ij lake, behind Centraal Station. Plus, Budapest will turn a one-mile patch of the Danube into a beach in August, called “Budapest Plage”, with sandboxes and potted palm trees.

For more info, visit: Europe’s Urban Beach Party in the San Francisco Chronicle.