The Paris Plage got its name from a beach in the village of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage in the mid-1960s. They named it Paris Plage because of its relative proximity to the French capital. Many Parisians would come to visit on weekends during the summer months.
In short, the plage is an artificial beach that shows up every summer on the banks of the Seine River. Other French cities also have similar temporary beaches or “plages urbaines” during the summer.
The idea to install “Plages” across the country came from the French city of Saint-Quentin in Aisle in 1996. Due to social action needed for their somewhat 60 000 inhabitants, the city decided to transform the square in front of the Marie into a beach. They turned it into a real beach with sand, games, and pools. It was such a huge success it became an annual attraction.
The concept of “plages urbaines”, also outside of Paris, originated in the early 2000s as a way to provide city dwellers with an opportunity to enjoy the beach experience without having to travel to coastal areas.
Good to know: all activities are completely free, there usually is a program on the website or on site where you can see what the offering is.
Today you’ll easily find one near you. They usually begin during the national French Summer holidays July and August. Designed to offer the same leisure and activities one would find on their holidays at a beach resort. I myself have gone to the Toulouse Plage and made use of the book library, board games library, a French language course and beach volleyball.
Paris Plage, July – September 4th
Toulouse Plage, July – August 28
To find a Plage near you, head to Google and type “your city name” + “Plage été” and you can find it. Alternatively, go to your city’s website and look at their Summer offering. It’s more than just sports or swimming, you can also take part in a course or learn new skills. Grab a friend, put on your sandals, and enjoy having your feet in the sand where you usually would not!