The Seine's banks and the Canal Saint-Martin, Paris in laid-back mode

Come summer, Paris changes its relationship with water. The Seine and the Canal Saint-Martin stop being mere backdrops and become fully-fledged living spaces again, where people picnic, stroll and slow down, in a city that otherwise rarely knows how to.

Paris Plages, an invention turned ritual

For over twenty years, the banks of the Seine have transformed into urban beaches each summer, complete with deckchairs, potted palm trees, and sometimes even paddling pools to cool off. The initiative, launched in 2002, has lastingly changed Parisians' relationship with their river: people now settle in as they would on sand, without necessarily waiting for a holiday elsewhere. The event centres on two main sites: the Parc Rives de Seine, which runs along the river from the Pont d'Iéna to the Pont des Arts on the Left Bank and from the Pont Neuf to the Port de l'Arsenal on the Right Bank, and the Bassin de la Villette in the 19th arrondissement, where you can also try paddleboarding and canoeing.

A riverside walk redesigned for pedestrians

The riverside expressways, long reserved for car traffic, have largely been given back to pedestrians and cyclists in recent years. The continuous promenade that now runs along the Left Bank from the Musée d'Orsay to the Pont de l'Alma allows you to cross the city on foot, right at water level, with a perspective on Parisian bridges unlike any other viewpoint.

The Canal Saint-Martin, summer as a neighbourhood affair

Further north, the Canal Saint-Martin offers another way of experiencing Parisian summer: less touristy, more everyday. Its cobbled banks and cast-iron footbridges, made famous by French cinema, fill from the first fine days with groups picnicking between the locks that still punctuate the passage of barges. Quai de Valmy and Quai de Jemmapes hold most of the action, between the terrace at Point Éphémère and the tables at Hôtel du Nord, made famous by Marcel Carné's film. A little further on, Square des Récollets draws regulars for a game of pétanque or ping-pong.

Cruises and swimming, two ways to experience Parisian water

For those who prefer the water itself to its banks, Seine cruises offer a complementary perspective on Parisian landmarks, particularly beautiful at the end of the day. And since summer 2026, several free, supervised swimming spots have opened directly in the Seine: beneath the Pont Louis-Philippe in the 4th arrondissement, at the Bercy basins facing the Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand in the 12th, and at the Bras de Grenelle in the 15th, opposite the Parisian Statue of Liberty. The Bassin de la Villette and a stretch of the Canal Saint-Martin, near Quai de Jemmapes, round out the offering during heatwaves.

Where to stay to enjoy Paris by the water

A hotel in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district or on the Île Saint-Louis offers direct access to the Seine's banks, while the 10th arrondissement, around Rue de Lancry, places guests just steps from the Canal Saint-Martin and its terraces.

When to go

Paris Plages generally runs from mid-July to mid-August. It is also the period when Parisian traffic is at its lightest, with a good number of residents themselves away on holiday.