Summer in the city can feel relentless, and in Europe perhaps nowhere more so than Paris. Last month’s heatwave brought temperatures that exceeded 40°C and more widely, France’s three hottest days in recorded history. The orange heatwave alert is back in place in the city this week, with highs of 35°C expected during an extended spell of hot weather.
However, the French capital has been forward-thinking in its hot-weather planning. Since 2002, it has staged Paris-Plages for residents and workers unable or unwilling to flee the hot and humid city for the summer – temporary urban “beaches” pop up along the river in July and August, alongside games and summery activities. While swimming in the Seine was initially prohibited, it’s now integral to the event.
I visited last weekend, when the mercury was rising fast, and as a keen outdoor swimmer, immediately looked for the nearest place for a dip.
My home territory of London is sadly lacking in river swimming opportunities; there’s Ham, and soon, the Royal Docks will reopen, near Poplar. But imagine how wonderful it would be to swim at Westminster, or beside the London Eye?
Sadly, for hot and bothered Londoners, this remains a dream, both for now and the muck-spattered foreseeable, thanks to Thames Water’s dismal record – in 2025, there were more than 9,000 sewage spills in the river, lasting an average 12 hours each time.
