Those visiting Paris between late July and late August are well aware of the existence of Paris Plage, the 5-week beach that’s set up along the Seine in the very center of the city.
Much less well known and less strolledby foreign visitors is the Paris Plage extension along Bassin de la Villette in the once-far-flung and increasingly happening 19th arrondissment. The bassin is best approached via the Jaurès or Stalingrad metro stop.
Far from the constant, international crowds enjoying a stroll along the Seine, the “beach” area along Bassin de la Villette has a comparatively local feel to it.
So local, in fact, that at 7 o’clock yesterday evening families were going home for dinner as they would from a real neighborhood beach.
There were only a few stragglers on the lounge chairs on the beach above and no one at the ice cream stand below.
Aside from the pleasantness of an off-center promenade, the main attraction of this little beach zone is the open-air dance space that fills from 5 to 8 p.m., later on weekends. That’s when a master or mistress of ceremony leads a public dance featuring one form of music per evening.
Couples and individuals take to the boards try out their steps, whether well practiced or just trying hard. You can, too.
Every night there’s a different type of music according to the following schedule:
Monday: Ballroom.
Tuesday: Rock ’n’ roll and swing.
Wednesday: Bal musette, traditional French dancehall.
Thursday: Tango.
Friday: Salsa.
Saturday: Grand Bal (Musette), traditional French dancehall.
Sunday: Country—yes, country!
I took the photo above on tango evening. That and ballroom draw the fewest dancers, which is why the dancefloor looks sparse above. But it can get quite crowded on other evenings, especially Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Bassin de la Villette may feel far afield, but a summer stroll actually offers an uncrowded, close-up view of the Eiffel Tower.
Well, maybe not quite the Eiffel Tower.