Max out your weekend by hitting up an urban beach and combine sunshine, sand and skyline views.
Rachel Beard seeks out the best of the bunch, from a hammock-strung stretch of sand in Philly to a floating swimming pool in Berlin.
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Paris Plages (Paris, France)
Ok, it's a river rather than the riviera but every July and August the banks of the Seine are covered in sand and dotted with palm trees to offer a little taste of the Côte d'Azur in the cultural capital. Sink into a sun lounger at one of three riverside spots (the Louvre to Pont Sully, Port de la Gare, Bassin de la Villette) and join in with typically Parisian pursuits (picnicking and petanque) or get active with a spot of beach volleyball or kayaking.
When: July 20-August 20 until midnight
Camden Beach (London, UK)
On a terrace next to the Roundhouse, one of London's finest gig venues, Camden Beach brings a little stretch of sand to the Big Smoke—150 tons of the stuff to be precise, interspersed with classic beach amenities including a tiki bar, rum shack and deckchairs. Expect killer tunes (the Roundhouse knows a thing or two about sound systems) and on the food front you can tuck into posh hot dogs and pulled pork from a converted shipping container.
When: July 26-August 23. Mondays 5-11 p.m.; Tuesday to Sunday 12 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Sugar Beach (Toronto, Canada)
Named for the nearby sugar refinery and fittingly studded with candyfloss-pink umbrellas, this sandy spot enjoys a cool breeze from the shores of Lake Ontario. The patriotic patch features water fountains embedded with a giant granite maple leaf plus a (maple) tree-lined promenade and muskoka chairs. It's also the setting of Toronto's (free) Sail-In Cinema event where films are projected onto a two-sided screen from atop a barge in Toronto harbor.
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