Sun sand but no sea in Paris

Tourists heading to Paris between now and August 21st will be able to relax on one of the city's man-made beaches which opened up for business this week.

The now world-famous Paris Plague, which began in 2002, sees hundreds of locals and holidaymakers stripping off in the middle of the city and soaking up the French sunshine.

This year, the beach is expected to be more popular than ever as the financial squeeze forces many French holidaymakers to stay closer to home.

There are three locations for the beach, each of which have different themes.

Tropical Ambience is based on the right bank of the Seine, Modern, Metropolitan Ambiance is situated on the left bank, while a boating and watersports area is set up at Bassin de le Villette.

More than 2,000 tons of sand make-up the beaches which are also home to up to 1,000 deckchairs and 61 beach huts.

Events designer Jean-Christophe Choblet told Reuters that the event "belonged to the 22nd century, because western cities like Paris are no longer able to expand, and so a single space must serve several functions".

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