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Depending on your point of view, Paris is not at its best in July, and especially August. Parisiens exit the city in their millions, especially on the first weekends of July and August - heading for their “vacances”, often in other parts of France. Hence many things in the city are closed, and the proportion of tourists to locals can be overwhelming. It still seems strange to a Brit that the holiday “season” seems to stop abruptly at the end of August - timetables change, campsites close, attractions move into a “off-season” mode.

However, there are good things happening in Paris in mid-summer, as the website www.ete.paris.fr shows. There are the inevitable celebrations for the French National Day (Bastille Day) on 14 July - fireworks at the Trocadero and the Champ de Mars (by the Eiffel Tower).

Then there is the annual Paris Plages (beaches on the River Seine) voie Georges-Pompidou in the 4th arondissement, at the Bassin de la Villette near Stalingrad in the 19th et quai de la Gare, near the Bibliotheque Nationale in the 13th. Open from 21 July to 21 August they aim to create a seaside atmosphere with real sand and fun in the heart of the city.

There is also BMX racing and plenty of activities around the Canal d’Ourcq with boat rides along the canal for just €1 per person; pedalos, canoes, kayaks. Guided tours are also available following the route of the Canal which winds its way through the Paris suburbs, offering a different view of the city.

Free concerts in the Parisien parks, an ephemeral garden in the front of the Hotel de Ville, cinema, literature…….. not forgetting the final stage of the Tour de France finishing on the Champs Elysees on Sunday 27 July 2008

For more info see www.ete.paris.fr