Swimmers flock to a Paris canal as the city cleans up its waterways

Paris has always been generous to its summer dwellers. Fifteen years ago, it launched Paris-Plages, a beachlike setup on the Seine river to entertain Parisians who can’t get away during the summer months.

The riverbank expressway shuts down for a month to make room for chaise lounges, umbrellas, kids’ games, concerts, pop-up restaurants and cafés.

This season, after years of painstaking water cleanup and testing, the city is innovating again by offering a free swimming spot, in a canal.

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