In pictures: Beach comes to Paris

1 of 10 For Parisians unable to go to the beach this year - the beach has come to them, with a repeat of last year's Paris-Plage

2 of 10 Construction on the three-kilometre (1.9 mile) long stretch of sand by the River Seine began at night

3 of 10 3,000 metric tons of sand had to be put into place

4 of 10 The beach, devised by Mayor Bertrand Delanoe's office to make the city more liveable, cost 1.5m euros to build

5 of 10 Palm trees were brought in to give the beach a tropical feel

6 of 10 Even a few Greek columns were dotted around the grass verges, which were planted by hand

7 of 10 Little wonder the workers grabbed a chance to sample some of the 300 beach chairs on offer

8 of 10 But the effort was all worth it - the hugely successful project attracted 2.3 million visitors last year

9 of 10 As well the chance to make sandcastles the beach offers trampolines, volleyball courts and even outdoor showers - all for free

10 of 10 In fact the only problem with the beach is that visitors are not allowed to take a dip in the Seine to cool off