There is a gulf between the relaxed, serene, Paris of summer, and Paris as its usual, impatient, nervous self. July is music lovers month: every square and park has come up with a concert of its own. For the lovers of swing, head for Parc floral, where, between two furious improvs, the superstars of jazz take a second look at jazz classics. For fans of sacred music, the Musique en l’Île festival is a sine qua non: from Vivaldi to Bulgarian Orthodox choirs, and from Haydn to African-American gospel traditions meet and mix.

Let fancy strike you at the Paris Neighborhood d’Été festival, a cultural pot-pourri scattered all over the capital. World music, dance and theatrical performances come one after the other, at the Arènes de Lutèce, the Tuileries and the Luxembourg Gardens. And when you've wandered around enough, take a detour to Paris-Plage: stretch out on the sand or a deckchair under palm trees, and listen to the pre-war tunes from the beer gardens along the Seine.