Baginskiy Hats. Getting Acquainted with the Designer.
Celebrities are not only musicians, actors, politicians… hat makers can be legit stars too. The name that has been appearing in the spotlight of the fashion industry for more than seven years is Ruslan Baginskiy. To see his creations go to amberhats.com because that's where we've collected all his hats and other accessories. This talented Ukrainian became a favorite milliner of such show business stars as Miley Cyru, Kourtney Kardashian, Bella Hadid, Izabel Goulart, Paris Hilton, and even Madonna. The latter one celebrated the beginning of the New Year 2022 in crystals-adorned balaclava made by the designer from Lviv.
Behind the Name: Who is Ruslan Baginskiy?
Ruslan is a founder of the eponymous Baginskiy brand. He was born in the Ukrainian “cultural capital” Lviv on September 5, 1989. Surprisingly, his education has nothing to do with fashion industry – he graduated from Ivan Franko National University with a qualification of a geographer. Yet, there is a symbolic coincidence with his current profession – as he strived to study the world and became world-famous. Also, when being a student, he started working as a stylist for photo sessions and shows of various Ukrainian designers. Gradually, when experimenting with his visions of the models’ stylish looks, he created his first hat. It is known that in 2011 the young man had a pioneering photo shoot where models wore his own head piece. After that, his fascination with hats was only growing, and he decided to improve his skills by studying the art of headgear at local ateliers.
His passion for hats was inspired by his family who were ardent headgear wearers. That is why Ruslan quite often mentions in his interviews that Baginskiy hats embody both traditions and modern touches. When he reviews photos in family albums, he often notices his relatives wearing versatile hats. Thus, he once assumed that he inherited the love for hats at a subconscious level. Can it even be genetic?
In interviews for trendy fashion magazines, Ruslan said he did not have enough money to study somewhere in world fashion schools, such as Istituto Marangoni or Central Saint Martins. Unfortunately, there are no state-of-the-art fashion schools in Ukraine. Thus, when he was 18, the local hat-making studio in Lviv became his educator. What is interesting, when he was searching for the best milliners in the city, he found only two women who could properly teach him. Yet, they were reluctant to share their knowledge at first. Maybe they sensed that the young man was not only their future competitor, but a genuine fashion star? Ruslan was persuasive enough and one milliner taught him everything she knew about felt. Afterwards, he immersed in never-ending books and video tutorials about all the possible hat shapes and materials a high-quality headgear can be made from.
All-embracing Clientele
What is more favorable about the Ukrainian milliner is his attitude to clients. Baginskiy claims that his hats can suit any personality and any pocket. Hence, he does not have a particular hero or heroine of the brand. His customers can be celebrities, including the British Queen, as well as ordinary people without thousands of Instagram followers. As Ruslan said in the interview for Forbes, “I do not like all these abstract descriptions of a “hero” of the brand, because I see our customers every day. They tag the brand on Instagram, I meet them at the Saint Honoré, we dine at the same restaurants and go to the same parties in Paris and Kyiv. There is a variety of them – adults and young people, classy and fashionistas, celebrities, even friends of my mother, but they all value hats. They can fit everyone; you just need to find your perfect match.”
Girls around the world adore hats made by Ruslan Baginskiy. Famous models, singers, actresses fall in love with his modernized designs of the traditional hats. When the designer is asked about the most special clients, he only smiles and says that there is a variety of cool women who wear his stylish head pieces. He also mentioned that the best feeling in the world for him is when a girl thought her whole life that hats do not suit her, but after trying a Baginskiy hat, she finally sees that it perfectly suits her. So, it is not only about the beautiful headgear, but about the acceptance of own appearance. Ruslan also wishes hats were as essential for daily wear as they used to be in the nineteenth century. His global dream is to make a hat for every girl on the planet
Design Process and Couture
The process of designing hats is time-consuming and it demands constant inspiration. The milliner says that he finds inspiration in both vintage and modern fashion magazines, as well as in the streets of Ukrainian and foreign cities. A particular thing about Baginskiy is that he does not usually make sketches. His way of keeping the ideas in place is making up mood boards. After his mood boards are created, Ruslan and his team start searching for the necessary materials and the most suitable accessories for the intended headgear. They dedicate long hours to mere experiments with the style, patterns, and colors. The hat makers always prepare more samples than they finally produce. For instance, they can make 100 samples, but only 50 of them will go through the final manufacturing process.
Baginsky’s brand is also about the artisanal approach where handmade details play a quintessential role. The designer prefers embroidery, as it reflects Ukrainian traditional culture and it is satiated with an esthetic value. A signature feature of Baginskiy hats is the RB embroidery that can be found on every baker boy cap. Despite the absence of cutting-edge fashion schools in Ukraine, self-trained people and folk craftsmen are prodigies who know lots of unique hat-making techniques, and Ruslan has been always inspired by the talented Ukrainians.
Besides making “hats for every girl’s head”, the brand also works on couture collections, which are the most challenging. Every couture item requires deep research and long experiments. As Ruslan says, fashion is art, and he especially feels being an artist when he creates pieces for high fashion shows. Every art hat he creates carries a unique story within itself. The milliner often collaborates with other artists and even IT specialists to make the couture-designing process as inventive as possible. Besides local technologies, they use 3D printing to make those seamless hats. Some decorations even allude to Ukrainian nature and landscapes.
The Chronology of Popularity
The most successful enterprises start with the support of the loved ones. Knowing that Ruslan wanted to start his own headgear company, his grandmother gave him $200 as an initial investment. It could be perceived as a blessing for a smooth beginning, and in 2015, he managed to start his own brand aimed at making miscellaneous hats and fashionable accessories. A pioneering Baginskiy collection was inspired by the popular headgear of the twentieth century. Yet, the designer made them look exquisitely modern.
Only one year passed after the brand’s start-up when the world mass media became interested in the Ukrainian designer. Stories about Baginskiy and the images of his hats could be read in Elle UA, Harper’s Bazaar UA, L’Officiel Homme UA, and others. At that time, he presented his signature piece – Baginskiy’s vision of a baker boy cap, who was instantly loved by such celebs as Kaia Gerber, Chiara Ferragni, Bella and Gigi Hadid, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, etc
In 2017, the milliner opened his own showroom in Kyiv and began conquering hearts of the Ukrainian capital’s fashionistas. That is when his works appeared at Ukrainian Fashion Week for the first time. Subsequent success at the national and international fashion shows made him a recurring designer for haute couture collections. Moreover, strong family ties played their role again when his mother, father, and brother became part of his creative team. Probably, owing to the help of the dearest ones, Baginskiy manages to produce four seasonal collections every year.
2018 brought other shades of success in terms of the signed partnership between Bagisnkiy and the American brand RTA. This very year Ruslan was honored to create an individually tailored fedora hat for the renown diva Madonna. She appeared in that hat on the cover Vogue Italia in August issue.
That photo session for Vogue was entitled “Just One Day Out of Life”. Despite being intended for the Italian magazine, the photos were made in Portugal’s capital, Lisbon. Besides Baginskiy’s hats, Madonna wore Dior, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, and others. In general, the Ukrainian brand produced 12 unique hats for the photo shoot. Madonna was personally in contact with the team to discuss all the particularities of the design. One of the hats was embroidered with hearts and the name of the American star’s song “Beautiful Game”. Even the singer’s adopted daughter Mercy James wore a black canotier hat created by Baginskiy.
Such a starry collaboration could not go any better, as Madonna appreciated the designer’s work so much, having become the brand’s supporter ever since. For instance, she wore different Baginskiy hats during the same summer and the evidence can be found on the pop queen’s Instagram account.
Fascinating Italian collaborations continued in 2019 when Ruslan Baginskiy signed a contract for an exceptional product creation for the distinguished Italian retailer Luisaviaroma. This very year, the celebrated milliner made his couture collection with the Ukrainian name “Stozhary”. The presentation, which took place in Paris at Hôtel de Crillon, was complemented by art pieces of the Ukrainian sculpturer Maria Kulikovska.
In 2020, another prominent woman became a client of Baginskiy – namely Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska. She wore a bow hairband hat when attending an audience with Pope Francis. The second haute couture collection “TSVIT” was presented the same year online because of the increasing corona virus pandemics.
2021 was successful abroad, as the RB company managed to open a pop-up store in Paris. Besides, one of the members of the famous South Korean pop band BTS wore Baginskiy’s straw boater hat for the video “Butter”.
2022 has been a difficult year for the brand because of the Russian invasion in the territory of Ukraine. Despite the ongoing war, the company does its best to continue making hats mostly for the sake of donating to the army. Although the Instagram feed of the famous brand is focused on promotion, they vividly support Ukraine during war times, emphasizing their belonging to Ukrainian traditions.
Some of the company’s co-founders fled to other countries, while around 100 employees remained in Ukraine. They moved to the city of Ruslan Baginskiy’s origin – Lviv. Nowadays, their workspace is at the local school’s classrooms. Their amazing team remains motivated to continue working and supporting their motherland. They have not lost their foreign partners, who collaborate with the brand at diverse charity events.
Hat for the Queen Elizbeth II who Supported Ukraine
After satisfying capricious demands of the pop queen, it was finally the time to create something special for Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. And who loved hats more than the British monarch? Her collection of hats is beyond impressive.
Thus, the talented team worked hard to create a special hat for the Queen. They made a light blue felt hat adorned with a darker blue bow and a bouquet of colorful flowers like violets. The dominant colors were blue and yellow, which resembled Ukrainian flag.
They made this gift in honor of the Independence Day of Ukraine and as a sign of gratitude for the United Kingdom’s steadfast support of Ukraine, especially during the horrible times of war. The hat was supposed to become a part of the Queen’s collection
The UK Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons successfully brought the present to the royal family. It is not known whether the 96-year-old monarch managed to wear the headgear of the brand, as she passed away on September 8, 2022.
However, a month later, Deputy Private Secretary to the King, David Hogan-Hern, wrote a letter to Mr. Baginskiy. In the official letter from Buckingham Palace, it was stated that the Queen saw that wonderful gift when she gratefully received it at Balmoral Castle in August. Her Majesty was deeply touched by such a gesture of the Ukrainian hat maker.
Who knows, maybe Baginskiy’s royal stories have just started.
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THE BEST BEACHES AND HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS ON COSTA BLANCA, SPAIN
As you can see and read in happylife.es articles, the Costa Blanca is one of the most popular vacation spots in Spain.. Do you know why? Because it offers sun, the Mediterranean sea and good food, as well as an endless number of places you can explore. Alicante is a city with a great atmosphere, with a lively nightlife and interesting cultural offerings, the best restaurants and shopping. But what else you can visit while on holidays on Costa Blanca? Here is the list of beautiful towns you may visit!
Alicante
Altea
Calpe
Benidorm
SVillajoyosa
Alicante city is a must visit when you are coming to Costa Blanca coast. Alicante is a city and port in Spain on the Costa Blanca with beaches, monuments and fantastic museums all form part of this city’s great appeal bathed by the Mediterranean Sea and renowned for being a dynamic city, with a warm climate.
Altea is one of the best places to visit on the Costa Blanca. It has retained it’s beauty and charm unlike many other former fishing villages. Famous for the white color of all its walls, with its fishing port and beautiful landscapes such as the Palau de Altea, the promenade and the oldest part of the village from where you can enjoy incredible views!
Calp was once a small fishing village but little remains of its origins and it is now a large tourist development. There are long, wide, sandy beaches on either side of the Penon de Ifach rock and these are the reason for the large numbers of tourists every year. Both beaches have the blue flag for cleanliness and have excellent facilities. They are surrounded by pubs, clubs and restaurants meaning that you never have to stray far in the search for restaurants.
Benidorm is the most visited tourist resort on the Costa Blanca coast of Spain. Its excellent beaches, wide variety of accommodation, restaurants and many recreational activities means it's a hit with tourists from all over Spain and other countries. As well as there are many activities you can do with your family and kids, such as visiting Mundomar, Aqualandia and Terra Mitica.
This historic coastal town is ideal for a day trip during your holiday to the Costa Blanca. In its old quarter you will find the district named Los Pescadores with its unique, colourful houses. If you have a sweet tooth, make sure you head to the Valor Chocolate Museum. Another must-see place in Villajoyosa is its Roman ruins, Allon. This is the most important Roman discovery in Spain in the last decade!
The name Costa Blanca means “white coast”. In Spain, it is one of the popular destinations among tourists because it has a charming view on villages around, has warm sandy beaches, and is famous for seaside cafes with delicious seafood. Now, when you already know the most important holiday destinations on Costa Blanca, we have prepared as well as a list of top beaches in Alicante and nearby:
Playa de la Caleta (Villajoyosa)
Villajoyosa is a magnificent village on the Costa Blanca that is home to Playa de la Caleta beach. It can be reached in 30 minutes from the center of Alicante, where you can find beautiful sandy beaches surrounded by rocks and mountains. The water in the sea there is literally brilliant and transparent. Apart from enjoying the sea and nature, you can try delicious seafood in the local restaurants.
Playa de Tabarca (Alicante)
Tabarca is a small island that is a must-see for tourists if you are visiting Alicante. You can reach the island by ferry, which costs 20 euros per person. The island is 5 km from Sant Pola. If you are fond of snorkeling and diving, it is a perfect place for this activity. It is certainly a great idea to go there for the whole day and enjoy the sun and tasty food..
Playa San Juan (Alicante)
Located just 15 minutes from Alicante’s center, this amazing beach is three kilometres in length. Playa San Juan is not only a great tourist destination but also a really popular place among the Spanish people going there on holidays. You can find numerous bars, cafes, and restaurants around and go on a real gastro tour here. More so, the beach offers a wide variety of facilities: kayaking, puddle surfing, fitness areas, and even playgrounds for children. If you want to get to this beach by public transport, take trams L1, L3, or L5.
Playa de Levante de Benidorm (Benidorm)
Playa de Levante is probably one of the best-known beaches in Europe. It is actually one of the busiest and most appealing beaches in Benidorm. If you have a liking to busy lifestyle, you will never get bored here. The beach offers a number of facilities: parasailing, jet skiing and other water sports, as well as bars, cafes, and restaurants on the beach line.
Playa de la Fossa de Calpe (Calpe)
Playa de la Fossa is the second-biggest beach in Calpe and is a great tourist destination known for its pale sandy beaches. A kilometer from it is a huge jutting rock that is considered to be one of the region’s landmarks. Due to its facilities and pristine waters, Playa de la Fossa de Calpe has a Blue Flag status. Apart from nature, you can enjoy hiking to the Costa Blanca rock and delicious seafood.
If you decide to come to Spain and visit Costa Blanca region in particular, we are happy to help you with any requests or questions. We not only provide interesting information about the local places but also offer tours and appealing rental proposals. If you are interested in more information, visit happylife.es and we will respond to your inquiries.
A Guide To Building Your Brand New Home
You can think about building a house if your preferred home isn't available on the market or if you want to design a home that is exclusively yours.
Choosing the floor plan, wanting everything in the home to be brand-new, and tailoring their home's elements were among the top factors cited by buyers who chose to purchase newly constructed homes.
The Truoba 3 bedroom houses are ideal for you, if you are looking forward to having more bedrooms in your new home. Are you ready top begin the journey of building your brand new home?
Remember that the construction process might differ from area to area and contractor to contractor, particularly if you're creating a complex bespoke home. Make careful to enquire about the builder's particular policies and practices.
Did you know that there are three options buyers might use when looking at new construction? Here they are:
Spec homes
A home builder creates a single-family home known as a spec home without having a specific buyer in mind. Instead, after it is completed, they intend to offer the property to a buyer. You might be able to choose some of the home's finishing touches, such as flooring, kitchen appliances, and paint color, based on how early in the entire process you are ready to enter into a contract. These homes are occasionally marked as "pre-construction" on the sales listing.
Tract homes
A developer buys a piece of property and divides it into separate lots to create a tract home. The homes in that planned neighborhood are then all built by one home builder. Condominiums, townhomes, or single-family homes can all be considered tract homes. There will be shared amenities and similar-looking residences in the majority of the neighborhood. Depending on the timetable, you might be able to choose some finishing in advance, much like with spec homes.
Totally custom houses
A fully custom home is one that you normally find the land for yourself before hiring a builder to construct. The floor plan, layout, and finishing are all up to you, but the process calls for careful planning, close attention to detail, and strict budgeting because custom homes may be pricey.
The process of building a home
You'll have to look around for the ideal lot if the land you want to build on isn't already yours. You can find properties for sale in your neighborhood with the assistance of a real estate professional. It can occur before or after the property is chosen, depending on your specific plans, but determining the size, layout, and design of your home is a huge undertaking. To make sure your home is structurally strong, complies with local code, and meets your demands, you'll need to have a number of different experts on your team. Construction will commence and your home will start to take shape once the plans and blueprints have been completed and your permits have been authorized.
Customized home construction is a challenging process that can take well over a year, based on your location, lot issues, house size, local regulations, and the permit-approval procedure. Remember to be patient while your dream home is loading.
Everplaces rebrands to focus on app-making-platform for travel brands and DMOs
For the last year, Everplaces has been powering two products simultaneously, the well-known travel tool app simply called “Everplaces” and a B2B tool for companies to make travel apps in a faster and better way.
From 1 January 2015 this will change, as we make changes in our business to split the products, and move focus to the app making platform.
Everplaces the app, which is used and loved all over the world, will continue running to support the community of travellers to find the very best insider tips for places to eat, sleep and play. It will retain the name and brand “Everplaces” and will be run by our wonderful designer cofounder Angelica Vargas, who will also find the time to work with other startups and brands to develop amazing designs, especially on mobile.
This strategic move enables us to focus our efforts inside the company on one product, rather than two. This is good news for all of our clients, such as German National Tourism Board, Urban Adventures, Epoque Hotels, etc., whose amazing travel apps are built on the platform. It will enable us to create travel related apps with even more advanced features, faster, easier and cheaper than ever before.
Till now, the app-making-platform has lived a life somewhat in the shadow of its larger sibling, Everplaces, a position it has now outgrown. The product will now get its own name, brand and resources. In this process, cofounder Christoffer Kaalund is stepping up as CEO. Christoffer is the technical mind behind the app-making-platform and knows it better than anyone else. Current CEO Tine Thygesen has decided to move on, and will only be involved in a non-operational capacity going forward.
Sometimes when you have two good things you have to make the hard choice to separate them, so each can grow and develop in its respective way. This is what this split allows us to do, and we are thoroughly convinced that it is the best way to serve our investors, clients and community. In fact, we are very excited about the new stage.
Don’t hesitate to be in touch if you have further questions.
Tine Thygesen, Christoffer Kaalund and Angelica Vargas
Cofounders, Everplaces
More info:
Everplaces travel app: everplaces.com, and Apple App Store.
App-making-platform: business.everplaces.com
Hotel bookings: one in five nights now booked from mobile
Australian online travel agency Wotif recently disclosed that 49% of their hotel-related traffic now comes from mobile (web and apps), a staggering increase of 37% from 2013. The online travel agency, recently acquired by Expedia, manages around 30,000 hotels in Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
That’s a lot of eyes on those little screens… and they are not just browsing. They are happy to pay, too: Wotif adds that the number of nights booked from mobile is now 23% of the total.
Growth in revenue from mobile for Wotif / Source: Tnooz.
The Australian OTA is not alone. Expedia says that one in five nights is now booked from a phone; for Chinese travel agent eLong, it’s almost one in three.
Last minute and more
Clearly, mobile is most useful in specific situations, such as last minute changes while en-route. Not surprisingly, its biggest supporters are frequent business travellers.
On the other hand, travellers are starting to turn to their phones only as an emergency fix: more and more of these bookings are being made more than one week in advance.
Time to invest in better apps
Wind in sails, then? Yes, and no. When surveyed, travellers agree that mobile is still their least favorite way of booking, mostly because it takes them longer than anything else (19 minutes on average!). Small screens and less established technology contribute to a poor user experience.
So - What should hotel marketers do?
First of all, treat all screens (desktop, phone, tablet) as separate marketing channels and provide the best user experience on each device. By now, having a dedicated booking app should be a no-brainer for anyone in the travel industry.
We expect that better apps and ease of use will make these numbers grow even more.
Roadtripping in Croatia
One year ago, our ambassador Elmar drove all the way from Germany to North Cape with his old VW van so he could catch a last glimpse of midnight sun. We caught up with him to see what he’s been up to lately. As it turns out, his mobile home is still going strong!
Eat, sleep and wake up everyday to the view of your choice. All photos: Elmar Reckmann
A guide to Copenhagen Cooking - part 2
Photo: Johnno / Flickr
From DIY ice-cream (with liquid nitrogen!) to the finest street food in town, get ready for another weekend of food, drinks and everything in between! We have shortlisted the best events at Copenhagen Cooking. For the full program, you can download the free app.
Asian Street Food Festival
If you think that Copenhagen is lacking in the street-food department, it’s time visit the Street Food Festival at Vesterbro Torv where the best kitchens in town will serve some of their their street-food hits.
Where & When: Vesterbrogade 39. Aug 29-31 Price: free. Event details here.
A guide to Copenhagen Cooking - Part 1
All photos courtesy of Copenhagen Cooking
The biggest food festival in Northern Europe, Copenhagen Cooking is ready to go, with ten days of food, wine and everything in between. We have done some legwork for you and went through the program (clicking in at more than 100 events!) and shortlisted ten of the most mouth-watering experiences.
And now, let the food feast begin!
This modernist resort in Palm Springs takes inspiration from native Mojave wildflowers: lilies, californian poppies, sunflowers, desert globemallow were turned into saffron umbrellas, magenta sofas, green, blue and lime-colored walls. Each room follows a different color schemes (some might be more relaxing than others!) and most of them offer great views over the San Jacinto Mountains. One thing is for sure: we wouldn’t mind waking up here! Photo: Apartment Therapy
Saguaro Hotel, 1800 E Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92264
No one can quite agree on the exact number of Greek Islands, but something is sure: they all look pretty darn good. Need some inspiration? Here’s our checklist of what you should not miss on a island-hopping tour of the bluest .
Sleep at San Giorgio Hotel, Mykonos This boutique hotel is a little boho paradise by the beach. The interior is artfully decorated with handwoven rugs, exotic trinkets and lots, lots of light.
Explore a shipwreck in Zakyntos A famous destination is the only accessible from the sea is Shipwreck where the wreck of the coaster Panagiotis lies on a small beach, surrounded by 200 meters high, towering cliffs. Photo: C. Wegerhoff
Santorini Dive Center Where’s Nemo? Go find him with an organized dive to the volcano or to sea reefs full of colorful acquatic life. Snorkeling is also great here. / Photo: divecenter.gr
Epistrofi, Mykonos A cute tavern located directly at Agios Stefanos Beach. Go there to enjoy a coffee in the sun or a dinner with sea view. /Photo: Mela Mörtenbäck
Cliff Diving Feeling adventurous? Test your nerves with a 10 meter jump into the blue at Kamari Beach.
Wine tasting at Boutaris & Son Winery: This lovely winery in Thira has with a large selection of local wines. Taste as many different wines as you can and grab a chance to try Santorini’s Vinsanto! The Boutaris family has been in the wine business for more than 130 year. / Photo: Yannotis Associates
Astra Suites Hotel, Thira: Perched right atop the volcanic cliffs of Santorini, this boutique hotel has heart-stopping views over the sparkling Aegian sea. / Photo: Astra Suites
For more tips, check out our collection on Everplaces!
Stand out from the crowd: How to optimize your Google Play app details page
With more than one million apps available on Android’s marketplace, it’s easy to get lost among hundreds of competitors. Here is our advice on how to make your app really stand out.
Last year, 60% of all downloads came from people browsing in the app stores: this means that if you’re not optimizing your app page, you’re missing out on the largest opportunity to get your product in front of your customers.
Most of the advice applies to both Apple and Google stores, but on the Play Store you will see more of the Google legacy, with searchable descriptions, integrated YouTube videos and more focus on inbound links.
Search optimization cheat sheet
Title: Get the title right and your position will improve dramatically! Have your primary keyword here, ideally within the app name. You can then include one or two extra keywords to get better optimize for the most relevant searches: for example, a travel app might perform better after adding city or guide to the name.
Have you been to Montenegro yet? No? Your guide to the last wilderness in Europe
Dense forest of beech, maple and fir, towering mountains, deep deep gorges and wild mountain rivers. Where is that? We’re on our way to Montenegro, the last corner of true wilderness on the Mediterranean. Our Project Manager and insatiable explorer Ani is a local expert, so we got a few tips out of her!
Summer in the city: the best urban beaches in Europe
Photo: Arkady Genkin
It’s pretty hot in Copenhagen today! The Everplaces team likes to cools it down at Bryggen, a beach a few minutes’ walk from our office. For all fellow summer city dwellers around the world, we’ve rounded up a list of the best urban oases for swimming, sunbathing and getting sand in your toes without leaving town. See you in the water!
Welcome to the little Miami of Scandinavia! From June to September this otherwise bleak neighborhood becomes a parade of tattoos, tanned bodies, hip-hop music, basketball players, barbecues and occasional show-offs doing Olympic flips in the water. Even if you’re not into canal swimming, this is a prime people-watching spot.
Initially conceived as an art project to enliven a neglected neighborhood, this 90-foot-long ‘bathing ship’ was created in 2004 out of a converted barge and is now found floating in the Spree river, complete with beach chairs and happy beach-goers. Like everything in Berlin it’s open late at night, more often than not with DJs and live music, so try an evening swim!
The beach at the Arganzuela is part of a major project by the City of Madrid to create 10-km long recreational area on the banks of the Manzanares. The park includes rowing lanes on the river, kiosks, cafés and restaurants, bike paths, walks, terraces and children’s playgrounds.
Welcome to the original urban beach, the one that started the trend. Since 2002, every summer the banks of the Seine are covered in sand and dotted with beach chairs and palm trees, to offer a little taste of the French Riviera in the city. This year, the Louvre is taking part with an open-air gallery of Roman marbles, bathing beauties and other beach-inspired artwork that is on sight at the Tunnel of the Tuileries until August 17th.
The beach at Strand West is open year round for a bite and a drink, but it really comes to life in the summer months, when it hosts evening campfires and live bands. Here the crowds are more relaxed than at other urban beaches, like Strand Zuid, and the location is quite, too, with very little noise and traffic. Best of all, it’s only a ten minutes bike from Centraal Station!
You’ll find students, eurocrats, sandcastle builders, Tai-chi masters, ball game players and everyone in between on the cobblestone banks of the Brussels canal. Straw huts and Caribbean food contribute to the tropical feel (but local Trappist beers is pretty much the refreshment of choice). During the day there are several activities for kids, while at night the beach comes alive with live music.
For a complete guide of the best city beaches in Europe, head over to our Everplaces collection. Do you have more tips for summering in the city like a real pro? Let us know in the comments!