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Gordon-Frishman Beach, Tel Aviv, Israel

If Jerusalem is Israel’s responsible, buttoned-up firstborn child, then Tel Aviv is the fun, freewheeling youngest sibling. On warm days, Tel Avivians are quick to hit the city’s 13 beaches that span more than eight miles along the Mediterranean. And Gordon-Frishman Beach, closest to the city core, is one of the hippest places to be seen. Beach bars, DJs, and volleyball courts draw a cosmopolitan crowd, and on weekends you have to arrive early to stake out a spot on the wide beach.

What to Do: Come for an early-morning workout in the saltwater outdoor pool. Stop at a cafe along the seaside Tayelet (“promenade” in Hebrew), or follow the path to adjacent beaches where you’ll see kite surfers and people playing a type of beach tennis called matkot, unofficially the country’s national sport.

Clock Tower Beach, Montreal, Canada

Inspired by Paris Plages’ annual summertime transformation of the Seine riverside into a faux Cote d’Azur beach setting, Montreal opens its own urban beach along the St. Lawrence River this June. Clock Tower Beach, built on the Old Port’s Clock Tower pier, is piled with truckloads of sand and dotted with bright blue parasols and Adirondack chairs that look out over Old Montreal, the Jacques Cartier Bridge, and Ile Sainte-Helene. No swimming is allowed in the swift river, but you can cool off in the outdoor showers on the boardwalk.

What to Do: Grab a treat at one of the snack bars and find shade under trees on the pier’s east side. Climb the 192 stairs to the top of the 1922 Clock Tower. Near the pier entrance you can rent pedal boats.

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