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Paris's Cinéma en Plein Air festival is turning 20 years old this summer and celebrating with a lineup of films that are all about life at that crazy age. From now until August 22, you can go to watch outdoor movies every night except Monday in the Parc de la Villette (19th arrondissement). The screenings begin at sundown, 10-10:30 p.m. Crowds begin to arrive as early as 8 p.m. to picnic on the giant green lawn. Travelers without access to a refrigerator needn't worry—there's a Monop' mini-grocery near the entrance to the park (at the corner of Eugène Jumin and Jean Jaurès) that sells all the necessary snacks and beverages. There are also some fast food options, a few kebab trucks, and a bakery inside the park. Admission is free, and a chair/blanket combo can be rented for €7/$9 (or 5 for €20/$26). The nights can be chilly, so consider renting a blanket if you're not warmly dressed. Films are shown in their original language (V.O.), and the following will all be in English: • July 31: Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick) • August 5: Juno (Jason Reitman) • August 10: Simple Men (Hal Hartley) • August 11: The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Philip Kaufman) • August 13: Mystery Train (Jim Jarmusch) • August 14: Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona (Woody Allen) • August 21: My Own Private Idaho (Gus Van Sant) • August 22: Grease (Randal Kleiser) PREVIOUSLY Summer in Paris: The Beach Is Back

Just how much extra do you pay for the convenience of drinks and snacks in a hotel minibar? A neat new infographic from Mint.com shows you how much, using the minibar prices in rooms at The Standard NYC compared to what someone would pay for the same items in a grocery store near the hotel. In many cases, hotel guests pay three times more for the minibar goods. See the screen grab (shown in this post). The supermarket prices are in white and the hotel minibar prices are in red. Goes without saying: You'll save quite a bit by keeping your hands off the minibar and taking a stroll to the grocery store. It's a good idea to get out of the hotel from time to time too.

I'm always excited to read about Bath in the news—I visited last fall with my husband and loved the small historic town, about 115 miles west of London. Bath is famous for its Roman baths, a remnant of the 400-year Roman occupation that began in 43 A.D. The town is admittedly touristy but well worth a stop—although you can take a day trip from London easily, we stayed overnight and didn't regret it. Besides the must-see baths, there was plenty to do, like the Fashion Museum and the stunning architectural wonder, the Royal Crescent. The Fashion Museum has been getting some attention lately for its new exhibit, the Diana Dresses. The collection has a few old-fashioned pieces from the princess's visits to Canada and New Zealand, plus some more modern dresses, like a black shift dress by Versace that Diana wore to a movie premiere in 1995. (exhibit through Jan. 9, 2011). The museum also picks a Dress of the Year, and there are now more than 50 pieces on view. When we visited, I tried guessing the year of each dress—the styles run the gamut from glittery '70s Disco to modern minis. It's basically a quick glimpse into our ever-changing fashion sensibilities (there are also these crazy corsets you can try on. I don't know how women of the past did it!). I highly suggest getting the two-for-one ticket to the Fashion Museum and Roman baths; at £15 (about $23), it'll save you £3.50 over buying the tickets separately. Also take them up on the free, informative-but-not-boring audio tour (what is it about English accents that make history more interesting?), with fun tidbits narrated by Bill Bryson. If you're visiting in August, the baths are staying open until 10 p.m. to accommodate crowds. Tip: Bath's high season lasts through August but drops off a bit in September and October, when I happened to be there. If you have a choice, visit in the fall to avoid lots of other tourists.

Sun-worshippers are celebrating the return of Paris Plages, a summer festival that finds the banks of the Seine piled with 2,500 tons of sand. From now until August 20, the voie Georges Pompidou, running from the Louvre to the Pont de Sully, is one giant urban beach. The ninth edition of this annual festival features a second, satellite sandbox along the Bassin de la Villette. Both sites are strewn with deckchairs, ice cream stands and gravel courts for playing pétanque. The Seine location also boasts a swimming pool, some trampolines, and an outpost of my favorite gelato shop. The northern beach along the Bassin offers boating (paddle and row), along with ballroom dancing lessons. The best thing about this festival may be the price: it's totally free. MORE ABOUT PARIS PLAGES • The city's English-language guide to Paris Plages • One reviewer's list of top Paris Plages activities, including ukulele lessons every Thursday • A list of free summer concerts in association with Paris Plages • See hundreds of photos from Paris Plages on Flickr