France to ban smoking on beaches, parks and bus stops from July 1

France will ban smoking in all outdoor places that can be accessed by children, including beaches, parks and bus stops from July 1, French Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin announced Thursday. Famed as a country where smokers linger over cigarettes on cafe terraces or strolling down cobblestone streets, France has increasingly tightened restrictions on tobacco use in public spaces in recent years.

The ban will also extend to schools, to stop students smoking in front of them. Offenders face a fine of up to $154, Vautrin said. The ban will not extend to France's iconic cafe terraces however, the minister said. Electronic cigarettes, which have boomed in France in recent years, are also not covered. More than 1,500 cities and villages had already imposed their own bans on smoking in public spaces such as parks, beaches and ski slopes.