LAC DES HURTIÈRES

Swimming and the beach

The south-east corner of the lake is the bathing zone, fringed by a beach of fine sand where children build castles in the shallows while stronger swimmers head out to the marker buoy. Bathing is supervised by two lifeguards through the summer — in recent planning the season has run from late June to late August, every day from noon to six — so you can swim with a clear mind. In the part of the lake outside the supervised zone, swimming is at your own risk, and it is strictly forbidden in the ecological reserve.

What makes a swim here feel special is the setting: a valley laid out full-tilt to the south, an average water temperature around 25°C all summer, no waves to fight, and the Lauzière massif rising across the far shore. It's the kind of mountain beach where you can stay in the water late into the evening.

Games, picnics and the lakeside table

The grassy flats beyond the beach are made for lingering. There are pétanque courts and a beach-volley pitch, a Mölkky set to hand around, and an adventure play area for children tucked behind the picnic zone. Two shared barbecues and picnic tables let you turn a lazy afternoon into a proper spread, and the local food scene supplies the rest — ewe's-milk cheese from a nearby farm, a small beer from a valley brewery, and all the fixings for a lakeside picnic.

If you'd rather be served, Le Café-Gourmand is the site's bar-restaurant, open from roughly mid-May to the end of August with a terrace that has that relaxed guinguette feel right over the water — good for a coffee, a ice cream or a full meal while you watch the swimmers. Reserving is wise on busy days, and there's a second, lighter option just before you reach the lake gates, a pizza place called La Kbane du Lac.

Fishing for the patient

The lake carries a second-category fishing licence, and anglers come for perch — which tend to hold near the pontoons at the start of the fishing zone — for shoals of white fish beyond the shallows, and occasionally for a trout that has dropped in from the stream. You'll need a Savoie day, weekly or annual fishing card, available from the tourist office with reduced rates for children. Fishing is barred from the ecological reserve and from the bathing zone between late June and the end of August; during the season, cast from the side by the motorway, entered through its own small gate.

The protected north shore

Across the water, the northern half of the lake belongs to the wildlife. Managed by the Conservatoire d'Espaces Naturels de Savoie, the reed-fringed shallows and ponds are home to dragonflies, amphibians and the fragile natterjack toad, with orchid meadows and seasonal pools on the margins; the fish themselves use the reeds to breed and rest. This is a no-entry zone for visitors — you cannot walk the full circuit around the lake, and the shoreline here is best left undisturbed.

The clever compromise is a discovery trail that runs along the edge. Playful, family-friendly interpretation posts explain what lives in the reserve and why it's protected, leading you to a hide that looks back over the lake — a quiet, framed view of the blue water and its wilder far shore that makes an underrated counterpart to a day on the beach.

Planning your visit

Access to the lake is free, and the leisure spaces are open all year, though the swimming, restaurant and supervised bathing concentrate in summer. A free car park sits just to the right as you arrive on the site; note that petrol-powered vehicles of any kind are banned within the lake grounds, while bicycles are tolerated outside the bathing zone and can be racked by the entrance gate and by the Café-Gourmand. The entrance and a dedicated parking bay near the restaurant are wheelchair accessible, and the card readers at the food outlets and fishing point take debit and credit.

Bring something for shade and a picnic if you're staying all day, as summer weekends get popular. Dogs are welcome on the site but must be on a lead and are not allowed in the bathing or ecological zones; camping in any form is prohibited, and litter with sorting bins is provided on the grounds and in the car park. For the full summer picture, pair a swim here with the valley's other draws: this is a laid-back, family-first corner of the Maurienne rather than a high-alpine adventure.