Plage du Morlet, Grand Parc Miribel Jonage

Plage du Morlet is a free, supervised lake beach on the Lac des Eaux Bleues inside the Grand Parc Miribel Jonage, about 13 km east of central Lyon in Vaulx-en-Velin, in France's Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region. It is one of the park's several beaches and is favoured by families because the water entry is gentle and the shore is backed by lawns and shaded areas rather than concrete. The lake is a former gravel-pit complex filled with fresh water, so there is no tide or surf; the swimming area is calm and lifeguarded, and the water typically looks green-blue and stays cool into July. Unlike the paid L'Atol Beach, Plage du Morlet charges no entry, which makes it a popular choice for residents of the eastern Lyon suburbs and for visitors travelling on a budget. The trade-off is a shorter supervision window: lifeguards generally cover the afternoons only, typically from around 13:00, and only in the summer season from late June to early September. Facilities are basic but sufficient, with toilets, lawn space for picnics and direct links to the park's cycle paths. There are no large restaurants at the water's edge, so visitors usually bring food and drink or walk to a nearby snack outlet within the park. The beach can be reached by bicycle from Lyon along the cycle routes, by car to the Grand Parc car parks, or by the summer Echappees Nature bus, whose current schedule is published at grand-parc.fr. Parking fills at weekends in hot weather, and arriving before lunch improves the chances of a space and a shaded spot on the grass. The atmosphere is relaxed and local, with children playing in the shallows, groups picnicking on the lawn and cyclists stopping for a swim. Outside the supervised season swimming is not patrolled, and visitors should check the park's notices for water-quality or closure information before entering.