Charter by country
Yacht Charter France
From Saint-Tropez to Menton, and across the strait to Corsica — deep water close in, and harbours built for big boats.
The stretch between Saint-Tropez and the Italian border is where modern yachting was effectively invented, and it still sets the terms. The water goes deep within metres of the shore, the harbours were built for size rather than charm, and a morning at anchor off the Lérins islands can end with dinner in Monte-Carlo.
It is busy in July and August and the coast does not pretend otherwise. What surprises people is how quickly it empties: the anchorages between Cannes and the Estérel are calm on the same afternoon that the Croisette is not, and the difference is twenty minutes under power.
Corsica is the other half of France on this fleet, and it is nothing like the first. An hour and a half across the strait from Olbia, mountainous, French rather than Italian, and empty in a way the mainland coast stopped being decades ago.
Practical notes
- No yacht is permanently based on the Côte d'Azur: what sails here is positioned, so decide earlier than for a Campanian week
- Corsica is reached from Olbia, an hour and a half across the strait — thirteen boats sit at that base
- Berths in Saint-Tropez, Cannes and Monaco are booked months ahead in season and are the single biggest constraint on the week
- Nice and Figari airports serve the two ends; Nice is twenty minutes from Antibes
- The mistral funnels down the Rhône valley and can shut the western end of the coast for a day at a time
Cruising grounds
The areas we know well enough to tell you which one suits your week — and which does not.
Yachts available for
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked
- Is the Côte d'Azur worth it in August?
- The coast is, the harbours are not. August berths are scarce and expensive and the towns are full. On a boat you can sit at anchor off the Lérins or under the Estérel and go ashore when it suits — which is a different holiday from the one people complain about.
- Can we combine the Riviera and Corsica?
- Not comfortably in a week. Nice to Calvi is roughly a hundred and twenty miles of open water — an overnight passage, and a day of the week gone each way. They are two separate weeks, and we would rather say so than sell you one.
- Do you have yachts based in France?
- Not permanently. The Riviera is served by the western Mediterranean boats and by the three based in the Balearics, which reach it in two days; Corsica is sailed from Olbia. It means booking earlier and a narrower choice, and it is the honest position.
- What does a yacht charter in France cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season, the crew and the positioning, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks. Tell us your dates and party size.
Charter here
Enquire about a charter in France
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.