France · Côte d'Azur
Yacht Charter French Riviera
Yacht charter on the French Riviera — Saint-Tropez, Cannes, Antibes and Monaco.
The Riviera is the most concentrated stretch of coast in the Mediterranean: Saint-Tropez to Monaco is under sixty nautical miles, and inside it sit the harbours the whole industry was built around. That density is the point. You can lunch at anchor off the Îles de Lérins, be in Antibes for the afternoon and in Monaco for dinner, without a passage longer than two hours.
The stretch, west to east
Saint-Tropez and the Gulf: the Pampelonne anchorages, and a town that empties of day visitors by seven. Then the Estérel, whose red porphyry cliffs run straight into deep blue water and see far less traffic than their looks deserve.
Cannes and the Îles de Lérins: Sainte-Marguerite is a wooded island fifteen minutes off the Croisette with almost nothing on it, and it is where the yachts go when the Bay of Cannes fills up.
Antibes, Cap Ferrat and Monaco: the deepest harbours, the best provisioning on the coast, and the shortest hops of the whole week.
When to come, and when not to
May and June are the Riviera at its best: warm, green and unhurried. September is the same again with warmer water.
Three weeks are different in kind rather than degree — the Grand Prix in late May, the Film Festival in May and the Yachting Festival in September. Berths triple in price and vanish months ahead. If you want to be there for one of them, the conversation has to start in winter.
Practical notes
- Saint-Tropez to Monaco is under sixty nautical miles — hops of one to two hours
- Nice airport sits in the middle of the coast, twenty minutes from Antibes
- May, June and September are the months; July and August are full
- Grand Prix, Film Festival and Yachting Festival weeks need booking a season ahead
- Anchoring is restricted over posidonia seagrass — your captain will use the buoy fields
Reached from: Antibes, Golfe-Juan and the Riviera ports
Where to dine
A table by the water
La Colombe d'Or
Saint-Paul-de-VenceA 1920s inn whose walls hold Picasso, Léger and Matisse — paid in paintings, not francs.
Le Louis XV — Alain Ducasse
MonacoThree Michelin stars in the Hôtel de Paris. Riviera produce treated with total seriousness.
La Guérite
Île Sainte-Marguerite, CannesOn an island off Cannes, tender access only — long Mediterranean lunches that rarely end early.
Club 55
Pampelonne, Saint-TropezThe original Pampelonne beach club, opened 1955. Booking is not optional in August.
The old port of Antibes
AntibesThe unshowy side of the Riviera — market stalls on Cours Masséna and simple fish restaurants behind them.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
Îles de Lérins
Two islands twenty minutes off Cannes — pine, monastery vineyards and the calmest anchorage on this coast.
Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, Cap Ferrat
Nine gardens on a headland between two bays, built by a Rothschild who could not choose a style.
Èze
A medieval village welded to a rock 400m above the sea, with an exotic garden at the summit.
Port Hercule, Monaco
The Principality from the water — and the only sensible way to be there during the Grand Prix or the Yacht Show.
Calanques de l'Estérel
Red porphyry cliffs falling into clear water between Saint-Raphaël and Cannes — sea access only.
The fleet
Yachts available for the French Riviera
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Itineraries
Yacht charter itineraries on the French Riviera
What a week here actually looks like, day by day.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about the French Riviera
- Where should a Riviera charter start?
- Antibes or Golfe-Juan for most yachts: deep harbours, real provisioning and Nice airport twenty minutes away. Saint-Tropez is more scenic but berths there are scarce and expensive.
- Can we visit Monaco by yacht?
- Yes, though berths in Port Hercule are limited and priced accordingly. Many charters anchor off Cap-d'Ail or Cap Ferrat and go in by tender, which is usually the better arrangement.
- Is the Riviera worth it in July and August?
- It is spectacular and it is full. If the dates are fixed, we will point you at the anchorages that still work in high season rather than pretend the coast is empty.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
Charter here
Enquire about a charter on the French Riviera
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.