France · Principality of Monaco
Yacht Charter Monaco
Two hundred hectares, two harbours and the deepest water of any port on this coast.
Monaco is two square kilometres built vertically against a mountain, with Port Hercule cut into the middle of it and Cap d'Ail on one side and Cap Martin on the other. Arriving by sea is the way the place was designed to be entered: the Rock with the palace on it, the harbour below, and the whole principality rising in tiers behind.
The two harbours
Port Hercule is the old basin, deep enough for anything afloat and the centre of the principality's calendar — the Grand Prix runs round it in May and the Yacht Show fills it in September. Fontvieille, on the western side, is smaller and quieter and takes the boats that want the address without the traffic.
Both sit within a few minutes' walk of everything: the palace on the Rock, the oceanographic museum built into the cliff below it, the Casino square and its gardens.
Either side of the principality
Cap Martin to the east and Cap d'Ail to the west have coastal paths cut along the rock at sea level, and the anchorages under them are quiet within a mile of a place that is not.
Villefranche is fifteen minutes west with one of the deepest natural harbours in the Mediterranean; Menton is fifteen east, at the Italian border, with the mildest microclimate on this coast.
Practical notes
- No yacht is based here: the fleet reaches the Riviera from the Balearics in two days, or is positioned for your dates
- Port Hercule takes anything afloat; Fontvieille on the western side is quieter
- The Grand Prix in May and the Yacht Show in September fill the harbour completely — both are booked a year out
- Nice airport is twenty-five minutes by road, or seven by helicopter
Reached from: the Balearics and the western Mediterranean
Where to dine
A table by the water
Le Louis XV — Alain Ducasse
Monte-CarloThe first hotel restaurant in the world to hold three stars, and still the reference on this coast.
La Montgolfière
Monaco-VilleA small room on the Rock doing precise cooking with a Mediterranean-Asian turn, a few streets from the palace.
Marché de la Condamine
La CondamineThe covered market behind Port Hercule, where the principality actually shops and eats at lunchtime.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The Rock
The old town on its promontory, with the palace, the cathedral and the oceanographic museum built into the cliff below.
Port Hercule
The old basin, deep enough for anything afloat, with the Grand Prix circuit running round it in May.
Cap Martin
East towards Menton, with a coastal path cut at sea level and quiet anchorages under it.
The Casino gardens
Belle Époque terraces above the square, and the shortest walk from a berth to a garden anywhere on this coast.
The fleet
Yachts available for Monaco
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 about Monaco
- Can we berth in Port Hercule?
- In most of the season yes, with notice. During the Grand Prix in May and the Yacht Show in September the harbour is committed a year ahead, and we will say so early rather than late.
- What is there to do in two square kilometres?
- More than the size suggests: the palace on the Rock, the oceanographic museum built into the cliff, the Casino gardens, and coastal paths at sea level on both capes either side.
- What does a yacht charter in Monaco cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season, the crew and the berth, and Monaco berthing is quoted separately because it varies more than anything else on this coast.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
Charter here
Enquire about a charter in Monaco
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.