France · Côte d'Azur
Yacht Charter Villefranche-sur-Mer
One of the deepest natural harbours in the Mediterranean, fifteen minutes from Nice and a century behind it.
Villefranche sits in a bay so deep that aircraft carriers used to anchor in it, between Nice and Cap Ferrat, with a wall of ochre and rose houses running along the water and a sixteenth-century citadel at one end. The depth is the reason the bay has always mattered; the fact that almost nothing has been built on it since is the reason to come.
The bay
The water drops to nearly a hundred metres within the bay itself, so anything can anchor here and lie in shelter — the Rade de Villefranche has been a naval anchorage since the fourteenth century and the US Sixth Fleet used it until 1966.
The old town behind is a grid of stepped lanes, one of them — the rue Obscure — a covered vaulted passage from the thirteenth century running under the houses for a hundred and thirty metres.
Cap Ferrat next door
The peninsula on the eastern side of the bay holds the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its nine gardens, and a coastal path that goes right round the point at sea level.
Nice is fifteen minutes west, Monaco fifteen east, and the anchorage here is quieter than either — which is why boats working this coast tend to sleep at Villefranche and visit the rest.
Practical notes
- No yacht is based on the Côte d'Azur: the fleet reaches it from the Balearics in two days, or is positioned for your dates
- The bay drops to nearly a hundred metres and has been a naval anchorage since the fourteenth century
- Nice is fifteen minutes west, Monaco fifteen east; Nice airport is twenty-five minutes by road
- The rue Obscure is a thirteenth-century covered passage running a hundred and thirty metres under the old town
Reached from: the Balearics and the western Mediterranean
Where to dine
A table by the water
La Mère Germaine
VillefrancheOn the quay since 1938, doing bouillabaisse for people who came off boats in the bay in front of it.
Les Garçons
VillefrancheA small room up in the stepped lanes, doing precise Provençal cooking away from the water.
Paloma Beach
Cap FerratRound the point on the eastern side, on the rocks, with lunch that runs long by design.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The Rade
One of the deepest natural harbours in the Mediterranean, dropping to nearly a hundred metres inside the bay itself.
Rue Obscure
A covered vaulted passage from the thirteenth century running a hundred and thirty metres under the old town.
Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild
On Cap Ferrat next door: a rose-coloured villa with nine gardens, each laid out in a different country's style.
The Cap Ferrat coastal path
Right round the point at sea level, with the water on one side and villas hidden behind pines on the other.
The fleet
Yachts available for Villefranche-sur-Mer
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 Villefranche-sur-Mer
- Why anchor at Villefranche?
- Depth and shelter. The bay goes to nearly a hundred metres and has held fleets since the fourteenth century, and it is quieter than Nice or Monaco fifteen minutes either side.
- What is worth seeing ashore?
- The rue Obscure, a covered vaulted passage from the thirteenth century running under the houses, and the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild with its nine gardens on Cap Ferrat next door.
- What does a yacht charter at Villefranche 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.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
Charter here
Enquire about a charter at Villefranche-sur-Mer
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.