France · Mediterranean
A short coast that expects a lot of you.
Antibes to Saint-Tropez is forty miles. What happens in between is the reason half of Europe keeps a boat here.
Overview
The Côte d’Azur is the most heavily chartered water in the world, which means the berths are difficult and the anchorages are known. Both problems are solved by knowing people, which is most of what a charter broker is for.
Our advice is nearly always the same: sleep at anchor off the Lérins or Cap Taillat, and go alongside only for the evenings you actually want.
Out of season — late September into October — it becomes a genuinely quiet coast, and the light is better.
- Best time to visit
- June, and the second half of September
- Charter season
- April – October
- Position
- 43.55°N 7.10°E
Suggested itinerary
A week, day by day
Select a day to see what it looks like. Every route is adjusted for weather before you sail.
7-Day French Riviera Charter
Typical conditions
What the weather usually does
Seasonal averages for planning, not a forecast. Your captain works from the live picture.
| Month | Air | Sea | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| May | 21°C | 18°C | Variable, F2–4 |
| June | 25°C | 21°C | Sea breeze, F3 |
| July | 28°C | 24°C | Sea breeze, F3 |
| August | 29°C | 25°C | Sea breeze, F3–4 |
| September | 25°C | 24°C | Light, F2–3 |
| October | 21°C | 21°C | Mistral possible, F5 |
On the ground
Where to stop, swim and eat
Anchorages
Baie de Briande
South of Cap Taillat; sand, and almost no swell.
Îles de Lérins
The channel between the islands, out of the swell either way.
Rade de Villefranche
Deep, huge, and sheltered from everything except a southerly.
Baie des Fourmis
Under Cap Ferrat, ten minutes from Beaulieu.
Beaches
Plage de la Paloma
Cap Ferrat, east-facing, best before eleven.
Pampelonne
Five kilometres of sand and every kind of beach club.
Plage de Passable
Looks straight across at Villefranche.
Tables worth booking
La Guérite, Cannes
On Sainte-Marguerite. Tender access, long lunches.
Le Club 55, Ramatuelle
The original Pampelonne club, still the best-run.
La Petite Maison, Nice
Niçoise cooking; the courgette flowers are the point.
Gallery
French Riviera
The fleet
Yachts we would suggest
Elsewhere
