A week is exactly enough to see the best of this coast without turning the holiday into a delivery trip. I have chartered out of Cannes three times now, twice on a 12-metre monohull and once on a catamaran with friends who had never sailed in the Mediterranean, and the route below is the one I keep coming back to because the distances are short, the anchorages are spectacular, and there is always a harbour within reach when the weather turns.
The classic loop runs Cannes, the Lerins islands, Saint-Tropez, the Hyeres islands and back, covering somewhere between 100 and 140 nautical miles depending on how far west you push. That works out at around 15 to 20 miles a day, which leaves long mornings at anchor and short, civilised afternoon sails. Nobody is doing dawn starts on this trip.
Before you commit to the dates
The single biggest decision is when to come. May, June, September and the first half of October are the sailing months on the Cote d'Azur: warm water, settled weather, a reliable afternoon sea breeze and far fewer boats fighting for the same anchorage. July and August give you heat, crowds, the highest berth prices of the year and a real scramble for space in places like Saint-Tropez. If you can avoid the school holidays, do.
The second decision is the boat. This coast suits a bareboat charter well because the legs are short and the navigation is straightforward, but you need the right paperwork. France will want to see a recognised certificate of competence, and the rules for visitors are not always what UK or other charterers expect. Sort that out before you fly, because the base will check it at handover. Our guide to bareboat charter in France and the licence question covers exactly what is accepted.
Day one: Cannes and out to the Lerins
Most charters in the area start at Cannes, sometimes at Mandelieu just to the west. Take the first day gently: handover, provisioning and a short hop of a couple of miles out to the Lerins islands, Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat, lying just off the town. Anchor on the sand in the channel between the two, swim, walk the wooded paths, and visit the monastery on Saint-Honorat where the monks still make wine. It is the easiest anchorage of the whole week and a gentle way to shake the crew down. For the detail, see our piece on the Lerins islands anchorage off Cannes.
Anchor only on the sand patches, not the seagrass. The Posidonia meadows here are protected like everywhere on this coast, with heavy fines for the big boats and a clear expectation that smaller ones avoid the grass too. Read the water colour, or use the Donia app.
Days two and three: west to Saint-Tropez
The longest single leg of the week is the run from the Cannes area to Saint-Tropez, around 26 nautical miles, which is a proper half-day sail rather than a hop. Time it for the morning, sail the afternoon breeze, and arrive into the Gulf of Saint-Tropez with the day still ahead of you. The gulf itself is a fine anchorage in settled weather; the town marina is famous, expensive and worth one night for the spectacle of the quay if your budget stretches to it. Our guide to Saint-Tropez by sea explains how to handle the harbour and where to anchor if you would rather not pay town-centre prices.
Use the third day to explore the gulf and the beaches around Pampelonne by sea, then position yourself at the western end ready for the next leg. If the crew want a quieter night, the anchorages towards Cavalaire give you shelter and a shorter run the following morning.
Days four and five: the Hyeres islands
From the Saint-Tropez gulf it is roughly 25 nautical miles down to the Hyeres islands, the highlight of the trip for me. Aim for Porquerolles first, anchor on the sand off the north-coast beaches, take the dinghy ashore and hire bikes to ride out to the lighthouse and the vineyards. The water here is the clearest of the week. Our guide to Porquerolles and the Hyeres islands covers the anchorages and the marina in detail.
On day five make the short hop to Port-Cros, the national park island, but plan it carefully because the rules are strict. Boats over about 12 metres must pick up one of the park's mooring buoys rather than anchor, and there are only 68 buoys, so arrive early. Snorkel the marked underwater trail, which is the best in France. Read our Port-Cros mooring rules before you go, because turning up without a plan in August can mean no buoy and nowhere legal to stop.
The Hyeres islands are also where the Mistral matters most on this route. Their north coasts become lee shores when it blows from the north-west, and the wind can build from calm to 40 knots in a few hours. Keep half an eye on the forecast and our guide to reading the Mistral before it traps you, and be ready to move to a southern anchorage or a sheltered port.
Days six and seven: the run home
Turn east and retrace the coast towards Cannes, but break the return rather than blasting it back in one go. Frejus and the Golfe de la Napoule make a comfortable stopover, leaving a short final morning into the base. If the week has been settled you might choose to anchor one last night in the Lerins again before handing the boat back, which keeps the final day relaxed and the fuel bill down.
Budget the last afternoon for cleaning, refuelling and the charter check-out, because bases on this coast inspect carefully and a rushed return is how deposits get docked. Our piece on the charter check-in and check-out in France explains what they look for.
What the week costs in distance and money
In sailing terms the loop is gentle: total distance somewhere between 100 and 140 nautical miles over seven days, most legs under 25 miles, and the navigation is line-of-sight along a well-marked coast. The expense is not the sailing but the berths. Marina nights in Saint-Tropez, Cannes and the island ports in high season are among the most expensive in the Mediterranean, so the trick is to anchor for most of the week and pay for the town quay only when you genuinely want it. Our overview of Cote d'Azur marina fees gives the numbers to budget against.
Adapting the route to the wind
No itinerary on this coast survives contact with the weather unchanged, and the good crews treat the plan as a default rather than a contract. The whole loop runs east-west, which is also the axis of the Mistral, so the wind decides which way round you sail it. If a Mistral is forecast for mid-week, sail west early while it is calm and let the wind push you home from the Hyeres islands later; running before it is far more comfortable than beating into it. If the forecast is settled southerlies, the order matters less and you can linger wherever the anchorage tempts you.
The one rule that does not bend is shelter. The island north coasts, the Lerins channel and the open beaches are all fair-weather anchorages, and a Mistral turns several of them into lee shores within hours. Keep a sheltered harbour within a half-day's reach at every stage, and you can enjoy the open anchorages without being trapped by them.
A few practical notes for the week
Fuel is straightforward: the marinas at Cannes, Saint-Tropez and the island ports all have a fuel berth, and a week of short legs uses little of it under sail. Water and provisioning are easy on the mainland and limited on the islands, so do the big shop before you leave Cannes and top up tanks in the larger ports. Carry the Donia app for the seagrass meadows, a paper or electronic chart of the whole coast, and a VHF tuned to the local bulletins. Mobile coverage is good along the mainland and patchier in the deeper coves, so do not rely on a phone alone for the forecast.
Sailed in June or September, anchoring more than you berth, and keeping the Mistral in view, this is about as good as a charter week gets in Europe. Short hops, clear water, and a different anchorage every night.
