Anchorage

Baie de Banyuls

Shelter: NW, W, SW, S, SE
Seabed: rock
Anchoring: Forbidden

Buoy mooring field off Banyuls-sur-Mer on the Côte Vermeille, close to the Spanish border in the Pyrénées-Orientales.

Water
Mooring buoys
Visitor buoys
Pontoon

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the east with no dangers in the open bay. Eight visitor buoys are laid seasonally by the commune off the town beach, and anchoring in the bay is prohibited and enforced by the harbour office, so mooring is on the buoys only. Some are rigid through-mooring buoys that knock against the hull, so ask for a two-line buoy or for help picking up in swell. Exposed to easterly winds and swell, sheltered from W to SE. VHF 9 for the capitainerie.

Practical

A buoy runs about 21 to 38 euros a night depending on length, can be booked ahead, and the harbour office helps with mooring on VHF 9. Water is available at the Port de Banyuls jetty 0,2 NM SE. Land the tender on the town beach or inside the small harbour, with shops, a bakery and restaurants on the seafront within 100 m.

Ashore

Restaurants on the front include Le Pressoir and La Ganotte, known for its mussels and chips. The sentier du littoral heads south to Cap Rederis and Cerbere, about 6 km. The Laboratoire Arago aquarium is 300 m along the seafront, and the Banyuls AOC cellars terrace the slopes above town, the Cellier des Templiers about 800 m off.

History

Banyuls is the home of the Banyuls AOC, a fortified wine produced on dry-stone terraces classified since 1936. Sculptor Aristide Maillol was born here in 1861; his tomb lies at the Métairie above the village.

Key facts

Type: Anchorage
Coordinates: 42.48327, 3.13277 (42°29.00'N 3°7.97'E)
Country: France
Shelter: Sheltered from north-west, west, south-west, south, south-east winds
Seabed: rock
Anchoring: Forbidden
Maximum length: 65 ft
Fees: Paid
VHF channel: 9
Phone: +33468883032
Services: Water, Mooring buoys, Visitor buoys, Pontoon
Boaters' rating: 4.2/5
Updated: October 15, 2026