Harbour

La Ciotat - Nouveau Port

3.2La Ciotat, FranceMarseille and the Calanques

Maximum length: 42 ft
VHF channel: 9
Maximum draught: 11 ft

Marina of 640 berths at La Ciotat, east of Marseille, in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the bay of La Ciotat, sheltered from the mistral by the Bec de l'Aigle cape to the west. The entrance runs through a chicane that is hard to pick out from seaward. Maximum draught 3.5 m. Visitors are usually sent to the concrete quay in the south basin, which is exposed and has a protruding corner near berth 26, so back in as the westerly funnels down the narrow channel. Mooring help is not always given and the catways are short, so boats over about 12 m are tight and it is wise to move off the quay before a mistral. VHF channel 9.

Practical

640 berths on pontoons with water and electricity, at low rates for the coast. The fuel berth carries diesel and petrol, though the diesel pump has been out of service at times. A UShip chandlery stands in the harbour. The sanitary blocks are dated and in poor shape, with few showers for a marina this size, and the pontoon gates need a badge from the office; after it closes around 5.30 pm there is no access to the facilities. La Ciotat Shipyards, one of the largest superyacht refit sites in the Mediterranean, adjoins the marina.

Ashore

Old port of La Ciotat at 300 m with the fish market on the quai Ganteaume. Eden Théâtre at 500 m, the oldest cinema still in operation, where the Lumière brothers screened their films from 1899. Calanques of Figuerolles and Mugel at 2 km along the coastal path, giving access to the Parc national des Calanques. A market fills the town centre on Tuesdays.

History

La Ciotat was the birthplace of cinema projection. Louis and Auguste Lumière filmed L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat at the local station in 1895. The shipyards, founded in 1836, built tankers and passenger ships until closure in 1989, then reopened in the 2000s for megayacht refit.

Key facts

Type: Harbour
Coordinates: 43.17651, 5.61194 (43°10.59'N 5°36.72'E)
Town: La Ciotat
Country: France
Maximum draught: 11 ft
Maximum length: 42 ft
VHF channel: 9
Phone: +33 4 95 09 52 60
Boaters' rating: 3.2/5
Updated: October 15, 2026

Getting there

La Ciotat - Nouveau Port lies at 43°10.59'N 5°36.72'E, that is 43.17651, 5.61194 in decimal degrees. Call the harbour on VHF channel 9 before entering.

Directions +33 4 95 09 52 60VHF 9