Anchorage

Rade de Villefranche

Shelter: NW, N, NE, W, E
Seabed: sand, algae
Anchoring: Allowed

Deep natural bay between Nice and Cap-Ferrat on the French Riviera, one of the deepest harbours on the Mediterranean coast with depths reaching 95 m close to shore.

Water
Mooring buoys
Visitor buoys
Pontoon
Beach
Seagrass

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Enter from the south between Cap-Ferrat to the east and the Mont Boron to the west, no hazards in the entrance. The centre of the bay is very deep, over 50 metres, so boats crowd the shallower north and east shores in 5 to 15 m on sand mixed with posidonia; keep well off the beach in the marked area, clear of the sectors reserved for yachts over 50 m and the weed zones closed to anchoring. Holding is variable in weed, and the ground off the town hides discarded chains and anchors that regularly foul a hook and sometimes need a diver to free it, so avoid the dumping ground south-east of the isolated floating platform. Open to the south, where a swell can set a roll into the bay.

Practical

Rental mooring buoys off the town for boats up to 12 m, booked by the QR code on the buoy, by email or by phone and paid by transfer, from about 24 euros in low season to 48 euros in summer. Water point ashore at the Darse, no fuel on the anchorage. Land the dinghy in the west corner of the bay by the customs quay. Provisioning is limited to a small Casino supermarket one street back, with no chandlery, and more in Villefranche-sur-Mer village 300 m from the landing. Cruise ships call regularly and run tenders across the bay, so keep a lookout.

Ashore

Old town of Villefranche at the head of the bay with the 16th century Citadelle Saint-Elme and the Chapelle Saint-Pierre decorated by Jean Cocteau in 1957, 200 m from the landing. Coastal path to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, 2 km east. Train station on the TER Marseille to Vintimille line.

History

The rade served as a base for the Savoyard fleet from the 14th century and later hosted the US Sixth Fleet from 1948 to 1966. The Citadelle was built in 1557 by Emmanuel-Philibert of Savoy.