Best anchorages and harbours in France

Anse de la Fausse Monnaie

Cove on the north coast of Port-Cros, within the parc national de Port-Cros off the Var coast.

• Paid
• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

Baie du Langoustier

West-facing bay on Île de Porquerolles, between the Pointe du Grand Langoustier and the village, inside the Parc national de Port-Cros.

• Sheltered W, E, SW, S, SE

Cala Piscona

Sand-bottomed cove on the south shore of the Golfe de Valinco in Corsica, 2.4 NM northwest of Propriano, sheltered from NW to NE winds.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Calanque de Sugiton

Narrow calanque between Marseille and Cassis, in the core zone of the Parc national des Calanques, where anchoring is limited to sand outside the marked zone and land access is regulated by quota.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Calanque du Bon-Dieu

Small anchorage on the south coast of Porquerolles, in the maritime perimeter of the Parc national de Port-Cros.

• Sheltered SW, W, NW

Cap de l'Estérel

Anchorage off the south-east coast of the Giens peninsula in the Var, sand bottom, open to easterly winds.

• Sheltered SW, W, NW

Île des Hebihens

Tidal anchorage off the Île des Hébihens in the Baie de la Fresnaye, between Saint-Cast-le-Guildo and Saint-Jacut-de-la-Mer, Côtes-d'Armor.

• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

La Palmyre

Sand anchorage off La Palmyre beach on the north shore of the Gironde estuary entrance, Charente-Maritime.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Le Pouldu - Laïta

Anchorage in the Laïta estuary at Le Pouldu on the Finistère and Morbihan border, 250 berths on sand.

• Paid
• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE, SW, W, NW

Plage de Léoube

Open anchorage off Plage de Léoube, on the south coast of the Cap de Brégançon peninsula, between Le Lavandou and Hyères.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Portz chudell - West

Anchorage on the west side of the Île-aux-Moines approach, Gulf of Morbihan, Brittany. Sand and rock bottom.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Stêr-Vraz

Deep inlet cutting into the north-west coast of Belle-Île-en-Mer, just west of Sauzon. The name means "big estuary" in Breton.

• Sheltered NE, E, SW, S, SE

VNF building

Anchoring spot on the Rhône near a VNF building in Lyon, mud bottom.

Anse de Fornali

Anchorage on the western shore of the Golfe de Saint-Florent in Haute-Corse, between the town and the Agriates desert.

• Free
• Sheltered S, SW, W, NW

Baie de Beninou

Anchorage in the Iroise sea off the Finistère coast of Brittany, mixed sand and weed bottom, sheltered from E to SW.

• Sheltered E, SE, S, SW

Calanque des poissons

Small cove on the Marseilleveyre coast in the Parc national des Calanques, between Les Goudes and the Île Maïre.

• Sheltered SW, S, SE

Etang de Berre

Anchorage on the Étang de Berre, a 155 km² brackish lagoon west of Marseille connected to the Mediterranean by the Canal de Caronte at Martigues.

• Sheltered SW, W, NW

Île Millau

Anchorage off Île Millau in the bay of Trébeurden, on the Côte de Granit Rose, north Brittany.

• Paid
• Sheltered NE, E, SW, S, SE

Les Sardinaux

Shallow rocky plateau east of Sainte-Maxime in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, a popular day anchorage with turquoise water over sand patches.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Petit Îlet

Anchorage by Petit Îlet in the bay of Les Trois-Îlets, on the south side of the Baie de Fort-de-France. Weed and mud, sheltered from every sector except the west and north-west.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SW, S, SE

Baie de Saint-Louis

The main yacht anchorage of Marie-Galante, in the bay of Saint-Louis on the west coast, about 20 miles south-east of Marina Bas-du-Fort.

• Free
• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

A Chiosura

Sand anchorage on the east coast of Corsica, 6 nm south of Port Taverna and 24 nm north of Solenzara.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Anse à l'Âne

Anchorage off the beach of Anse à l'Âne on the west coast of Les Trois-Îlets, inside one of the commune's buoyed mooring zones. Sand and weed, sheltered from east through south to south-west.

• Sheltered E, SW, S, SE

Anse à la Barque

Deep cove on the boundary of Bouillante and Vieux-Habitants, counted with Deshaies among the best-sheltered natural anchorages on the leeward coast of Basse-Terre. Sand bottom.

• Free
• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

anta-Maria-Poggio

Open roadstead anchorage off the east coast of Corsica near Moriani-Plage, sand bottom, protected from southerlies only.

• Sheltered S

Baie de Saint-Laurent

Sand and seagrass anchorage between Cap d'Ail and Eze, on the Cote d'Azur.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Happy Bay

Anchorage off Happy Bay beach, 0.4 NM north-east of Friar's Bay, between Marigot and Grand Case on the north-west coast.

• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

Ile De Bono - Plage

Sand anchorage off Île de Bono in the Sept-Îles archipelago, north of Ploumanac'h on the pink granite coast of Brittany.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Île de Bréhat

Anchorage in the lee of Bréhat island, Côtes-d'Armor, over sand.

• Sheltered SW, W, NW

Le Rayol

Buoy field off Le Rayol-Canadel-sur-Mer on the Corniche des Maures, about 50 mooring buoys in the Var.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, N, NE