Best anchorages and harbours in France

St Cyprien

Sand-bottom anchorage off the long beach of Saint-Cyprien in the Golfe du Lion, Occitanie, between Canet-en-Roussillon and Argelès-sur-Mer.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Capu Biancu

Anchorage on the north shore of the Golfe de Sant'Amanza in southern Corsica, at the foot of the Capu Biancu headland.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Cargèse

Anchorage on the west coast of Corsica, in the bay of Cargese between the gulf of Sagone and the gulf of Porto.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Grand Îlet

Paying mooring spot by Grand Îlet in the Simpson Bay lagoon, 1.3 NM south-west of Port La Royale, sand bottom.

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

Les Rouignous

Anchorage off Les Rouignous in the Rivière de Crac'h estuary, just south of La Trinité-sur-Mer, Morbihan.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Pointe de Ficajola

Rocky anchorage on the west coast of Corsica near Piana, inside the Golfe de Porto, sheltered from SE, S and SW winds.

• Sheltered SE, S, SW

Pointe du Diable

Anchorage under the Pointe du Diable on the east side of the Cap Bénat, between Le Lavandou and Bormes-les-Mimosas in the Var.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Punta Vecchia

Anchorage on the north tip of Cap Corse, between Macinaggio and Barcaggio, facing the Îles Finocchiarola.

• Sheltered SE, S, SW, W

Anse du Caro

Small cove on the south shore of the rade de Brest, between Le Moulin Blanc and the Pointe de l'Armorique, with a water tap ashore.

• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

Calanque de Flancadou

Small calanque on the west side of Île de Pomègues, archipel du Frioul, off Marseille.

• Sheltered E, SE, S

Cancale

Open roadstead off the oyster port of Cancale, facing the Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel in Brittany.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Île Fourchue

Uninhabited islet 4.8 NM north-west of Gustavia, its bay ringed by bare hills, inside the Saint-Barthélemy nature reserve with ecological mooring buoys.

• Free
• Sheltered N, NE, E

Les amis du Passage

Anchorage in the inner roadstead of Brest, off the Moulin Blanc area, west Finistère.

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

Mouillage des Sabias

Anchorage on the south coast of Île d'Yeu, two miles from Port-Joinville, sheltered from winds from the north sector.

• Sheltered N, NE, NW

Plougasnou - Terenez

Anchorage off the hamlet of Térénez on the north Finistère coast, sand bottom, 8 moorings available.

• Paid
• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Bihit

Sand-bottom anchorage off the Pointe de Bihit, just south of Trébeurden on the Côte de Granit Rose in Brittany.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Eguzon

Anchorage on the Lac d'Éguzon, a reservoir on the river Creuse in the Indre, Centre-Val de Loire.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Plage du Grand Jardin

Anchorage off Plage du Grand Jardin on the western shore of the Cap Bénat peninsula, Bormes-les-Mimosas, with sand bottom.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Pointe Débié

Anchorage on the south-west side of Île Pomègues, Îles du Frioul, off Marseille, on sand and rock.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, SW

Port Kérel

Sandy cove on the south coast of Belle-Île-en-Mer, on the commune of Bangor, with one of the longer sand beaches on the south side of the island.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

L’Isle

Anchorage on the Vilaine upstream of the Arzal dam, mud bottom, well sheltered by surrounding wooded banks.

• Sheltered NW, NE, W, E, S, SE

Plage de Porz Mabo

Sandy cove on the Trébeurden coast in the Côtes-d'Armor, 1.1 NM SE of Trébeurden marina.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Yacht club Triel

River mooring on the Seine at Triel-sur-Seine, in the Yvelines west of Paris, between the confluences of the Oise and the Mauldre.

Argenton

Anchorage off the village of Argenton in Landunvez, north Finistère, between Le Conquet and Portsall, opposite the Île d'Yoc'h.

• Free
• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W

Beinheim

Anchorage on the Rhine near Beinheim in northern Alsace, on the Franco-German border. Mud bottom. River mooring used by barges and the occasional cruiser.

Duingt

Anchorage off the village of Duingt on the west shore of Lac d'Annecy, at the narrow waist of the lake between the Grand Lac and the Petit Lac.

• Sheltered E, SE, S, SW, W

Estuaire de l'Orne

Buoy mooring field of 180 berths in the estuary of the Orne, between Ouistreham and Merville-Franceville, in Calvados.

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

L'Odet

Mooring buoys on the Odet river between Bénodet and Quimper in south Finistère.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, E, S, SE

Plage de la Calanca

Sand anchorage on the north shore of the Golfe de Valinco, 0.9 NM from Propriano, sheltered from N, NE, E and NW winds.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, NW

Porsisquin

Small cove in the Anse de Poulmic, on the south shore of the rade de Brest opposite the Presqu'île de Plougastel.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE