Best anchorages and harbours in France

Etang de Thau

Anchoring prohibited zone in the Étang de Thau lagoon, Occitanie, set aside for the shellfish tables that cover much of the lagoon.

• Sheltered S

Mouillage Lafarge

Anchorage off Sète in Occitanie, sand and mud bottom, sheltered from N through SE winds and exposed from SW to NW.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, S, SE

Saint-Guérin

Anchorage in the ria of Pénerf, southern Brittany, on the west bank opposite the village of Saint-Guérin, in Morbihan.

• Sheltered N, NE, SW, W, NW

Anse de Kerglaye

Reach of the Aven near Rosbras, between Pont-Aven and the estuary at Port Manec'h, southern Finistere, where anchoring is restricted by shellfish beds and boats use the nearby pontoons instead.

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

Arnette

Rocky-bottom anchorage on the Côte Bleue west of Marseille, between Carro and Port des Laurons.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Marseillan Ville

Anchorage off the town of Marseillan on the western shore of the Étang de Thau lagoon, Hérault.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Ile de Thau

Anchorage off the Île de Thau islet, just outside Sète harbour on the Étang de Thau side, Occitanie.

• Paid
• Sheltered N, NE, E, S, SE

L'Emprunt

Mooring on the Rhône between Roquemaure and Saint-Étienne-des-Sorts, in the Gard department, lower Rhône Valley.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, SE

St Pierre Port Sud

Anchorage on sand south of Port Saint-Pierre on the Gruissan coast, Occitanie, sheltered from NW through SW winds.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Basse-Terre

Anchorage off the town of Basse-Terre, administrative capital of Guadeloupe, on the south-west coast of Basse-Terre island. Mud and weed bottom.

• Sheltered NE, E

Coti-Chiavari

Anchorage off the Coti-Chiavari coast on the south shore of the Gulf of Ajaccio in Corsica.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Mouillage de Ancien pont de la Peyrade

Occitan anchorage on mud bottom, sheltered from NE to SE winds, 0.5 NM north of the Sterne Voiles dry port.

• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

POULGUEN PER

Small anchorage on the south coast of Finistère between Brigneau and the Bélon river, Brittany.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Saint-Vallier sur Rhône Centre

Anchorage on the Rhône at Saint-Vallier, Drôme, with a mud bottom.

• Sheltered NW, NE, W, E, SW, SE

Plage de Cerbère

Pebble-and-sand bay at the last French village before the Spanish border, on the Côte Vermeille in Roussillon.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S

Île Jarre Est

Anchorage on the eastern side of Île Jarre, an uninhabited limestone island in the Calanques National Park south of Marseille.

• Sheltered W, SW, S, SE

Plage des sables blancs

Anchoring-prohibited zone off the Sables Blancs beach in Carnac, baie de Quiberon, sand bottom.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, SW

Anse Tramulimacchia

Sand-bottomed cove on the east coast of Corsica between Solenzara and Porto-Vecchio, open to the south-east.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Île d'If

Small island off Marseille in the Frioul archipelago, home to the Château d'If fortress, 1.3 nautical miles from the Vieux-Port.

• Sheltered S

Punta San Ciprianu

Buoy field in the bay of San Ciprianu on the east coast of south Corsica, north of Porto-Vecchio and south of the Cerbicale islands.

• Paid
• Sheltered N, NE, NW

Marylene

Anchorage off the coast between Cavalaire-sur-Mer and Saint-Tropez, in the Var department of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Anse du Groasguen

Anchorage on the east bank of the Odet estuary, just south of Bénodet, southern Finistère.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE, S, W, NW

Corniche Du Liouquet

Rocky anchorage along the Liouquet coast between La Ciotat and Les Lecques, eastern Var.

• Sheltered N, NE

Fourmigue

Rocky mooring off Cap Bénat, east of the Hyères roadstead, on the Var coast of Provence.

Anse de la Fertalière

Mud-bottom anchorage on the Charente estuary approaches south of La Rochelle, sheltered from N to E winds.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Le Cap D”Agde

Roadstead anchorage off the Cap d'Agde resort, Hérault, western Mediterranean. Sand bottom, shelter from the north-west only.

• Sheltered NW

Mimbeau

Sheltered sand spit on the inner side of the Cap Ferret peninsula, Bassin d'Arcachon.

Le Grand Fauchon

Anchorage in the Pertuis d'Antioche off Fouras, north of Île d'Aix, mud bottom, sheltered from N, NW and W winds.

• Sheltered N, W, NW

Plage du Cavaou

Anchorage off Plage du Cavaou at the mouth of the Golfe de Fos, sand and mud bottom, sheltered from winds from NW to SW.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, SW

Plage du Grand Traict

Open anchorage off the sandy beach of Grand Traict on the Guérande peninsula, between Pornichet and Le Croisic, on the southern Loire-Atlantique coast.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE