Best anchorages and harbours in Gironde

L’eguille/seudre

River anchorage on the Seudre estuary in Charente-Maritime, mud bottom, opposite the oyster village of L'Éguille-sur-Seudre.

• Sheltered W

Embarcadère de Lamarque

River anchorage off the Lamarque ferry landing on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, in the Médoc, opposite Blaye.

• Sheltered W

Talmont sur Gironde

Small tidal port on the Gironde estuary below the cliff of Talmont, in Charente-Maritime.

Anse de l’Iboga

Sand anchorage in the Gironde estuary near the Pointe de Grave, close to the northern tip of the Médoc peninsula.

• Sheltered W, SW, S, SE

Ponton Cité du Vin, Bordeaux

River pontoon on the Garonne at the foot of the Cité du Vin building in Bordeaux, used by river shuttles and visiting yachts waiting for the lock.

Bonne Anse

Tidal bay on the northern side of the Gironde estuary mouth, between Pointe de la Coubre and La Palmyre.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SW, W, NW

Lac d'Hourtin

Anchorage on Lac d'Hourtin-Carcans in the Médoc, France's largest natural freshwater lake at around 62 km2, west of the Gironde vineyards.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, SW

Plateau Cordouan

Sandbank anchorage around the Cordouan lighthouse, at the mouth of the Gironde estuary between Le Verdon and the Pointe de Grave, New Aquitaine.

La Palmyre - Bonne-Anse

Marina of 360 berths inside the Bonne Anse lagoon at the northern entrance of the Gironde estuary, on the Côte de Beauté.

Hourtin Port

Small inland marina on Lac d'Hourtin-Carcans in the Médoc, the largest natural freshwater lake in France.

Le vasard de Beychevelle

Mud bank anchorage on the Gironde estuary off Beychevelle, in the Médoc vineyards of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

• Sheltered NW, NE, W, E

Port de plaisance de Bordeaux

City-centre marina on the Garonne river in Bordeaux, 278 berths, max draught 2.5 m, VHF 12.

La Marechal

Small river port on the right bank of the Gironde estuary, in the Saint-Ciers-sur-Gironde area of northern Médoc.

Bordeaux quai d’attente du Basin

Waiting quay on the Garonne in Bordeaux, used by yachts before entering the lock of the Bassins à flot.

Halte nautique de Blaye

Pontoon halt on the right bank of the Gironde estuary at the foot of the Citadelle de Blaye, a Vauban fortification inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

La Palmyre

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

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Pauillac

Drying river marina of 125 berths on the west bank of the Gironde estuary, at Pauillac in the Médoc, about 30 nautical miles upstream from Royan, where boats take the ground at low water.

Royan

Large marina on the right bank of the Gironde estuary mouth, 1000 berths, max draught 2.5 m, VHF 9.

Grande Conche

Open anchorage off the Grande Conche beach east of Royan, on the northern shore of the Gironde estuary.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Conche de Saint-Georges

Anchorage in the bay north of the Gironde estuary mouth off Saint-Georges-de-Didonne, sand bottom, sheltered from N, NE, E and SE.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Plagne

River port on the Dordogne at Saint-André-de-Cubzac in Gironde, about 1.5 nautical miles north of Cubzac-les-Ponts.

Meschers-sur-Gironde

Small marina on the right bank of the Gironde estuary between Royan and Talmont, 260 berths, max draught 2 m, VHF 9.

Plage des Vergnes

Anchorage on the right bank of the Gironde estuary in Charente-Maritime, mud bottom off Les Vergnes beach.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Phare de Cordouan

Anchorage off the Cordouan lighthouse, at the mouth of the Gironde estuary in New Aquitaine. Sand bottom, shelter from NW only.

• Sheltered NW

Baie Talmont

Anchorage in the Gironde estuary off Talmont-sur-Gironde, Charente-Maritime, under the cliffs that carry the Romanesque church of Sainte-Radegonde.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Bourg sur Gironde

River port of 45 berths on the right bank of the Dordogne, about 1 nm upstream of the Bec d'Ambès where the Dordogne and Garonne meet to form the Gironde estuary.

Port Médoc

Marina at Le Verdon-sur-Mer on the left bank of the Gironde estuary mouth, 950 berths, max draught 3 m, VHF 9.

Bègles

River marina of 40 berths on the left bank of the Garonne at Bègles, in the southern outskirts of Bordeaux.

Mortagne sur Gironde

River port on the right bank of the Gironde estuary in Charente-Maritime, 15 nm upstream of Royan. Max draught 2 m in the basin.

Plassac

River port of 40 berths on the right bank of the Gironde estuary at Plassac, in Gironde, New Aquitaine.