Harbour

La Ciotat - Port vieux

3.9La Ciotat, FranceMarseille and the Calanques

Maximum length: 45 m
VHF channel: 9
Maximum draught: 8 m

Historic harbour of 700 berths in the heart of La Ciotat, at the foot of the former shipyards now converted into a superyacht refit centre.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the south or southwest across the bay of La Ciotat, in open water. Entrance on the east side of the old port, marked by red and green lights. Maximum draught 8 m, one of the deepest harbour approaches on the Provençal coast. VHF channel 9.

Practical

700 berths on pontoons and along the quay. Water and shore power. The adjacent shipyard, now La Ciotat Shipyards, specialises in the refit of yachts above 40 m and operates Europe's largest travel lift at 4 300 tonnes.

Ashore

Old town of La Ciotat with shops, markets and restaurants around the port. Eden Theatre on the quay, the oldest working cinema in the world, opened in 1889 and restored in 2013. Calanques of Figuerolles and Mugel accessible on foot within 2 km.

History

La Ciotat was an active shipbuilding port from the 17th century. Its yards built passenger liners and tankers into the 1980s before closing in 1989. The site was converted for megayacht refit in the 2000s and remains one of the main such centres in the Mediterranean.