Best anchorages and harbours in Atlantic coast

Baie de Loia

Anchorage in the Bay of Txingudi on the Franco-Spanish border, opposite Hendaye, with a mixed rock and sand bottom.

• Sheltered SE, S, SW

Château D Oleron

Tidal harbour of 200 berths on the eastern coast of Oleron island, facing the Brouage marshes in Charente-Maritime.

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.

la Plage des Américains

Sand anchorage on the east shore of the Bassin d'Arcachon, north of the Cap Ferret peninsula, opposite the village of Le Canon.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Le Douhet

Marina of 300 berths on the north-east coast of the Île d'Oléron, near Saint-Georges-d'Oléron.

Le Mimbeau

Sand spit anchorage at the northern tip of the Cap Ferret peninsula, inside the Bassin d'Arcachon in Gironde.

• Free
• Sheltered E, SE, SW, W

Pornic

Marina of 914 berths at Pornic in southern Loire-Atlantique, split between the Vieux Port under the castle and the Noëveillard basin on the Côte de Jade.

Rochefort

Marina of 320 berths in the Bassin 1 of the former royal arsenal of Rochefort, on the Charente river.

Saint-Jean-de-Luz - Ciboure - Port Larraldenia

Marina of 81 berths in the bay of Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Ciboure, on the Basque coast, sheltered behind the three breakwaters of the bay.

Baie De Saint Jean De Luz

Anchorage of around 15 berths on sand inside the Baie de Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Pyrenees-Atlantiques, protected by three seawalls built between 1864 and 1895.

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

Hendaye

Marina of 890 berths on the Bidassoa estuary, last French harbour on the Atlantic before the Spanish border.

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.

La Rochelle - Port des Minimes

Marina of 5 100 berths south of La Rochelle, one of the largest leisure harbours on the European Atlantic coast.

Port de Cazaux

Inland harbour of 350 berths on the lake of Cazaux-Sanguinet, south of Arcachon, not connected to the sea.

Royan

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

St Hilaire

Shallow quay on the Vie river at Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie in Vendée, with 6 berths and 0.4 m max draught.

Anse des Soux

Sandy cove on the south coast of the Île d'Yeu, between the Pointe des Corbeaux and the Pointe du But, sheltered from the north.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W

arcachon bay

Sand anchorage on the north shore of the bassin d'Arcachon, off the oyster village of Le Canon on the presqu'île du Cap-Ferret.

• Sheltered E, S, SE

Baie de Cayola

Rocky bay on the Vendée coast between Les Sables-d'Olonne and Port-Bourgenay, 1.9 nm NW of Port-Bourgenay.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Baie du chapus

Shallow mud anchorage in the channel between the mainland at Bourcefranc-le-Chapus and the south-east coast of Île d'Oléron, crossed by the viaduct to Oléron.

• Sheltered W, E, SW, S, SE

Baie du Dervin

Sandy bay between Le Croisic and Le Pouliguen on the south Brittany coast, sheltered from the northerly quadrant, open to the south.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

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

Île aux Oiseaux

Low sand and marsh island in the middle of the Bassin d'Arcachon, known for its two cabanes tchanquées on stilts.

• Sheltered W, NW

Île du Pilier

Anchorage off the Île du Pilier, a small granite island northwest of Noirmoutier in the Bay of Biscay.

• Sheltered W, SW

L'Herbaudière

Fishing and yachting harbour of 600 berths on the north-western tip of Noirmoutier, first deepwater shelter south of the Loire estuary.

La Linière

Sand anchorage on the north coast of Noirmoutier island, between L'Herbaudière and Noirmoutier-en-l'Île.

• Sheltered SW, S, SE

La Vigne

Anchorage on the north shore of Cap Ferret, inside the Bassin d'Arcachon, sand bottom.

• Sheltered 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

Le Mimbeau

Sand-spit anchorage at the tip of Cap Ferret, inside the Bassin d'Arcachon, with sand holding and shelter from W, NW and SW winds.

• Free
• Sheltered SW, W, NW

le pellerin

River port on the Loire in Loire-Atlantique, about 15 km downstream from Nantes on the left bank.