Best anchorages and harbours in France

Anse de Stole

Sandy anchorage off Lomener, on the Morbihan coast between Lorient and Plœmeur in southern Brittany.

• Paid
• Sheltered N, NE, NW

Anse du Creux Saint-Georges

Small sand cove on the north side of the Saint-Mandrier peninsula, inside the Petite Rade de Toulon.

• Free
• Sheltered SE, S, SW, W

Baie de Palombaggia

Open anchorage off the Palombaggia beach, south of Porto-Vecchio in south-east Corsica. Sand and rock bottom, protected from the north-west sector.

• Sheltered NW, N, W

Penn vale

Sand-bottom anchorage on the north coast of Brittany in the Côtes-d'Armor, in the waters off Penvénan and the Port-Blanc archipelago.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Saint Jouin-Bruneval

Open anchorage off the chalk cliffs of Saint-Jouin-Bruneval in Seine-Maritime, sand bottom, just south of the Antifer oil terminal.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Aneret

Anchorage on the southern side of the Chausey archipelago, 8.3 NM west of Granville in the Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, SW

Anse Pommelin

Anchorage on the west side of the Trieux estuary in the Côtes-d'Armor, sand and mud bottom, sheltered from west and south, open to the east.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S, SE

Golfe de Monacchi

Anchorage on the west coast of Corsica between Cargèse and Sagone, sand bottom, sheltered from N through SE.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Île de Jarre

Uninhabited island south-east of Marseille, inside the Calanques national park, with a sand anchorage on its northern side protected from southerly winds.

• Sheltered SE, S

Les Trois Tourtes

Anchorage on the Odet river in Finistère, mud bottom, sheltered from all sectors except S.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE, SW, W, NW

Plage de Kergalec

Anchorage off plage de Kergalec in the rade de Brest, Brittany, mud bottom, sheltered from NW, N, NE, W and E winds.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Plage du Béniguet

Sandy anchorage off the north-west coast of Île de Houat, in the Mor Bras between Quiberon and Belle-Île.

• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

San't Ambrogio

Bay on the Balagne coast east of Algajola, next to Port Eugène Ceccaldi and the resort of Sant'Ambrogio.

• Sheltered SE, S, SW

Les Evens

Open anchorage on sand off the Côte d'Amour between Pornichet and La Baule, Loire-Atlantique.

Plage de la Madrague

Anchorage off the western shore of the Giens peninsula, near Hyères, on a sand and weed bottom.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S, SE

Plage des Éléphants

Sandy anchorage off the Issambres coast between Saint-Aygulf and Sainte-Maxime, in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez.

• Sheltered SW, W, NW

Punta De l'Ocell

Rocky anchorage on the Côte Vermeille, immediately south of Cerbère and just north of the Spanish border at Cap Cerbère.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, SW

Puntalle

Sand anchorage 2.5 NM NW of Saint-Florent on the southern edge of the Agriates, tucked behind a low rocky point that blocks swell from the main sector of winds.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S, SE

Anse de la Fausse Monnaie

Cove on the north coast of Port-Cros, within the parc national de Port-Cros off the Var coast.

• Paid
• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

Baie du Langoustier

West-facing bay on Île de Porquerolles, between the Pointe du Grand Langoustier and the village, inside the Parc national de Port-Cros.

• Sheltered W, E, SW, S, SE

Cala Piscona

Sand-bottomed cove on the south shore of the Golfe de Valinco in Corsica, 2.4 NM northwest of Propriano, sheltered from NW to NE winds.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Calanque de Sugiton

Narrow calanque between Marseille and Cassis, in the core zone of the Parc national des Calanques, where anchoring is prohibited and access is regulated.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Calanque du Bon-Dieu

Small anchorage on the south coast of Porquerolles, in the maritime perimeter of the Parc national de Port-Cros.

• Sheltered SW, W, NW

Cap de l'Estérel

Anchorage off the south-east coast of the Giens peninsula in the Var, sand bottom, open to easterly winds.

• Sheltered SW, W, NW

Île des Hebihens

Tidal anchorage off the Île des Hébihens in the Baie de la Fresnaye, between Saint-Cast-le-Guildo and Saint-Jacut-de-la-Mer, Côtes-d'Armor.

• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

La Palmyre

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

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Le Pouldu - Laïta

Anchorage in the Laïta estuary at Le Pouldu on the Finistère and Morbihan border, 250 berths on sand.

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

Plage de Léoube

Open anchorage off Plage de Léoube, on the south coast of the Cap de Brégançon peninsula, between Le Lavandou and Hyères.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Portz chudell - West

Anchorage on the west side of the Île-aux-Moines approach, Gulf of Morbihan, Brittany. Sand and rock bottom.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Stêr-Vraz

Deep inlet cutting into the north-west coast of Belle-Île-en-Mer, just west of Sauzon. The name means "big estuary" in Breton.

• Sheltered NE, E, SW, S, SE