Best anchorages and harbours in France

VNF building

Anchoring spot on the Rhône near a VNF building in Lyon, mud bottom.

Anse de Fornali

Anchorage on the western shore of the Golfe de Saint-Florent in Haute-Corse, between the town and the Agriates desert.

• Free
• Sheltered S, SW, W, NW

Baie de Beninou

Anchorage in the Iroise sea off the Finistère coast of Brittany, mixed sand and weed bottom, sheltered from E to SW.

• Sheltered E, SE, S, SW

Calanque des poissons

Small cove on the Marseilleveyre coast in the Parc national des Calanques, between Les Goudes and the Île Maïre.

• Sheltered SW, S, SE

Etang de Berre

Anchorage on the Étang de Berre, a 155 km² brackish lagoon west of Marseille connected to the Mediterranean by the Canal de Caronte at Martigues.

• Sheltered SW, W, NW

Île Millau

Anchorage off Île Millau in the bay of Trébeurden, on the Côte de Granit Rose, north Brittany.

• Paid
• Sheltered NE, E, SW, S, SE

Les Sardinaux

Shallow rocky plateau east of Sainte-Maxime in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, a popular day anchorage with turquoise water over sand patches.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

A Chiosura

Sand anchorage on the east coast of Corsica, 6 nm south of Port Taverna and 24 nm north of Solenzara.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

anta-Maria-Poggio

Open roadstead anchorage off the east coast of Corsica near Moriani-Plage, sand bottom, protected from southerlies only.

• Sheltered S

Baie de Saint-Laurent

Sand and seagrass anchorage between Cap d'Ail and Eze, on the Cote d'Azur.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Ile De Bono - Plage

Sand anchorage off Île de Bono in the Sept-Îles archipelago, north of Ploumanac'h on the pink granite coast of Brittany.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Île de Bréhat

Anchorage in the lee of Bréhat island, Côtes-d'Armor, over sand.

• Sheltered SW, W, NW

Le Rayol

Buoy field off Le Rayol-Canadel-sur-Mer on the Corniche des Maures, about 50 mooring buoys in the Var.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Rade de Santa Maria

Bay on the north-east tip of Cap Corse, in northern Corsica, just south of the Îles Finocchiarola.

• Sheltered SE, S, SW, W

Plage du Coz-Pors

Anchorage off the Coz-Pors beach at Trégastel on the Côte de Granit Rose, Côtes-d'Armor, among pink granite chaos.

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

Port Blanc

Anchorage in the Golfe du Morbihan off Baden, facing the Île aux Moines ferry slip, mud and algae bottom.

• Paid
• Sheltered W, SW, S

Saint-Pierre Lopérec

Sheltered anchorage in the Rivière d'Auray, upstream of Locmariaquer in the Golfe du Morbihan.

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

Baie Algajo south

Sandy anchorage in the south of the Baie d'Algajola, Balagne coast of Corsica, between Calvi and L'Île-Rousse.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Baie de Gatseau

Sand anchorage off the Pointe de Gatseau, at the southern tip of Ile d'Oleron.

• Sheltered N, SW, W, NW

Baie de San Ciprianu Sud

Anchorage on sand in the southern part of the bay of San Ciprianu, on the east coast of Corsica north of Porto-Vecchio.

• Sheltered S, SW, W, NW

Grève de Blainvillais

Buoy field with 15 moorings off Blainville-sur-Mer on the west coast of the Cotentin, sand bottom, sheltered from NW through S.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S

Pornichet

Open roadstead anchorage off the beach of Pornichet, at the western end of the baie de La Baule, southern Brittany coast.

• Free
• Sheltered N, NE, E, S, SE

Viviers

Anchorage in the rade de Brest, off the Daoulas estuary, Brittany.

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

Baie de la Palud

Mooring buoy in the Baie de la Palud on the north shore of Port-Cros, inside the Parc national de Port-Cros, Var. Weedy bottom, protection from W, SW, S and SE winds.

• Paid
• Sheltered W, SW, S, SE

Cavalaire

Zone de mouillage organisée of 85 buoys in the bay of Cavalaire-sur-Mer on the Var coast, sand bottom.

• Paid
• Sheltered N, SW, W, NW

Golfe de Girolata Nord

Anchorage in the northern part of the Golfe de Girolata, west coast of Corsica, within the Scandola nature reserve perimeter.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, W, NW

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

Marine de Morsiglia

Anchorage on the west coast of Cap Corse, 0.3 nm south of Centuri and below the village of Morsiglia, in northern Corsica.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Plage de l'Arnérault

Sand-bottom anchorage off the north coast of the Île de Ré, just east of La Flotte.

• Free
• Sheltered W, SW, S, SE

Port Goulphar

Narrow rocky inlet on the south coast of Belle-Île-en-Mer, below the cliffs of Bangor, on the Côte Sauvage.

• Free
• Sheltered N, NE, E, NW