Best anchorages and harbours in France

Baie du Niel Ouest

Anchorage on the north shore of the Giens peninsula, near the small Port du Niel, in the Hyeres area.

• Sheltered N, NE, W, NW

Calanque des Cambrettes

Rocky inlet on the south side of Île Pomègues in the Frioul archipelago off Marseille, inside the Calanques national park.

• Sheltered N, NE, W, NW

Golfe de Pinarellu

Sandy bay on the east coast of southern Corsica, north of Porto-Vecchio, with a small wooded islet at its centre.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S

Ilot de Cala d'Alga

Small cove anchorage on the west coast of the Sanguinaires archipelago, south-west of Ajaccio, in Corsica.

• Sheltered NW, W

mouillage d’attente

Six visitor mooring buoys off the approach channel to Perros-Guirec, on the Côte de Granit Rose in northern Brittany.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S, SE

Perdrix

Single visitor buoy on the Trieux estuary in Brittany, just north of Lézardrieux.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, W, E, SE

Plage de Cala longa

Sand and weed anchorage on the east coast of Corsica near Bonifacio, open to NW, W and SW winds.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Pointe de l'Acciolu

Anchorage under the Pointe de l'Acciolu, on the north coast of the Désert des Agriates between Saint-Florent and L'Île-Rousse in Haute-Corse.

• Sheltered W, E, SW, S, SE

Pointe du salaison

Anchorage in the étang du Méjean on the Palavas lagoon chain, inland from the Grande-Motte seafront in Hérault, Occitanie.

Riviere d'Auray

Anchorage on the Auray river inside the Golfe du Morbihan in Brittany, between Le Bono and the town of Auray.

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

Trévou-Tréguignec

Open roadstead off the beach of Trestel at Trévou-Tréguignec, on the Côte de Granit Rose between Perros-Guirec and Tréguier. Sand bottom.

• Sheltered E, SE, S

Anse d'Arbitru

Small sandy cove on the southern coast of Corsica between Pianottoli-Caldarello and Bonifacio, set behind granite points and a fringe of rocky islets.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SE

Porto Pollo

Buoy field of 124 moorings in the Golfe de Valinco, southern Corsica, mixed sand, rock and seagrass bottom.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Anse de Fazziolu

Small sand-bottomed cove on the south coast of Corsica, about 1,1 NM west of Bonifacio, between Cala di Labra and the cliffs leading to the citadel.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE, W, NW

Baie de la Vena

Sand-bottomed cove on the west coast of Corsica in the Golfe du Valinco, just south of Tizzano, in the commune of Sartène.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE, S

La Blanche Plate

Anchorage on the northern shore of the Île de Ré in Charente-Maritime, between La Flotte and Saint-Martin-de-Ré, on sand.

• Sheltered W, SW, S

Penn Al Lann

Single-boat anchorage off the Pointe de Penn al Lann, east of Carantec in the Bay of Morlaix.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, N, W, SW

Plage d'Erbaju

Long sand beach between Tizzano and Roccapina on the south-west Corsican coast, wide anchorage on sand.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Mouillage de Châtillon

Anchorage off Chatillon on the north-west shore of the Lac du Bourget, Savoie. Weedy bottom, protection from NW, N, NE and E winds.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Girolata

Anchorage in the bay of Girolata on the west coast of Corsica, within the Scandola nature reserve, classified as UNESCO World Heritage since 1983.

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

Le Gourcq

Sand-bottom anchorage in New Aquitaine, sheltered from N, SW, W and NW, off the Cazaux lake shoreline.

• Sheltered N, SW, W, NW

Le Minaouët

Sand-bottom anchorage in the Minaouët river south of Concarneau, Finistère Sud, Brittany.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, S, SE

Port-Cergy

River anchorage on the Oise at Cergy-Neuville, Île-de-France, adjacent to Port de Cergy. Mud bottom.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE, SW, W, NW

Anse Devenson

Calanque between Morgiou and Sugiton in the Parc national des Calanques, west of Cassis and south of Marseille.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W

Cabanes du Gapeau

Anchorage off the mouth of the Gapeau, near Hyeres in the Var. Ten marked positions on mixed sand and rock.

• Sheltered NW, N, W

Île du Rontant

River anchorage on the Saône just off Albigny-sur-Saône, north of Lyon, mud bottom with good holding.

• Sheltered E, SE, W, NW

Iles Logoden

Anchorage between the two Logoden islets in the Gulf of Morbihan, south Brittany, on a sand bottom.

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

Marine de Meria

Cove on the east coast of Cap Corse, between Macinaggio and Santa Severa, sand and weed bottom.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Plage d'Urville

Anchorage off the beach of Urville-Nacqueville on the north coast of the Cotentin, west of Cherbourg, with a mixed bottom of sand, rock and weed.

• Sheltered SE, S, SW

Plage De Mar Vivo

Beach off La Seyne-sur-Mer on the western side of the rade de Toulon. Anchoring is prohibited in the bathing zone.

• Sheltered NW, N, W