Best anchorages and harbours in France

Cala di Brijia

Cove on the south-western coast of Corsica near Tizzano, mixed sand, rock and weed bottom.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, W, NW

Cannes Marina

Large inland marina at Mandelieu-La Napoule on the Siagne river mouth, 1769 berths, Côte d'Azur.

CNL - Centro Nautico Ligure

Marina of 86 berths at Santa Margherita Ligure, on the eastern Riviera of Liguria, with deep water up to 5 metres draught.

Île Rousse ouest

Zone west of the Île de la Pietra at Île-Rousse in Balagne, northern Corsica. Anchoring is prohibited on this sector.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, S, SE

L'Ayguade

Anchorage off L'Ayguade on the north shore of the Île du Levant, the easternmost of the Îles d'Hyères.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

L'herbe

Anchorage off the oyster village of L'Herbe on the Cap-Ferret peninsula, facing the Île aux Oiseaux inside the Bassin d'Arcachon.

• Sheltered N, SW, W, NW

Plage de l'Arinella

Beach at the foot of the Bonifacio cliffs on the south tip of Corsica. Anchoring is prohibited within the protected zone.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Pointe de Bouvet

Anchorage off the Pointe de Bouvet on the presqu'île de Giens, western flank facing the rade d'Hyères.

• Sheltered N, NE, NW

Pointe de Brehuidic

Mooring buoys off the Brehuidic headland in the Golfe du Morbihan, mud bottom, well sheltered on most bearings.

• Sheltered NW, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Port d'Agay

Small marina of 195 berths in the rade d'Agay, between Saint-Raphaël and Saint-Tropez on the Esterel coast.

Port de la Roche Bernard

River port of 563 berths on the Vilaine, 8 nautical miles upstream from the Arzal dam, in Morbihan, Brittany.

Port de plaisance de Bordeaux

City-centre marina on the Garonne river in Bordeaux, 278 berths, max draught 2.5 m, VHF 12.

Port de Valence - l'Epervière

Inland marina of 420 berths on the Rhône, south of Valence, the largest pleasure port on the French Rhône corridor.

Rocher de Cervi

Sand anchorage on the west coast of Corsica, off the Rocher de Cervi between Cargese and the gulf of Sagone.

• Sheltered N, NE

Baie de Sanary

Sand anchorage in the baie de Sanary, between the Cap Sicié to the east and the Île des Embiez to the west, on the Var coast in Provence.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Binic

Wet basin marina on the Baie de Saint-Brieuc, Côtes-d'Armor, with 350 berths and 2.5 m maximum draught.

Bo's plage

Anchorage off a sand beach on the west side of the golfe de Saint-Florent, northern Corsica, open to the W.

• Sheltered NE, E, SW, S, SE

Cala di Roccapina

Sand-bottom anchorage on the south-west coast of Corsica, dominated by the Lion de Roccapina rock on the headland above.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, W, NW

Chichoulet plage

Sand-bottom anchorage off Chichoulet beach in Vendres, on the Occitan coast between the mouth of the Aude and Valras-Plage.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, SW

Grandcamp-Maisy

Tidal marina of 280 berths in the baie des Veys, western Calvados, Normandy, between Omaha Beach and Utah Beach.

Île Logodec

Sand-bottom anchorage off Ile Logodec in the Brehat archipelago, northern Brittany, sheltered from the western sector.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, SW

L'arpillon

Anchorage off Les Issambres on the Var coast, 0.3 NM east of Port de San Peïre Les Issambres, in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez approach.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, NW

Le Lavandou

Large marina of 1021 berths on the Var coast facing the Îles d'Hyères, between Bormes-les-Mimosas and Cap Nègre.

Marina d’Arje

Anchorage on the south-east coast of Corsica, between Porto-Vecchio and Bonifacio, about 2,3 nm east of Marina di Fiori.

• Sheltered W, SW, S, SE

Pineto

Sand-bottom anchorage south of Bastia, off the Marana beach strip between the airport and the city, good holding in settled weather.

• Sheltered S, SW, W

Plage de Galéria

Anchorage off the pebble beach of Galéria, in the Golfe de Galéria on the west coast of Corsica.

• Sheltered NE, E, SW, S, SE

Plage de la Garonnette

Sand beach anchorage on the Esterel coast between Sainte-Maxime and Saint-Aygulf, fronted by shallow sand with patches of posidonia.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, SW

Plage de Saleccia

Sand anchorage along the Agriates coast, west of Saint-Florent in northern Corsica, fronting a 1 km white-sand beach backed by juniper scrub.

• Sheltered E, SE, S, SW

Saint Vaast la Hougue

Tidal marina on the east coast of the Cotentin peninsula in Normandy, behind the fortified island of Tatihou.

Anse du Guip

Anchorage on the east coast of the Île aux Moines in the Golfe du Morbihan, Brittany. Sand bottom, open to the east.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW