Best anchorages and harbours in France

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

Hôtel des Princes

Private mooring of 6 berths on the French shore of Lake Geneva, at Publier between Amphion and Évian-les-Bains.

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

Port-Neuf de Béziers

River port on the Canal du Midi at Béziers, Hérault, at the foot of the Fonseranes lock flight and 2.9 NM west of Villeneuve-lès-Béziers.

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

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

Halte De Génelard

Canal halt on the Canal du Centre in Saône-et-Loire, between locks 12 and 13, in the village of Génelard.

Hérel - Granville

Marina of 1000 berths at Granville, on the Normandy coast facing the Chausey archipelago, 8 NM east of the islands.

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

Pont-de-vaux

River port with 225 berths on the Reyssouze, a short navigable canal linking Pont-de-Vaux to the Saône river, in the Ain department.

Port de la Figueirette

Marina of 218 berths in the hamlet of Le Trayas, on the Corniche d'Or at the foot of the Estérel massif.

Saint-Cast - Port d’Armor

Marina of 1005 berths on the Côte d'Émeraude, on the east side of the Saint-Cast peninsula between Cap Fréhel and the Rance estuary.

Halte Fluvial Scey-sur-Saône

River halte on the Petite Saône at Scey-sur-Saone-et-Saint-Albin, in Haute-Saone, upstream of Port-sur-Saone.

Trébes

Canal du Midi halt at Trebes, downstream of Carcassonne, at the confluence of the Orbiel with the Aude valley in Occitanie.

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