Best anchorages and harbours in France

Merrien

Small drying ria on the south coast of Finistère between Le Pouldu and Doëlan, sheltered behind the headlands of Beg Morg and Beg Porz.

Pointe de Mourret

Rocky anchorage off the Pointe de Mourret, at the northern tip of the Embiez archipelago, opposite Le Brusc on the Var coast.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, NW

Port de Venables

River marina on the Seine between Rouen and Paris, 100 berths, in the Eure department of Normandy.

Port-Vendres

Deep-water port of 270 berths on the Côte Vermeille, last French anchorage before the Spanish border.

Seurre

River port on the Saône in Seurre, Côte-d'Or, halfway between Chalon-sur-Saône and Saint-Jean-de-Losne.

Beg Run er Vilaine

Anchorage off the west shore of the Vilaine estuary, just north of the Pointe de Penlan, near Saint-Gildas-des-Bois side of the river mouth.

• Sheltered SW, S, SE

Dieppe beach

Open roadstead off the pebble beach of Dieppe, on the Normandy coast, with a sand bottom.

• Sheltered SE, S

Fains-Véel

Canal halt on the Canal de la Marne au Rhin near Bar-le-Duc, in the Meuse department.

Halte nautique

River halt on the Loire in Pays de la Loire, about 5 NM downstream of Oudon. VHF 10.

Plage de la Franqui

Anchorage off the long sandy beach of La Franqui, on the Leucate shoreline in the Aude.

• Sheltered S, SW, W

Pornic

Marina of 914 berths at Pornic in southern Loire-Atlantique, split between the Vieux Port under the castle and the Noëveillard basin on the Côte de Jade.

Port de la Vigne

Small tidal oyster-farmers harbour on the Cap Ferret peninsula, Bassin d'Arcachon, Gironde.

Port Du Houillion

Small canal halt on the Canal des Houilleres de la Sarre at Ley, in rural Moselle.

Sagone

Anchorage in the Golfe de Sagone on the west coast of Corsica, sand and mud bottom with good holding.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W

Anse de Perzel

Sandy cove on the north side of the goulet de Brest, western Finistère.

• Sheltered NW

Baie de Lampaul

Main bay of Ouessant island on its south-west side, sand bottom, around 20 visitor moorings laid by the Parc naturel marin d'Iroise.

• Free
• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Gâvres

Sand-bottom anchorage with 6 berths off the Gâvres peninsula at the entrance to the Rade de Lorient.

• Sheltered NW, N, W

Îles de Lérins - Plateau du milieu

Anchorage on the plateau between Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat islands off Cannes, sand and weed bottom, open to all sectors.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, SW, S, SE

Kernével

Deep-water marina in the rade de Lorient on the Larmor-Plage shore, 1,000 berths with 5 m draught available at all tides.

Pauillac

River marina of 125 berths on the west bank of the Gironde estuary, at Pauillac in the Médoc, about 30 nautical miles upstream from Royan.

Plage De Canetto

Anchorage off a sand beach on the east side of the Golfe de Sant'Amanza, south-east Corsica between Bonifacio and Porto-Vecchio.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Pointe de Pontusval

Open anchorage on the north coast of Finistère, between Brignogan-Plages and Plouescat, sand bottom, protected from S and SE winds.

• Sheltered S, SE

Cap Camarat

Open roadstead under the Cap Camarat lighthouse on the Ramatuelle peninsula, about 4 nm southeast of Saint-Tropez.

• Sheltered W, SW, S

Galeria

Anchorage in the baie de Galéria on the west coast of Corsica, at the mouth of the Fango river, inside the réserve de biosphère UNESCO de la vallée du Fango.

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

La Baule - Le Pouliguen

Tidal harbour at the mouth of the étier du Pouliguen between La Baule and Le Pouliguen in southern Brittany, 820 berths.

Le Bourget-du-Lac

Small harbour at the southern end of Lac du Bourget, the largest natural lake entirely in France, in Savoie.

Marseillan Plage

Seaside harbour of 200 berths on the Lido de Sète, between the étang de Thau and the Mediterranean in Occitanie.

Mouillage de Carteau

Anchorage in the Anse de Carteau on the Golfe de Fos, east of the Rhône delta in Provence.

• Sheltered E, SW, S, SE

Anse du Diben

Small cove on the north coast of Finistère, near Plougasnou, with around 10 visitor moorings on sand.

• Paid
• Sheltered W, E, SW, S, SE

Cales - Criques de Banyuls

Buoy field with 6 moorings in the coves north of Banyuls-sur-Mer, within the Réserve Naturelle Marine de Cerbère-Banyuls.

• Free
• Sheltered W, SW, S, SE