Best anchorages and harbours in France

Port du Béal

Marina of 320 berths at the mouth of the Siagne river in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, west of Cannes.

Bihit

Sand-bottom anchorage off the Pointe de Bihit, just south of Trébeurden on the Côte de Granit Rose in Brittany.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Eguzon

Anchorage on the Lac d'Éguzon, a reservoir on the river Creuse in the Indre, Centre-Val de Loire.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Plage du Grand Jardin

Anchorage off Plage du Grand Jardin on the western shore of the Cap Bénat peninsula, Bormes-les-Mimosas, with sand bottom.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Pointe Débié

Anchorage on the south-west side of Île Pomègues, Îles du Frioul, off Marseille, on sand and rock.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, SW

Port Kérel

Sandy cove on the south coast of Belle-Île-en-Mer, on the commune of Bangor, with one of the longer sand beaches on the south side of the island.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Cala del Forte - Ventimiglia

Marina of 180 berths at Ventimiglia in western Liguria, close to the French border, with deep water up to 6 metres draught.

L’Isle

Anchorage on the Vilaine upstream of the Arzal dam, mud bottom, well sheltered by surrounding wooded banks.

• Sheltered NW, NE, W, E, S, SE

Menton - Garavan

Marina of 750 berths in the Garavan bay, east of Menton old town, within sight of the Italian border at Ventimiglia.

Plage de Porz Mabo

Sandy cove on the Trébeurden coast in the Côtes-d'Armor, 1.1 NM SE of Trébeurden marina.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Port Gardian

Marina of 364 berths at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, on the Mediterranean coast of the Camargue delta, in the Rhône estuary area.

Yacht club Triel

River mooring on the Seine at Triel-sur-Seine, in the Yvelines west of Paris, between the confluences of the Oise and the Mauldre.

Argenton

Anchorage off the village of Argenton in Landunvez, north Finistère, between Le Conquet and Portsall, opposite the Île d'Yoc'h.

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

Beinheim

Anchorage on the Rhine near Beinheim in northern Alsace, on the Franco-German border. Mud bottom. River mooring used by barges and the occasional cruiser.

Duingt

Anchorage off the village of Duingt on the west shore of Lac d'Annecy, at the narrow waist of the lake between the Grand Lac and the Petit Lac.

• Sheltered E, SE, S, SW, W

Estuaire de l'Orne

Buoy mooring field of 180 berths in the estuary of the Orne, between Ouistreham and Merville-Franceville, in Calvados.

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

L'Odet

Mooring buoys on the Odet river between Bénodet and Quimper in south Finistère.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, E, S, SE

Plage de la Calanca

Sand anchorage on the north shore of the Golfe de Valinco, 0.9 NM from Propriano, sheltered from N, NE, E and NW winds.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, NW

Pont-à-Mousson Port

Inland marina of 100 berths on the Moselle canalised at Pont-a-Mousson, Meurthe-et-Moselle, between Metz and Nancy.

Porsisquin

Small cove in the Anse de Poulmic, on the south shore of the rade de Brest opposite the Presqu'île de Plougastel.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Punta di l'Oscelluccia south

Anchorage on the west coast of the Revellata peninsula, 1.4 NM west of Calvi, Haute-Corse.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Base Nautique De Lagny-sur-Marne

River halte on the Marne at Lagny-sur-Marne, about 30 km east of Paris in Seine-et-Marne.

Jonville

Open anchorage on the east coast of the Cotentin peninsula, just north of Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, with a sand bottom.

• Sheltered N, NE, SW, W, NW

Menton Vieux-Port

Marina of 590 berths on the Franco-Italian border, at the eastern end of the French Riviera.

North Rondinara

Anchorage on the northern side of the Rondinara bay in southern Corsica, sand bottom, sheltered from NW through W.

• Sheltered NW, N, W

Poses

Point on the Seine at the Poses-Amfreville dam, the tidal limit of the river upstream from Rouen. Anchoring is prohibited in the dam and lock zone.

• Sheltered N, NE, W, SW, S

Saverne

Inland marina of 30 berths on the Canal de la Marne au Rhin, in Saverne, Bas-Rhin, at the foot of the Vosges.

Vaux

River anchorage on the Seine near Vaux-sur-Seine, upstream of L'Isle-Adam on the Oise tributary reach, Île-de-France.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, SW

Boyardville

Marina of 180 berths on the east coast of the Île d'Oléron, facing Fort Boyard and the Île d'Aix.

Plage de la Polynésie

Anchorage off a sand beach on the western shore of the Giens peninsula, near Hyères in the Var.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E