Best anchorages and harbours in France

Falaises de Bonifacio

Anchorage below the limestone cliffs of Bonifacio on the southern tip of Corsica, 0.4 nm from the fjord-like harbour entrance.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

La Mitre

Sand anchorage off the Mourillon shoreline on the east side of the Toulon roadstead, 0.2 nm south of Saint-Louis du Mourillon and 0.7 nm from the Darse Nord.

• Sheltered N, W, NW

Pornic

Anchorage in the bay of Pornic, Loire-Atlantique, off the Côte de Jade on the southern shore of the Loire estuary.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Saint Chamas

Marina of 280 berths on the northern shore of the Étang de Berre, at the mouth of the Touloubre river.

Mortagne sur Gironde

River port on the right bank of the Gironde estuary in Charente-Maritime, 15 nm upstream of Royan. Max draught 2 m in the basin.

Plage du Veillat

Sand anchorage off the main town beach of Saint-Raphaël, Var, between the old port and the Santa Lucia marina.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E, SE

Porscav

Anchorage off Porscav at the mouth of the Aber Ildut, on the Pays d'Iroise coast of Finistere.

• Sheltered W, E, SW, S, SE

Port de Narbonne la nautique

Inland marina of 387 berths on the étang de Bages-Sigean, 5 km south of Narbonne, Aude.

Port Inland

Inland marina of about 750 berths at Mandelieu-la-Napoule, west of Cannes, reached through a channel off the Bay of La Napoule.

Saint Gildas - Avant port

Outer anchorage with 17 spots off the port of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys in southern Brittany, sand bottom, sheltered from SE through SW.

• Paid
• Sheltered SE, S, SW

Anse de l'Arène

Anchorage off Cassis, 0.8 NM south-east of the harbour and 1.3 NM east of Port-Miou, inside the Calanques National Park.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Anse de Sainte Barbe

Buoy field of around ten moorings in the anse de Sainte-Barbe, on the north shore of the Gulf of Ajaccio in Corsica.

• Paid
• Sheltered SW, S, SE

Baie de Stagnoli

Sandy cove at the head of the Gulf of Sagone, between Cargèse to the north-west and Sagone to the east, west coast of Corsica.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Cala di u Grecu

Small cove on the south-east coast of Corsica, between Bonifacio and Sant'Amanza, with a sand bottom.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S, SE

Commercial Marina of Bonifacio

Commercial quay at the head of the Bonifacio fjord in southern Corsica, used by the Bonifacio to Sardinia ferries and by large yachts up to 4 m draught.

Golbey ecluse no 5

Waiting zone on the canal des Vosges at Golbey lock 5, mooring prohibited outside of lock operations.

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

Hennebont

River marina on the Blavet, 4.8 NM upstream from Lorient, 130 berths, Brittany.

La Bouillabaisse

Anchorage in the Baie de Saint-Tropez off Plage de la Bouillabaisse, at the western entrance to the town, in the Var.

• Sheltered SW, S, SE

La chèvre

Anchorage off the Île de Bréhat archipelago in northern Brittany, sand and weed bottom.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S, SE

La Ciotat - Nouveau Port

Marina of 640 berths at La Ciotat, east of Marseille, in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

Mantoche

Small river halt on the Saône in the village of Mantoche, Haute-Saône, seven berths for inland cruisers.

Nomexy Dock

Small river halt on the Canal des Vosges at Nomexy in the Moselle valley, Grand Est.

Plage des Sableaux

Anchorage off the Plage des Sableaux on the east coast of Noirmoutier island, Vendée, 16 berths on sand.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Plage du Cosker

Anchorage off a sand beach on the Crozon peninsula coast, in Finistère, open to the Iroise sea.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Pointe de l'Ours

Anchorage in the Gulf of Morbihan near the entrance of the Rivière de Noyalo, sand bottom, shelter from E through S to SW.

• Sheltered E, SE, S, SW

Port Abris Du Rhone

Inland marina at Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône on the Rhône delta, at the junction of the river with the Canal Saint-Louis and the Mediterranean.

Port de Fontet

River port of 30 berths on the Canal lateral a la Garonne at Fontet, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

Tournus

River port on the right bank of the Saône at Tournus, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, with 10 berths.

Anse Saint-Gervais

Anchorage in the Golfe de Fos, on the western edge of Fos-sur-Mer, inside the commercial port zone.

• Sheltered N, NE

Calanque de Callelongue

Calanque at the southern tip of Marseille, at the entrance of the Parc national des Calanques, on a rock bottom.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SE