Best anchorages and harbours in France

Plage de la Pointe de l'Agnonu

Anchorage off the Pointe de l'Agnonu on the west coast of Corsica, between Porto Pollo and the Golfe d'Ajaccio.

• Sheltered NW, W, E, SW, S, SE

Port Sainte Marie

Small canal port of 5 berths at Maizières-lès-Vic, on the Canal de la Marne au Rhin eastern branch, in Moselle.

Saint-Étienne-des-Sorts

Two-berth river pontoon on the Rhône at Saint-Étienne-des-Sorts, a wine village in the Gard about 12 km north of Roquemaure.

Chateau-Porcien

Small halt on the canal des Ardennes at Taizy in Grand Est, with 4 berths.

Château de Coudrée

Small private-style harbour on the south shore of Lake Geneva at Sciez, Haute-Savoie, beside the medieval Château de Coudrée, maximum draught 0.8 m.

Park Heaven

Anchorage on the Canal du Rhône à Sète at Saint-Gilles, Gard, Occitanie.

Port De Limay

Seine river port at Limay, opposite Mantes-la-Jolie, in the Yvelines department west of Paris.

Rio Aude

Open anchorage off the mouth of the Aude river, between Narbonne-Plage and Valras-Plage on the Languedoc coast.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, S, SW, W

Plage de la tour

Sand and weed anchorage off Plage de la Tour, south-west Corsica, 1 NM SW of Pianottoli-Caldarello.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W

Private Quay Peronne

Private quay on the Canal du Nord at Péronne in the Somme, Hauts-de-France, upstream of the main leisure port.

Bassin D’Agen

Mooring basin on the Canal latéral à la Garonne at Agen, Lot-et-Garonne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

Pointe Rouge

Marseille's southern marina, 1200 berths in the 8th arrondissement, opening onto the bay of Marseille facing the Frioul archipelago.

Port de Fontainevieille

Tidal harbour on the east shore of Arcachon Bay, between Taussat and Cassy, with a fuel berth on site.

Halte de Bonnefontaine

Small canal halt on the Canal des Houillères de la Sarre between Bissert and Altwiller, Alsace Bossue, Grand Est.

Brégançon

Anchorage off the Fort de Brégançon on the Bormes-les-Mimosas coast, Var, with sand, rock and posidonia on the bottom.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W

Pompey Dock

Small inland stopover on the Moselle canalised at Pompey, Meurthe-et-Moselle, at the confluence with the Meurthe just north of Nancy.

Halte de Plaisance Foulain

River halt on the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne at Foulain, south of Chaumont in Haute-Marne.

Orb

Prohibited anchoring zone at the mouth of the Orb river on the Occitan coast, near Sérignan-Plage.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, SW

Anse de Kersoz

Small sand anchorage of 5 berths in the Baie de la Forêt, half a mile south of Concarneau on the west bank of the bay.

• Paid
• Sheltered E, SW, S, SE

Pointe de Pen-Bron

Anchorage off the sand spit of Pen-Bron at the entrance to the Traict du Croisic, opposite the fishing harbour of Le Croisic in Pays de la Loire.

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

Altmühle

Small 10-berth halte on the Canal de la Marne au Rhin at Niderviller, Moselle, between the Arzviller boat lift and the twin tunnels.

Bollene South Pontoon

Single-berth visitor pontoon on the Rhone at Bollene, Vaucluse, downstream of the Bollene lock.

Le Grand Travers La Grande-Motte

Open-coast anchorage off the Grand Travers beach, between Carnon and La Grande-Motte in the Hérault, on the Mediterranean side of the Étang de l'Or.

Marine di Manichinu

Anchorage on the east coast of Corsica just south of Solenzara, mixed sand and rock bottom.

• Sheltered SW, W, NW

Saint Romain

Small halt of 5 berths on the Saône river at Saint-Romain-des-Îles, in the Mâconnais, Saône-et-Loire.

Chatelaillon

Shallow anchorage off the long sandy beach of Chatelaillon, in the Pertuis d'Antioche south of La Rochelle.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Gironde vitrezay

Tidal mooring on the right bank of the Gironde estuary, at Saint-Sorlin-de-Conac in Charente-Maritime.

• Free
• Sheltered NE, E

Port du Sagnas

Two-berth pontoon on the northern shore of the Étang de Berre, at Saint-Chamas, Bouches-du-Rhône.

Ars sur Moselle

River halt on the Moselle at Ars-sur-Moselle, 6 berths, max draught 2 m.

Balaruc Suttel

Small harbour on the north shore of the Étang de Thau at Balaruc-les-Bains, the largest French thermal spa town.