Best anchorages and harbours in France

Halte Pointailler

Four-berth river halt near Pontailler-sur-Saône on the Saône, in Côte-d'Or.

Halte De Riaucourt

Canal halt on the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne at Riaucourt, north of Chaumont in Haute-Marne.

Pyla-sur-Mer

Anchorage in the bassin d'Arcachon off the Pyla-sur-Mer beach, at the foot of the Dune du Pilat. Sand bottom, shelter from NE to SE winds.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Asfeld

Six-berth village halt on the Canal des Ardennes, in the Aisne valley between Variscourt and Chateau-Porcien.

Grau De La Dent

Small freshwater harbour on the Canal Saint-Louis, in the Rhône delta west of Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, Camargue.

Montceau Les Mines

River stop on the Canal du Centre in southern Burgundy, at Montceau-les-Mines between Chalon-sur-Saône and Digoin.

Écluse des Poses "quais"

Lock and quays at Poses-Amfreville on the Seine, the last lock before the tidal estuary, 160 km upstream of Le Havre.

Plage de la bergerie

Open roadstead off the Languedoc lido between Sète and Palavas, south-east of Frontignan, Hérault.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Plage des Salins

Anchorage off the Salins beach on the Hyères coast in Provence, sand and rock bottom.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Rethel

Ten-berth river halt on the Canal des Ardennes, at the edge of Rethel in the Aisne valley, 2.2 NM east of Nanteuil-sur-Aisne.

Pointe Croisette

Marina of 272 berths on the Pointe Croisette in Cannes, at the eastern end of the Boulevard de la Croisette, Côte d'Azur.

Quai devant Silo - Villegusien-le-Lac

Four-berth halte on the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne at Villegusien-le-Lac, bief 3 of the Vingeanne branch.

Pont de La Voulte

River mooring on the Rhône at La Voulte-sur-Rhône, Ardèche, just downstream of the road bridge linking La Voulte to Le Pouzin.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE, W, NW

Ecluse 62, Waiting Pontoon

Waiting pontoon at lock 62 on the Canal du Rhône au Rhin, at Our in the Jura, used while waiting for the lock to cycle.

Fécamp

Roadstead off Fécamp on the Côte d'Albâtre in Normandy, at the foot of chalk cliffs rising to 110 metres.

• Free
• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

Port des Goudes

Small fishing harbour at the southern tip of Marseille, at the gateway to the Calanques National Park.

Anse de Coat Melen

Mooring buoys on the Aven river downstream of Kerdruc, between Pont-Aven and the open sea, Finistère.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW

Les Monards

Tidal port on the right bank of the Gironde estuary, in the commune of Chenac-Saint-Seurin-d'Uzet, south of Mortagne-sur-Gironde.

Basse Cancale

Small anchorage for about 5 boats off Cancale in the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, eastern Brittany.

• Free
• Sheltered S, SW, W, NW

Gracie Ferrande

Anchorage off Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie on the Vendée coast, close to the entrance of the Vie estuary.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Ancien ecluse de losne h2o Hafen

River base at the former lock of Saint-Jean-de-Losne on the Saône, at the junction with the Canal de Bourgogne and the Canal du Rhône au Rhin.

Etang de Thau

Anchoring prohibited zone in the Étang de Thau lagoon, Occitanie, set aside for the shellfish tables that cover much of the lagoon.

• Sheltered S

Bourogne kai

Quay on the Canal du Rhône au Rhin branche sud at Bourogne, Territoire de Belfort, about 6 km south of Belfort.

Goury

Small drying harbour at the northwest tip of the Cotentin peninsula, just south of the Raz Blanchard tidal race.

Halte fluvial Saint-Gilles

River stopover on the Canal du Rhône à Sète at Saint-Gilles in the Gard, Occitanie.

Peillac

River port on the Oust, part of the Nantes to Brest canal in inland Morbihan, Brittany.

Port Saint Pierre

Two-berth river base on the Ognon at Valay, a village of 650 inhabitants in Haute-Saône, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.

Saint-Guérin

Anchorage in the ria of Pénerf, southern Brittany, on the west bank opposite the village of Saint-Guérin, in Morbihan.

• Sheltered N, NE, SW, W, NW

Anse de Kerglaye

River anchorage on the Aven near Rosbras, between Pont-Aven and the estuary at Port Manec'h, southern Finistere.

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

Arnette

Rocky-bottom anchorage on the Côte Bleue west of Marseille, between Carro and Port des Laurons.

• Sheltered N, NE, E