Best anchorages and harbours in France

Ase de Gâvres

Buoy mooring off the Gâvres peninsula at the entrance to the Petite Mer de Gâvres, in the Lorient roadstead, Morbihan.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

ASSFV

River club of the Association Sportive de Saint-Fargeau-Ponthierry on the left bank of the Seine, Seine-et-Marne, upstream of Melun.

Au Petit Sud De L Ile Meulon.

Anchorage off the south side of Île Melon, an uninhabited islet 300 m off the Porspoder coast in the Chenal du Four, north Finistère.

Auberge Restaurant la goélette

Riverside restaurant halt on the Seine at Andresy, just upstream of the confluence with the Oise, in western Ile-de-France.

Auphelle

Lake port of 8 berths at Auphelle, on the eastern shore of Lake Vassivière, Haute-Vienne, at 650 m elevation on the Plateau de Millevaches.

Avollions

Small lake harbour at Sévrier on the west shore of Lac d'Annecy in the Alps.

Bages

Small harbour on the étang de Bages-Sigean, a coastal lagoon south of Narbonne in Occitanie, connected to the Mediterranean through the grau de la Nouvelle.

Baie de Cousse

Open anchorage on the Provence coast between Bandol and Sanary-sur-Mer, south of the Gorguette cove.

• Sheltered NE, E

Baie de l'Ours

Buoy mooring in the Baie de l'Ours on a Breton ria, mud bottom, well sheltered except from the south-east quadrant.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, SW, S

Baie de Lannion

Open bay on the north coast of Brittany between Trébeurden and Locquémeau, at the mouth of the Léguer estuary leading to Lannion.

• Sheltered SW

Baie de Nauzan

Small sandy cove between Saint-Palais-sur-Mer and Vaux-sur-Mer on the Côte de Beauté, at the mouth of the Gironde.

• Sheltered NE, E

Baie de Quervière

Sand-bottom anchorage on the north-west tip of the Cotentin peninsula in Normandy, between Goury and Port Racine.

• Sheltered SE, S, SW, W

Banc Arc

Sand bank at the entrance of the bassin d'Arcachon, classified as a réserve naturelle nationale since 1972.

Banc d'Agnas

Sand bank anchorage in the Pertuis de Maumusson area, off Île d'Oléron, 0.8 NM SE of Le Château-d'Oléron in Charente-Maritime.

Banc d'Arguin

Shifting sand bank at the mouth of Arcachon Bay, between the Cap Ferret spit and the Dune du Pilat.

• Sheltered E

Barcaggio

Small harbour at the northern tip of Cap Corse in the commune of Ersa, facing the Îles Finocchiarola.

Base Nautique Fourques

River base on the Canal latéral à la Garonne at Fourques-sur-Garonne, between Meilhan and Le Mas-d'Agenais in Lot-et-Garonne.

Base Nérac

River base on the Baïse at Nérac in Lot-et-Garonne, in the heart of Gascony wine country.

Baye

Canal du Nivernais halt on the étang de Baye, between Rouy and Bazolles in the Nièvre, Burgundy.

Beach de Brevy

Anchorage off Brevy beach on the eastern tip of the Cotentin, between Barfleur and Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue in Normandy.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Beach Pors Rand

Anchorage off plage de Pors Rand on the north coast of Paimpol peninsula in Côtes-d'Armor, facing the Bréhat archipelago.

• Sheltered SW, S, SE

Beaucaire

Canal basin of 40 berths on the Canal du Rhone a Sete at Beaucaire, opposite Tarascon, in Occitanie.

Beg Bran

Buoy mooring inside the Ria d'Etel in south Brittany, on mud bottom, protected from N through E winds.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Beg vilin

Anchorage on the Trégor coast between Port Blanc and the Jaudy estuary leading to Tréguier, Côtes-d'Armor.

• Sheltered NW, W, E

Bellegarde

Canal halt at Bellegarde on the Canal du Rhone a Sete in the Gard, Occitanie.

Berchis plage

Anchorage off Berchis beach in the Golfe du Morbihan, near Larmor-Baden, on a weed bottom.

• Paid
• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Bo

Anchorage on the Aven river between Port-Manec'h and Rosbras, southern Finistère. Mud bottom, good holding.

Bogny-sur-Meuse

River halt on the Meuse in the Ardennes, 10 berths, at the foot of the Roche aux Sept Villages.

Borne

Small tidal harbour on the south shore of the Bassin d'Arcachon, in the commune of La Teste-de-Buch.

Bouchemaine

River port of 48 pontoon berths on the Maine at Bouchemaine, 300 m upstream of the confluence with the Loire, 8 km south-west of Angers.