Best anchorages and harbours in France

Ile Piana

Anchorage on the western side of the Golfe de Porto-Vecchio in southern Corsica, in the lee of Île Piana, on sand and weed.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Mouillage de Bellevue

Anchorage of about 69 buoys on the Vannes channel, between Conleau and Port-Anna, in the Gulf of Morbihan.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, NE, E, S

Ouistreham Riva-Bella

Lock-gated marina of 650 berths at the mouth of the Orne canal in Normandy, entry point to Caen by the ship canal.

Plage de Brouel

Anchorage in the Golfe du Morbihan, south of Île d'Arz, sand and weed bottom.

• Sheltered NW, N, W

Pointe de Kerat

Anchorage off the Pointe de Kerat in the Golfe du Morbihan, off Arradon, on sand and weed, sheltered from NW to NE winds.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Pointe du Sud - Port Cros

Anchorage off the southern tip of Port-Cros island, inside the Port-Cros national park, Var.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Anse de l'Auberlac'h

Mud-bottom cove on the south shore of the rade de Brest in Brittany, sheltered from NW through E.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Anse du Brick

Sandy cove on the north coast of the Cotentin peninsula, six miles east of Cherbourg, sheltered from westerly winds.

• Sheltered E, SW, S, SE

Cala Grande

Anchorage on the limestone cliffs west of Bonifacio, southern Corsica, about 2.9 NM from the commercial marina.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Concarneau

Working fishing port and marina of 304 berths on the south Finistère coast, opposite the walled Ville Close.

Embarcadère de Lamarque

River anchorage off the Lamarque ferry landing on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, in the Médoc, opposite Blaye.

• Sheltered W

Joigny

River port on the Yonne at Joigny, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, on the navigable route between the Seine and the Canal de Bourgogne.

Montmarin

Anchorage on the Rance estuary upstream of the Saint-Malo tidal barrage, Brittany, weed bottom.

• Sheltered SW, S, SE

Pointe de Carapègue

Rock anchorage on the western shore of Pomègues in the Frioul archipelago, 2 nm west of the Vieux-Port of Marseille.

• Sheltered SE, S, SW

Anse de Tamaris

Sandy cove on the Côte Bleue west of Marseille, between Sausset-les-Pins and Carro, on the coastline of the Parc Marin de la Côte Bleue.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Cala di u Ghiuncu

Sand anchorage on the south coast of Corsica, between the Golfe de Sant'Amanza and Bonifacio.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, NW

Corps de garde

Open roadstead on the Côtes-d'Armor coast between Binic and Saint-Quay-Portrieux, sand bottom, exposed to winds from NW through N and W to SW.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, SW

Giottani

Open anchorage on the western coast of Cap Corse, off the hamlet of Giottani in the commune of Barrettali.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Kerletu

Anchorage on the west side of the Petite Mer de Gâvres, at the entrance of the rade de Lorient in Morbihan.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W

Malicorne

River port on the Sarthe at Malicorne-sur-Sarthe, a village known since the seventeenth century for tin-glazed earthenware.

Plage du petit Spérone

Sand-bottom anchorage off the Petit Sperone beach at the southern tip of Corsica, east of Bonifacio and facing the Lavezzi islands across the strait.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, SW

Port Ambonne

Small marina on the eastern edge of the Cap d'Agde resort complex in the Hérault, Occitanie. About 300 berths, shallow with max draught 1 m.

Port de San Peïre Les Issambres

Marina of 409 berths at Les Issambres, on the northern shore of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, between Sainte-Maxime and Saint-Aygulf.

Anse de Méjan

Small cove on the eastern flank of Cap Brun, east of Toulon and west of Carqueiranne, with room for two or three boats on sand and patches of algae.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W

Anse du Fret

Sandy cove on the north side of the Presqu'île de Crozon in the Rade de Brest, western Brittany.

• Paid
• Sheltered S, SW, W, NW

Banc d'Arguin

Shifting sandbank at the entrance of the Bassin d'Arcachon, facing the Dune du Pilat, classified as a réserve naturelle nationale since 1972.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Calanque des Anglais

Small rocky inlet on the Esterel coast just east of Agay, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W

Cap d'Ullastrell

Rocky cape on the Côte Vermeille between Port-Vendres and Banyuls-sur-Mer, Occitanie. Anchoring is prohibited in the listed zone.

• Sheltered NW, W

Port de Nogent sur Marne

River port of 100 berths on the Marne at Nogent-sur-Marne, east of Paris in the Val-de-Marne.

Talmont sur Gironde

Small tidal port on the Gironde estuary below the cliff of Talmont, in Charente-Maritime.