Best anchorages and harbours in France

Anse de Pen-Hir

Open anchorage at the foot of the Pointe de Pen-Hir, on the Crozon peninsula in western Brittany.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Baie de Centuri Nord

Anchorage on the west coast of Cap Corse, just north of the fishing harbour of Centuri, in the Agriate and Cap Corse marine area.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Baie du Niel Ouest

Anchorage on the north shore of the Giens peninsula, near the small Port du Niel, in the Hyeres area.

• Sheltered N, NE, W, NW

Calanque des Cambrettes

Rocky inlet on the south side of Île Pomègues in the Frioul archipelago off Marseille, inside the Calanques national park.

• Sheltered N, NE, W, NW

Golfe de Pinarellu

Sandy bay on the east coast of southern Corsica, north of Porto-Vecchio, with a small wooded islet at its centre.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S

Ilot de Cala d'Alga

Small cove anchorage on the west coast of the Sanguinaires archipelago, south-west of Ajaccio, in Corsica.

• Sheltered NW, W

mouillage d’attente

Six visitor mooring buoys off the approach channel to Perros-Guirec, on the Côte de Granit Rose in northern Brittany.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S, SE

Perdrix

Single visitor buoy on the Trieux estuary in Brittany, just north of Lézardrieux.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, W, E, SE

Plage de Cala longa

Sand and weed anchorage on the east coast of Corsica near Bonifacio, open to NW, W and SW winds.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Pointe de l'Acciolu

Anchorage under the Pointe de l'Acciolu, on the north coast of the Désert des Agriates between Saint-Florent and L'Île-Rousse in Haute-Corse.

• Sheltered W, E, SW, S, SE

Pointe du salaison

Anchorage in the étang du Méjean on the Palavas lagoon chain, inland from the Grande-Motte seafront in Hérault, Occitanie.

Port De France Toul

Inland marina of 60 berths on the Moselle canalised branch at Toul, Grand Est, at the junction with the Canal de la Marne au Rhin.

Riviere d'Auray

Anchorage on the Auray river inside the Golfe du Morbihan in Brittany, between Le Bono and the town of Auray.

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

Trévou-Tréguignec

Open roadstead off the beach of Trestel at Trévou-Tréguignec, on the Côte de Granit Rose between Perros-Guirec and Tréguier. Sand bottom.

• Sheltered E, SE, S

Anse d'Arbitru

Small sandy cove on the southern coast of Corsica between Pianottoli-Caldarello and Bonifacio, set behind granite points and a fringe of rocky islets.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SE

Port Maritima

Marina of about 1000 berths at Martigues, on the Caronte channel linking the Étang de Berre to the Mediterranean.

Port-Grimaud

Lakeside marina of 2050 berths on the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, designed in the 1960s by architect François Spoerry as a lacustrine village with a canal network.

Porto Pollo

Buoy field of 124 moorings in the Golfe de Valinco, southern Corsica, mixed sand, rock and seagrass bottom.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Anse de Fazziolu

Small sand-bottomed cove on the south coast of Corsica, about 1,1 NM west of Bonifacio, between Cala di Labra and the cliffs leading to the citadel.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE, W, NW

Baie de la Vena

Sand-bottomed cove on the west coast of Corsica in the Golfe du Valinco, just south of Tizzano, in the commune of Sartène.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE, S

La Blanche Plate

Anchorage on the northern shore of the Île de Ré in Charente-Maritime, between La Flotte and Saint-Martin-de-Ré, on sand.

• Sheltered W, SW, S

La Flotte en Ré

Drying harbour on the north coast of Île de Ré in Charente-Maritime, with a retention gate keeping about 200 pontoon berths afloat.

Mandelieu la Napoule

Marina of 914 berths at the mouth of the Siagne river in the Golfe de La Napoule, between Cannes and the Estérel massif.

Penn Al Lann

Single-boat anchorage off the Pointe de Penn al Lann, east of Carantec in the Bay of Morlaix.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, N, W, SW

Plage d'Erbaju

Long sand beach between Tizzano and Roccapina on the south-west Corsican coast, wide anchorage on sand.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Chantier Des Fontaines

Boatyard and dry storage at Port-des-Barques, at the mouth of the Charente river, Charente-Maritime.

Mouillage de Châtillon

Anchorage off Chatillon on the north-west shore of the Lac du Bourget, Savoie. Weedy bottom, protection from NW, N, NE and E winds.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Girolata

Anchorage in the bay of Girolata on the west coast of Corsica, within the Scandola nature reserve, classified as UNESCO World Heritage since 1983.

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

Le Gourcq

Sand-bottom anchorage in New Aquitaine, sheltered from N, SW, W and NW, off the Cazaux lake shoreline.

• Sheltered N, SW, W, NW

Le Minaouët

Sand-bottom anchorage in the Minaouët river south of Concarneau, Finistère Sud, Brittany.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, S, SE