Best anchorages and harbours in Normandy

Dieppe beach

Open roadstead off the pebble beach of Dieppe, on the Normandy coast, with a sand bottom.

• Sheltered SE, S

Île de Terre (Nord)

Area north of Île de Terre off the Cotentin east coast, Normandy. Anchoring prohibited.

• Sheltered SW, S, SE

Normandy Beach

Open roadstead off the Normandy landing beaches between Port-en-Bessin and Courseulles-sur-Mer, on sand.

• Sheltered SW, S, SE

Port Mer

Open anchorage in the bay of Port-Mer, on the north side of the Pointe du Grouin peninsula near Cancale, Ille-et-Vilaine.

• Paid
• Sheltered S, SW, W, NW

Courseulles-sur-Mer

Tidal marina at the mouth of the Seulles river on the Calvados coast, 750 berths, max draught 1.8 m.

Le Port Levi

Small drying harbour on the north coast of the Cotentin peninsula, in the village of Fermanville, about 6 nautical miles east of Cherbourg.

Port-en-Bessin

Tidal fishing and yachting harbour on the Bessin coast of Normandy, 69 visitor berths, max draught 4 m.

La Dives

River anchorage at the mouth of the Dives estuary, between Cabourg and Houlgate in Normandy.

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

Ouistrahem

Tidal harbour at the mouth of the Canal de Caen à la mer in Calvados, Normandy, combining a marina basin, a ferry terminal and the lock giving access to Caen 15 kilometres inland.

Barfleur

Tidal harbour of 125 berths on the north-east tip of the Cotentin peninsula, in Normandy.

Chantier Des Torpilleurs

Boatyard and pontoon on the Canal de Tancarville at Tancarville, Seine estuary, Normandie, at the foot of the Pont de Tancarville.

Bassin Vauban

Enclosed dock in central Le Havre, next to the Bassin du Commerce, in Normandy at the mouth of the Seine estuary.

Chantier Naval JPL

Boatyard on the Caen canal at Ouistreham, in Normandy, offering haul-out and refit services for pleasure craft.

Havre de Rothéneuf

Open roadstead east of Saint-Malo in Brittany, sand bottom, fully exposed with no natural shelter from any wind direction.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W

Île de Terre (Sud)

Prohibited anchorage south of the Ile de Terre in the Saint-Marcouf archipelago, off the east coast of the Cotentin in Normandy.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

L'anneau de la Marguerite

Anchorage off Courseulles-sur-Mer on the Normandy coast, on Juno Beach of the 6 June 1944 landings.

• Sheltered SW, S, SE

Le canal du retour

Tidal anchorage on the south bank of the Seine estuary, off Berville-sur-Mer in Normandy, on the old navigation channel.

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

Port De Roubary

Small drying anchorage north of Barfleur on the east coast of the Cotentin peninsula.

• Sheltered W, E, SW, S, SE

Roche Cardin

Anchorage on sand off Roche Cardin in the Chausey archipelago area west of Granville, sheltered only from SW winds.

• Sheltered SW

Rochers aux ânes

Sandy anchorage off the Chausey archipelago in the Golfe de Saint-Malo, Normandy, named after a cluster of rocks south of Grande Île.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Halte de plaisance de Rouen

River halt for pleasure craft on the Seine at Rouen, on the left bank below the Pont Guillaume-le-Conquérant.

• Sheltered N, E, S, W

Isigny-sur-Mer

Small river marina of 54 berths in the Aure estuary, 4 NM inland from the Baie des Veys on the Normandy coast.

Plage du platé

Open roadstead off Diélette on the west coast of the Cotentin peninsula, Normandy, sand bottom.

• Sheltered E, SE, S

Quinéville

Drying tidal harbour on the east coast of the Cotentin peninsula, Manche, between Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue and Barfleur.

Picain Boys

Mooring buoy field off Port-Picain, on the east side of the Baie de Cancale in Ille-et-Vilaine.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

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.

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

Goury

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

Port Picain

Drying harbour on the north coast of the Cancale peninsula, Ille-et-Vilaine, facing the Îles Rimains and Granville bay.

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