Yacht charter French Riviera
The Riviera is where modern yachting was invented and it remains the world's benchmark: the highest concentration of serious yachts anywhere, the marquee ports of Cannes, Antibes, Monaco and St Tropez, and behind the show, a chain of anchorages, the Lerins islands, Villefranche, the Esterel calanques, that explain why the fleet spends its summer here.
Every rate on this page is the rate we hold. Riviera day boats start at €4,000 as of this season, the priciest entry point in the Mediterranean and still the coast every other coast is measured against, and crewed weekly yachts run from €26,900 upward on MYBA terms. Message dates and group size and we answer the same day in season.
French VAT of 20 per cent applies to charters in French waters and each listing states its treatment. Festival and Grand Prix weeks reprice the whole coast and book months out; the rest of the season is more forgiving than the reputation suggests.
Day charter in French Riviera: 21 crewed boats, rates published
Every boat below comes with its own professional crew and a full charter day, normally eight hours. Rates are the operator rates we hold, shown as they stand. Tap a boat for the full specification, photographs and season by season pricing.
Where you actually go
Fifteen minutes off Cannes, the channel between Sainte Marguerite and Saint Honorat is flat, pine scented and turquoise: the default first anchorage of the coast and one of its best. Morning swims here before the day fleet arrives are the Riviera at its finest.
East of Nice, a deep protected bay ringed by the most expensive real estate in Europe. Anchor under the Cap, swim, then take the slow villa cruise toward Monaco at golden hour. Works in almost any weather, which on this coast is a real feature.
The famous beach clubs face an open anchorage, and anchoring off with the tender running you ashore is how it has been done for seventy years. In August the anchorage is a city; a captain who knows where to sit in it is worth the entire charter.
Between Cannes and St Raphael the red volcanic mountains drop straight into blue water, with calanques like Agay and Figueirette offering quiet swims twenty minutes from the show. The professional's answer when the marquee spots are heaving.
Crewed weeks: 80 yachts cruising French Riviera
These are full week charters on MYBA terms, contracted with the yacht's own management. French Riviera sits inside a wider Mediterranean itinerary for most of them, so a week can start here and finish somewhere else entirely. Showing the 12 largest of 80.
French Riviera charter questions
How much does a yacht charter on the French Riviera cost?+
Day charters here run from €4,000 to €24,200 for the boat with crew, the highest entry point in the Mediterranean. Crewed weeks start around €26,900 on MYBA terms plus APA and French VAT at 20 per cent. During Cannes film festival and the Monaco Grand Prix the whole coast reprices; book those weeks months ahead.
Where do charters start?+
Cannes, Antibes, Nice, Monaco, St Tropez and the marinas between them. The coast is compact: most of its famous water sits within an hour of wherever you board. Tell us where you are staying and we match the nearest berth.
Monaco Grand Prix and Cannes: can we charter for the events?+
Yes, and it is one of the great uses of a yacht here, but the calendar is unforgiving: the best boats and berths for event weeks confirm in winter. If an event is the plan, start the conversation as early as you can and be flexible on the boat.
Do I need a licence?+
No. Everything on this page is crewed: professional captain and crew, you as guests. On a coast with this much traffic that is not just easier, it is the whole product.
When is the best time outside the events?+
June and September: the water is warm, the light is the one the painters came for, and the anchorages have room. July and August work fine afloat, since the boat escapes the road traffic that defines the Riviera summer ashore.
Is St Tropez doable as a day charter from Cannes?+
Yes on most boats: it is a coastal run of about an hour and a half each way, which leaves a full afternoon at Pampelonne. On slower boats we suggest boarding closer, in Ste Maxime or St Raphael, and spending the saved hours at anchor instead.
From the journal
More charter destinations
Yacht charter Malta · Yacht charter Ibiza · Yacht charter Mallorca · Yacht charter Marbella · Yacht charter Sardinia · Yacht charter Amalfi Coast · Yacht charter Athens · Yacht charter Mykonos · Yacht charter Croatia · Yacht charter Montenegro · Yacht charter Greece · The Charter Journal
We come back the same day in season with what is actually free, the all in number and the terms. Save the number and use it for any destination after this one.