BOAT-COMPARATOR Guide
The 10 finest anchorages on the French Riviera (tested by rental boat)
From the Var's hidden gems to the Estérel's red coves: ten exceptional anchorages within day range, each with its smartest departure port.
Ten years of outings, hundreds of anchor drops: here are the ten anchorages every crew agrees on — each with its smartest departure port. To be chained according to the day's wind.
From the Var to the Estérel
1. Notre-Dame, Porquerolles (from Hyères): the French lagoon, early morning. 2. La Palud, Port-Cros (from Le Lavandou): park buoys, underwater trail. 3. Cap Taillat (from Cavalaire): the wild sand isthmus. 4. Les Canebiers bay (from Sainte-Maxime): Saint-Tropez without the harbour. 5. Agay bay (from Saint-Raphaël): the Estérel's red amphitheatre.
From Cannes to Italy
6. Sainte-Marguerite, Batéguier side (from Cannes/Golfe-Juan): the green water of the Lérins. 7. La Garoupe, Cap d'Antibes (from Antibes): the smart morning stop. 8. The Villefranche roadstead (from Nice): majestic depth. 9. Paloma, Cap-Ferrat (from Villefranche/Beaulieu): the regulars' cove. 10. Le Buse, Cap-Martin (from Monaco/Menton): the secret Riviera, Italy as a backdrop.
The rules of the good Riviera anchorage
Arrive before 10:30 (that says it all), anchor on pale sand never on seagrass, respect swim zones and park buoys, and weigh anchor cleanly over the hook. The wind picks the coast: mistral = shelter east of the capes; levant = the reverse. That is also why we name the smart port — the perfect anchorage is the one you reach on the right tack.
The rental reflex
Every anchorage has rival bases within twenty minutes: comparing their fleets (price, size, hours) in a single search means leaving from the right port at the right price — and dropping the hook first.