Sailing in France: the sailing areas and where to start
France has two sailing worlds. In the Mediterranean you sail Corsica, the French Riviera, the Hyères islands and the Calanques off Marseille: clear water, short legs, national parks and the mistral. On the Atlantic, Brittany adds tides and strong streams. Charter yachts are rented by the week, usually Saturday to Saturday, from marina bases, bareboat or with a skipper. First-timers do well on the Riviera or around Hyères; Corsica and Brittany suit crews with more experience. A sailing boat needs no licence at sea; motorboats over 4.5 kW need one.
Compare charter yachts from every base on our France page and book them on Ship O'Hoi, bareboat or with a skipper. Each area below has its own guide with an itinerary and the local rules.
France's sailing areas at a glance
All distances here are approximate estimates from the chart. Plan every leg with up-to-date charts and a pilot book.
| Area | Main bases | Character | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Corsica | Bonifacio, Porto-Vecchio, Pianottoli-Caldarello | Granite islands of a large nature reserve, legs of 7 to 25 nm, optional hop to Sardinia | South Corsica and the Strait of Bonifacio |
| West Corsica | Ajaccio, Propriano | Red cliffs, Scandola reserve by day, Girolata buoy field, few harbours | Ajaccio and west Corsica |
| Around Corsica | Ajaccio | Two weeks, approx. 300 nm, Cap Corse, legs of 17 to 38 nm | Sailing around Corsica |
| Gulf of Saint-Tropez and the Riviera | Cogolin, Port Grimaud, Saint-Tropez, Cannes | Short legs, famous harbours, buoy fields, Lérins islands | Saint-Tropez to Cannes |
| Hyères islands | Bormes-les-Mimosas, Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer | National park islands, legs of 7 to 12 nm, strict anchoring rules | Porquerolles and the Hyères islands |
| Marseille and the Calanques | Marseille | Very short legs, national park coves, Frioul, Cassis | Calanques by boat |
| Brittany | Arzon (Port du Crouesty) | Tides and fast streams, the Gulf of Morbihan, Belle-Île | Gulf of Morbihan and Quiberon |
Corsica
Corsica is the wildest of France's Mediterranean areas, with charter bases in Ajaccio, Propriano, Bonifacio, Pianottoli-Caldarello and Porto-Vecchio. The south is the most compact: a loop of roughly 100 nm from Bonifacio takes in the Lavezzi islands, the round bay of Rondinara, Porto-Vecchio and, if you like, La Maddalena in Sardinia. The Bouches de Bonifacio nature reserve, about 80,000 ha, is the largest in metropolitan France, and four zones around the Lavezzi are closed to boats to protect seabirds. Read our south Corsica guide and compare yacht charter in Bonifacio.
The west coast is wilder. From Ajaccio you sail past the Îles Sanguinaires to the red cliffs of Piana, the Scandola reserve, where you may anchor only between sunrise and sunset, and Girolata, a village without a road and with a buoy field you book ahead. See the west Corsica guide.
With two weeks you can sail right round the island, roughly 300 nm with three days kept free for weather. Our Corsica circumnavigation guide has the route; all bases are on the Corsica page.
Gulf of Saint-Tropez and the Riviera
The Gulf of Saint-Tropez is the Riviera's main charter hub, with bases at Les Marines de Cogolin and Port Grimaud. The classic week is a loop of roughly 70 nm: a first hop of about 3 nm to the old harbour of Saint-Tropez, round Cap Camarat to the long sandy bay of Pampelonne, across to Sainte-Maxime, then east along the red rocks of the Estérel to the Lérins islands off Cannes. Saint-Honorat has an abbey still lived in by monks. Most legs are under 12 nm, but the run home from Cannes is about 27 nm.
This is buoy-field country. Pampelonne and the Sainte-Anne field off Sainte-Marguerite are seasonal, with their own booking or registration rules, and Saint-Tropez harbour takes berth bookings online, so reserve your nights in high summer. The full route is in our Saint-Tropez to Cannes sailing guide. Compare yacht charter in Cogolin, boats in Port Grimaud and every base on the French Riviera page.
Hyères islands
Porquerolles and Port-Cros both lie in Port-Cros National Park, and Le Levant is mostly a military test site, so the Hyères islands are a small sailing ground with strict rules and short legs of 7 to 12 nm. The closest base is Bormes-les-Mimosas, a marina of about 950 berths facing the islands; from Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer, in the Toulon roads, Porquerolles is about 17 nm away.
A typical week spends a night on the Bagaud buoy field off Port-Cros (open mid-April to mid-October; free by day, booked and paid at night), anchors off the north-coast beaches of Porquerolles and berths in Porquerolles harbour. Only boats with holding tanks may anchor in Port-Cros waters, and yachts over 12 m may not anchor in two cable zones in the Hyères roads, so check your boat's length before choosing a bay. Our Hyères islands sailing guide has the loop and the zones. Compare yacht charter in Bormes-les-Mimosas and Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer.
Marseille and the Calanques
Marseille gives you the shortest legs in France. The Frioul islands lie only 2.3 nm off the Vieux-Port, and their harbour is sheltered from the mistral. From there the coast runs south-east through the Calanques National Park: Riou, Sormiou, Morgiou, Sugiton, En-Vau and Port-Miou, then the harbour town of Cassis and La Ciotat. Most legs are between 1 and 13 nm.
The park has its own rules. Speed is limited to 5 knots within 300 m of the shore, although the strip is not marked by buoys. You may neither anchor nor stop in En-Vau and Port-Pin, and on high fire-risk days in summer landing is forbidden. The park says a SHOM chart is compulsory on board. Our Calanques by boat guide has the week and the anchoring zones; see yacht charter in Marseille.
Brittany
South Brittany is a different game. From Port du Crouesty in Arzon, at the entrance to the Gulf of Morbihan, a week takes you into the Gulf, out to the islands of Houat and Hoëdic, to Le Palais and Sauzon on Belle-Île and back through the Teignouse passage into Quiberon Bay. The legs are short, 4 to 18 nm, but you plan them around the tide. According to the regional nature park, the stream at La Jument inside the Gulf sometimes runs at more than 9 knots, one of the fastest in Europe, and safe navigation there needs experience. Several island harbours use moorings, some dry at low tide, and the Le Palais wet basin is reached through a tidal gate that opens for about three hours per tide.
Check tide times and coefficients on SHOM's official tide site before every leg. Our Gulf of Morbihan and Quiberon Bay guide has the full loop; compare charter yachts in Arzon.
Languedoc
Between the Camargue and the Spanish border, the coast of the Gulf of Lion has large marinas but no guide of ours yet. Sète lies between the sea and the Étang de Thau, La Grande-Motte has about 1,500 berths, and Canet-en-Roussillon has more than 1,300. The local wind to know is the tramontane, which Météo-France describes as a violent, cold west to north-west wind in Roussillon, with gusts that can exceed 100 km/h.
Before you book a charter week in France
- Licence: in France a sailing boat needs no licence at sea, whatever its size; a motorboat over 4.5 kW (6 hp) needs one. For bareboat charter the company still asks for proof of experience, usually a sailing CV and often a licence or an ICC, and it can insist on a skipper. See our guides to the boat licence in France and the ICC certificate.
- Mistral: Météo-France describes it as a dry, gusty wind averaging around 50 km/h (about 27 knots) with gusts of 80 to 100 km/h. It blows from the north-west around Marseille and from the west on the Var coast and in Corsica, is often stronger in winter and spring, and can last several days. Read the Météo-France marine forecast every morning.
- Mediterranean rules: within 300 m of the shore, islets and rocks the speed limit is 5 knots, permanently. Under Préfecture maritime order 123/2019, art. 6, no boat may anchor in protected seagrass (posidonia) where it can damage it; local orders add mapped zones for yachts of 20 or 24 m and more. Our guide to the mistral and French Mediterranean sailing rules covers the rest.
- Tides in Brittany: on the Atlantic, time the Gulf entrance and the Teignouse passage with the tide, and remember that the 300 m strip there is measured from the waterline at the time.
- Season: in the Mediterranean the season runs roughly from May to October (Corsica's tourist board says April to October); in Brittany from June to September. July and August are the busiest months; Bonifacio, for example, limits boats under 18 m to one-night bookings from 1 to 25 August.
- Emergencies: call the CROSS on VHF 16, or dial 196 from a phone.
- Packing and more: use our list of what to bring on a yacht charter, and compare France with other areas in our top Mediterranean charter destinations, sailing in Croatia and sailing in Italy.
FAQ
Where should I sail on my first charter week in France?
The Hyères islands, the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and the Calanques have short legs and harbours close together. Corsica's open coasts and Brittany's tides are better with more experience or a hired skipper.
Corsica or the French Riviera?
The Riviera means short hops, famous harbours and busy buoy fields. Corsica is wilder, with nature reserves, fewer harbours and longer legs, and strong winds can keep you in port. For a first week, pick the Riviera; for wild scenery, Corsica.
Do I need a licence to sail in France?
Not for a sailing boat at sea. A motorboat over 4.5 kW needs a licence. For bareboat, the charter company still checks your experience; with a skipper you need nothing.
When is the best time to go sailing in France?
June and September give quieter harbours and anchorages. July and August are the busiest weeks. The mistral can blow in any month, so keep a spare day in the plan.
Can I sail from Corsica to Sardinia?
Yes. The La Maddalena archipelago is roughly 12 to 16 nm from Bonifacio and about 25 nm from Porto-Vecchio. You need the La Maddalena park permit to sail and anchor within 300 m of its coast. See our La Maddalena sailing guide.
