Private yacht charter in Cannes
Cannes sits on the western French Riviera, between the red rock of the Esterel and the pines of Cap d'Antibes. From the water it is a town of two harbours and two islands: the Vieux Port and Port Pierre Canto at either end of the Croisette, and the Lérins a short run offshore. A Cannes yacht charter puts the western Riviera within a day's cruising, from Saint-Tropez to Monaco.
The yacht does what a hotel on the Croisette cannot: a day at the islands while the town is at its busiest, dinner ashore, and a quiet bay before the harbour fills again. In the festival weeks it also becomes a private address at the centre of the town.
Cannes from the water
The Lérins islands. Sainte-Marguerite lies about fifteen minutes by boat from the harbour, with the Fort Royal, where the Man in the Iron Mask was held, now a museum. Saint-Honorat, the smaller island beyond it, has been home to a monastic community almost without interruption since the fifth century, and its Cistercian monks still make wine. The channel between the two is the classic lunch anchorage. Along this coast, yachts of 24 metres and over may anchor only outside the Posidonia seagrass zones mapped by the Préfecture maritime, and the largest use designated zones off Cannes.
Cap d'Antibes and Golfe-Juan. About half an hour east, the Cap has sheltered water off the Garoupe on its eastern side and the livelier bay of Juan-les-Pins to the west. Golfe-Juan, in between, has one of the anchoring zones set aside for the largest yachts.
The Esterel. West of Cannes, the red rhyolite of the Esterel falls into the sea in coves and small calanques, with a seasonal mooring field at Agay from May to September.
Saint-Tropez and Pampelonne. About two and a half hours west, the gulf and the beach clubs of Pampelonne deserve two nights of the week; our Saint-Tropez yacht charter page covers that coast.
Cap Ferrat and Monaco. East past Nice, the roadstead of Villefranche, the bays of Cap Ferrat and the harbour of Monaco are around two hours away.
A week from Cannes
A classic week runs west first: a night off the Lérins, the Esterel the next day, then two days around Saint-Tropez. The return to the Cap d'Antibes, around three hours, is the longest leg, followed by Cap Ferrat, a night in Monaco and the run back to Cannes. Three or four nights can stay between the Lérins, the Esterel and the Cap. Times assume a motor yacht at a typical cruising speed.
When to go
The season runs from May to early October. June and September bring warm water and room in the anchorages; July and August are the busiest months, the weeks around 15 August most of all. The mistral, the north-westerly of Provence, reaches this coast as a strong westerly, mostly in winter and spring; in summer its spells are usually shorter, and the route moves to the lee of the islands or the Cap.
Cannes also runs on its own calendar. The Festival de Cannes in May, Cannes Lions in June, the Cannes Yachting Festival in September and the Régates Royales in late September fill the harbours, and the yachts for those weeks are committed early. Our pages on the Cannes Film Festival by yacht and the Cannes Yachting Festival cover both in detail.
Marinas and arrival
The Vieux Port, beside the Palais des Festivals, takes yachts up to 140 metres and stays open while it is rebuilt in stages until the end of 2027. Port Pierre Canto, at the eastern end of the Croisette, has 553 berths and takes yachts up to 90 metres. Nice Côte d'Azur airport is 30 to 45 minutes away by road, longer in festival traffic, and Cannes-Mandelieu, on the western edge of the town, receives business jets.
Yachts and what a week costs
Cannes draws on the whole Riviera fleet, from 20 metre motor yachts for a day at the Lérins to superyachts on the long quays of the Vieux Port. As a Mediterranean guide, a 20 to 30 metre motor yacht runs from around EUR 30,000 to EUR 80,000 a week before running costs, a 30 to 45 metre yacht from around EUR 80,000 to EUR 250,000, and yachts above 50 metres from around EUR 250,000, quoted individually. The Advance Provisioning Allowance, typically 25 to 35 percent of the rate, covers fuel, food and berthing; VAT depends on the cruising area; gratuity is customarily 5 to 15 percent. The week usually lands at 130 to 150 percent of the base rate, and the festival weeks sit well above. What a yacht charter costs sets out each line.
Cannes also suits yacht rental by the day. The Lérins lie fifteen minutes from the harbour, so a luxury yacht rental in Cannes for a day runs out to the islands for a swim and lunch at anchor and is back on the Croisette for the evening. In the festival weeks the same yachts are chartered for the week as private accommodation and venue, and the largest anchor in the designated zones off Cannes and Golfe-Juan and come in by tender.
How a Cannes charter is arranged
We shortlist the yachts that suit your group and your dates, check the harbour and the route against the calendar, and set out the full cost before anything is signed. For the festival weeks the yacht and the berth come first; the Cannes yacht charter guide explains how the two harbours shape the choice.
Tell us your dates, the size of your group and what you have in mind, and we will come back with a shortlist. Start the conversation.
