Ask our French Riviera brokers to explain
Every answer here comes from a DMA broker who books the French Riviera season after season: what a week really costs, how VAT and APA work, who the crew are, and which port fits which month. Open a question for the short answer, or read the full one on its own page.
Costs and payments
Does using a charter broker cost me anything?
Martina AsmusYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
No. Our service is free to you. Like a travel agent, we are paid a commission from the yacht's side, and the charter fee is the same whether you book through us or approach the boat directly. There is no markup for using a broker.
Can I get a discount on a crewed French Riviera charter?
Martina AsmusOwner & ECPY-accredited charter broker, DMA Yachting
Sometimes. Outside July, August and the big event weeks, and especially on larger yachts, managers will consider a serious offer. The way to do it is through your broker: we know which managers negotiate, which have strict no-discount policies, and what number is worth putting on the table.
How much should we tip the crew on a French Riviera charter?
Martina AsmusYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
10 to 15% of the base charter fee is the Mediterranean norm when the service has been strong, and service on good Riviera boats usually is. It is always at your discretion, but plan for it in the budget: on a EUR 120,000 week that is EUR 12,000 to EUR 18,000.
When are the final payment and APA due?
John BoullinYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
The balance of your charter fee, the APA, and the VAT are due together about six weeks before your charter starts; your agreement shows the exact date.
How do payments work for a French Riviera charter?
John BoullinYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
The standard structure: 50% of the charter fee is due when you sign the charter agreement, and the remaining 50%, together with the APA and VAT, is due about six weeks before you step aboard. Far-in-advance bookings can sometimes split 25/25/50 with the owner's agreement.
Why are prices shown without VAT and APA?
Carina IsenbergYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Because neither is the same for every yacht or itinerary, so building them into the listed rate would make every price wrong for someone. The predictable part is French VAT at 20% of the charter fee, though an ECPY contract can waive it on qualifying international routes.
What is the VAT on a French Riviera charter, and can it be reduced?
Daniel AsmusOwner & ECPY-accredited charter broker, DMA Yachting
France charges 20% VAT on the charter fee, one of the higher rates in the Med. But there is a legitimate way to reduce it that most guests never hear about, and it is one of the real advantages of chartering the Riviera with the right broker.
How much does a French Riviera yacht charter cost?
John BoullinYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
It spans a wide range. Luxury catamarans on the French Riviera start around EUR 25,000 to EUR 90,000 per week, motor yachts around EUR 40,000 to EUR 180,000, and superyachts from EUR 180,000 to EUR 500,000 and up, all before extras.
Booking and contract
Are you insured and accredited as a charter broker?
Daniel AsmusOwner & ECPY-accredited charter broker, DMA Yachting
Yes, on both counts. DMA Yachting carries professional indemnity insurance up to EUR 500,000 with ITIC, the specialist insurer for yacht brokers, and we hold ECPY, MYBA and IYBA accreditation. Our owners are active CYBA members too.
Can I charter a yacht for one day on the French Riviera?
Leonidas MarousosYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Yes, day charters are a Riviera staple: a morning start from Cannes, Antibes or St Tropez, swim stops in the Esterel calanques or off the Iles de Lerins, lunch at anchor or ashore, and a golden-hour cruise home. Premium day yachts run into five figures per day; smaller options start lower.
Is it too early to inquire about a French Riviera charter?
Carina IsenbergYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
No. If you see the trip as even 50% likely, it is the right time to reach out. An early inquiry costs nothing and commits you to nothing, and it lets us tell you what is realistically available in your window before the good boats are gone.
What happens after I send an inquiry?
Carina IsenbergYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
First we confirm reality: whether the yacht you asked about is free on your dates and at what price, since Riviera rates move with the season and events. At the same time we shortlist comparable boats, including ones with better crews or better value, so you choose from real options rather than one listing.
When should we book flights for our French Riviera charter?
Nadja AsmusYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
After the charter agreement is signed, not before. It is far easier to move a flight than a yacht: the boat you want has to be free, in the right port, on your exact dates, and that is the hard part of the puzzle.
How far in advance should we book a French Riviera charter?
Leonidas MarousosYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
For the Monaco Grand Prix, the Cannes Film Festival and peak July-August weeks: 9 to 12 months, and the best yachts go earlier still. These are among the most demand-heavy dates in world charter, and Monaco Grand Prix berths in particular are a genuinely scarce asset booked far ahead.
Choosing your yacht
Can we bring an extra child beyond the guest count?
Carina IsenbergYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Usually not, and it is worth knowing why: every yacht has licensed limits for day guests and overnight guests, set by its registration and insurance rather than the crew's goodwill. Managers hold that line even for small children, with occasional case-by-case flexibility for infants under 12 months.
Fully crewed or captain-only on the French Riviera?
Chris de KockYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
On the French Riviera the question barely arises: charters at this level are fully crewed, with a captain, chef and interior crew as standard. Bareboat and captain-only are marginal here, unlike the Caribbean or Greece, because the fleet is weighted to larger, more premium yachts.
We are more than 12 guests. Should we take one yacht or two on the Riviera?
John BoullinYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Most charter yachts are limited to 12 sleeping guests, so a bigger group means one of two things: a larger superyacht licensed for more, of which the Riviera has plenty at the top end, or two yachts cruising together.
Are catamarans available on the French Riviera?
Chris de KockYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
They exist, but they are genuinely scarce here, and that surprises people coming from the Caribbean or Greece. The Riviera market is motor-yacht dominated: berths are premium, distances are short, and demand skews to fast motor yachts and superyachts, so relatively few crewed catamarans are based on the coast.
Life on board
What is the dining like on a French Riviera charter?
Chris de KockYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
It is one of the reasons people charter here. Your private chef provisions from the Riviera's superb markets, Antibes, Nice, the Cours Saleya, and cooks to your preference sheet all week, so the menu is yours: Provencal produce, fresh fish and rose at anchor rather than a hotel buffet.
Does the crew stay on board during the charter?
Carina IsenbergYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Yes. On a crewed charter the captain, chef and interior crew live aboard for the whole trip, in their own crew quarters separate from the guest cabins. A yacht listed with 5 guest cabins genuinely sleeps 10 guests; the crew occupies none of them.
Will we get seasick on a French Riviera charter?
Daniel AsmusYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Rarely, by charter standards. The Riviera runs on calm summer weather, the hops between Cannes, Antibes, St Tropez and the Cap are short, and most nights are spent at anchor in protected bays where the boat barely moves.
Can we scuba dive during a French Riviera charter?
Leonidas MarousosYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Yes. The usual setup is rendezvous diving: a licensed local dive center meets the yacht at the day's anchorage with tanks and a divemaster, you dive, and the itinerary rolls on. The waters off the Esterel and around the Iles de Lerins and Porquerolles have the best sites.
Do I need a jet ski license on a French Riviera charter?
Nadja AsmusYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Yes. France requires a recognized license (a permis) to operate a jet ski, and it is enforced along the Riviera, so this is not something a captain can wave through. Unlicensed guests can still ride as passengers behind a licensed driver, and license-free toys, seabobs, e-foils, paddleboards and tubes, carry the fun for everyone else.
Where and when
What is a yacht charter like during the Cannes Film Festival or Monaco Grand Prix?
Leonidas MarousosYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Spectacular, and increasingly the smart way to do both events. During the Cannes Film Festival or the Monaco Grand Prix, a yacht is your private base right in the action: no hotel scramble, no restaurant queues, and, for the Grand Prix, potentially a berth with the track in view.
Can we visit Monaco, St Tropez and Italy on one charter?
Leonidas MarousosYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Yes, and it is one of the joys of the Riviera: the classic stops are close together, so Monaco, Villefranche, Cap Ferrat, Antibes, Cannes and St Tropez fit comfortably in a week, most legs under a couple of hours.
Are there anchoring restrictions on the French Riviera?
Nadja AsmusYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Yes, and they are the reason the water is so clear. French waters protect their posidonia seagrass meadows, and anchoring on posidonia is prohibited and fined, with dedicated eco-moorings and regulated anchoring zones in the busiest bays.
Where should we start our charter, Antibes or Cannes?
Nadja AsmusYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Antibes is the default starting point for most Riviera charters. Port Vauban gives the deepest access to the crewed fleet, provisioning and crew are all based there, and Nice airport is about 20 km away, so it is the most flexible operational base.
Which airport do we fly into for a French Riviera charter?
Nadja AsmusYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
Nice Cote d'Azur (NCE) for almost everyone: it is one of Europe's best-connected airports, direct from most major cities, and only 20 to 30 minutes from the main charter bases at Antibes and Cannes. Land by early afternoon and you can be aboard for a first evening at anchor.
When are the high and low seasons for French Riviera charters?
Chris de KockYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
High season is July and August, plus the event weeks that behave like their own peak: the Monaco Grand Prix, the Cannes Film Festival and Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. Those are the busiest, priciest, hardest-to-book weeks of the year.
When is the best time to charter a yacht on the French Riviera?
Daniel AsmusYacht charter broker, DMA Yachting
June and September are the sweet spot: warm water, settled weather, long evenings, and noticeably fewer crowds than the July and August peak. May and early October are the value shoulders, mild and much quieter, with slightly cooler swimming.
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