Last updated: November 2026
The French Riviera is a short coast: from Saint-Tropez to Monaco no cruising day needs to be longer than 2 to 3 hours, and many hops are under 1 hour. This guide takes the decisions in order: when to go, where the week starts, where to cruise, which yacht, what the week really costs, the route, and how booking works. Each section links to the longer article on that topic. When you are ready to see boats, our French Riviera yacht charter page lists the crewed yachts we can offer, with rates.
1. When to go
June and September are the best all-round months: warm water, active towns and an easier week than the peak. Late July and August bring the warmest sea and the full beach-club scene, with tighter berths and busier restaurants. May is elegant but the water is usually cooler, and early October works for a calmer, adults-only week with a narrower choice of yachts. Month by month: the best time for a French Riviera yacht charter.
The same yacht on the same coast typically costs 25 to 30% less in June and September than at the high-season rate, and the sea stays around 23 to 24C into September. The Monaco Grand Prix, the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Yacht Show change the feel, the price and the logistics of a week, so match your dates to them on purpose, not by accident. More in what to know before booking a Riviera superyacht.
Broker insight
The Riviera works from June to September, but the value sweet spot is late June and early September, you get the same warm water and buzz with far fewer boats and better yacht availability.
Nadja Asmus
Senior Charter Broker, Associate CYBA Member
2. Where the week starts
For most one-week charters, start in Antibes. Port Vauban is one of the largest marinas in Europe, many charter yachts are based there, and Nice Cote d’Azur Airport is about 20 km away. Start in Cannes when the Croisette, the first lunch and the first night are part of what you want. Start in Monaco only when Monaco itself is the point, such as the Grand Prix. Read Antibes vs Cannes: where to start, or the port pages for Antibes, Cannes and Monaco.
Fly into Nice unless you have a reason not to. It is about 25 minutes to Antibes and about 30 minutes to Cannes, and a helicopter from Nice to Monaco takes about 7 minutes. Cannes-Mandelieu takes private and business jets only. For a Saint-Tropez start, Toulon-Hyeres is roughly 45 to 60 minutes away by road, against about 1 hour 45 minutes from Nice. Details: which airport for a French Riviera charter.
Broker insight
Nine out of ten of my Riviera clients fly into Nice, it has the flights and it is minutes from the main marinas.
Yanna Pristas
Senior Charter Broker, Active CYBA Member
3. Where to cruise
Saint-Tropez and Pampelonne Bay for beach clubs and the full summer scene; Cannes with quick access to the Iles de Lerins; Antibes and Cap d’Antibes for private coves; Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer, one of the deepest natural harbors in the Mediterranean; and Monaco for a day or a dinner. West of the main circuit, Porquerolles has no cars and has been part of Port-Cros National Park since 2012.
Villefranche is roughly 20 minutes by boat from Nice and about 45 minutes from Cannes. Porquerolles is a separate leg near Hyeres and Toulon, not a same-day add. Read quiet stops from Villefranche to Porquerolles and day charters from Cannes to Antibes.
Two rules shape where the anchor goes down. France restricts anchoring on protected Posidonia seagrass, and your captain checks the current charts before every charter (anchoring rules in French waters). From the 2027 summer season yachts can no longer anchor in Monaco’s waters; a mooring zone with nine buoys replaces it (the Monaco buoy rule). Want a longer trip? See Corsica and Sardinia.
4. Which yacht
The Riviera fleet is overwhelmingly motor yachts and superyachts, and charters at this level are fully crewed. A motor yacht has a full crew living aboard. Crewed catamarans exist but are scarce, and many that work the Riviera are relocated from Corsica, so ask for the relocation fee as its own line item. For July and August, start a catamaran search months ahead: why catamarans are hard to find on the Riviera, and the best luxury catamarans.
A crewed yacht on a standard commercial charter license takes a maximum of 12 guests while cruising, whether she is 24 metres or 50. A larger group usually means two yachts cruising together. Below that cap, the cabin layout decides it: for families, twin cabins and pullman berths matter more than five double beds, and for celebrations, deck and swim platform space matter more than cabin count. Read which yacht suits your group. Browse motor yachts, superyachts, power catamarans and yachts for large groups.
Broker insight
For families we are looking for the boats built with children in mind: bunk berths, a cabin next door to the parents rather than a deck away, somewhere to keep the toys. For couples or friends sharing it is the opposite question, whether the cabins are equal enough that nobody feels they drew the short straw.
Carina Isenberg
Charter Broker
5. What the week really costs
A Riviera quote is the base charter fee for the whole yacht and crew, not a per person rate. Luxury catamarans often start around €25,000 per week and run to €90,000 per week before extras. Superyachts often start around €180,000 per week and rise to €500,000 per week and more. Three things come on top of the base fee:
- VAT: 20% of the charter fee on a standard French charter. An ECPY contract can reduce it on a qualifying route.
- APA, the Advance Provisioning Allowance: 30% to 40% of the fee on a motor yacht, for fuel, food, drinks and berths. Whatever is not spent is refunded to you.
- Crew gratuity: 10% to 15% of the base fee, at your discretion, paid at the end of the week. It is calculated on the base fee, not on the fee plus APA or VAT.
Worked example: a motor yacht at €150,000 per week with a 35% APA (€52,500 per week), 20% VAT (€30,000 per week) and a 10% to 15% tip (€15,000 per week to €22,500 per week) comes to €247,500 per week to €255,000 per week, with any unspent APA returned.
Read how much a French Riviera yacht charter costs, what the APA covers and how the balance comes back, how much to tip the crew and chartering from France to Sardinia with an ECPY contract. Browse by budget: yachts under 100k and yachts under 250k.
Broker insight
Tipping in the Med is 10 to 15 percent, and the Caribbean is 15 to 20 percent. It is the client's discretion either way, but that is the norm.
Chris de Kock
Charter Broker, Sales Broker, Active CYBA Member
6. The route
Our 7-day Riviera week starts in Antibes, runs west to Saint-Tropez (3 hours) and Pampelonne Bay, then to Porquerolles (2.5 hours), back to Cannes (3 hours), around Cap d’Antibes, and east to Villefranche and Cap Ferrat before a final day in Monaco. Plan fewer miles than you think: a week that covers the coast without feeling rushed leaves slow mornings at anchor and long lunches ashore. Adding Corsica means a long open-water crossing each way, so build it as its own week.
7. How booking works
Booking through a broker costs you nothing extra: the broker is paid a commission from the yacht’s side, and the charter fee is the same either way. Send your dates, guest count, budget range and the kind of week you want, and a broker sends a shortlist that fits; you do not need to have chosen a yacht. Ask for the all-in total, not the base fee. Your broker can place a free hold on a yacht while you decide, typically for a few days.
The standard payment structure is 50% of the charter fee when you sign the charter agreement, and the remaining 50%, together with the APA and VAT, before you step aboard. Book the Monaco Grand Prix, the Cannes Film Festival and peak July and August weeks 9 to 12 months ahead. Book flights after the charter agreement is signed, not before. Read how to charter a luxury yacht on the French Riviera and the charter FAQ.
Broker insight
Chartering here is simpler than people expect once you have a broker doing the legwork, we match the yacht, the route and the budget, then handle the contract and the logistics. The clients who relax earliest are the ones who tell us their priorities up front.
Nadja Asmus
Senior Charter Broker, Associate CYBA Member
Quick answers
When is the best time? June and September. July and August are the warmest and busiest.
Where should I start? Antibes for most one-week charters; Cannes when the Croisette is part of the brief.
Which airport? Nice, except Toulon-Hyeres for a Saint-Tropez start.
How many guests? A crewed yacht takes a maximum of 12 guests while cruising; above that, two yachts.
What comes on top of the rate? 20% VAT, a 30% to 40% APA on a motor yacht (unspent balance refunded) and a 10% to 15% tip on the base fee.
Tell us your dates and group size on our crewed French Riviera yacht charters page, and a broker sends you a shortlist that fits.
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