For most French Riviera yacht charters, we recommend flying into Nice Côte d’Azur Airport. It is the only one of the three realistic options with year-round scheduled international service, and it sits within a reasonable transfer of every embarkation point on this coast.
The two exceptions worth knowing about: Cannes-Mandelieu if you are flying private and starting your charter in Cannes, and Toulon-Hyères if your charter starts in St Tropez, where Nice becomes a much longer drive than most clients expect.
Nice, Cannes-Mandelieu, and Toulon-Hyères each serve a different type of French Riviera charter start.
Quick Answer: Which Riviera Airport Should You Fly Into?
| Airport | Best for | Transfer time to embarkation | Aircraft type | Main caution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nice Côte d'Azur (NCE) | Most charters, any start point | ~25 min to Antibes, ~30 min to Cannes, ~1h45 to St Tropez | Commercial and private | Longest transfer for a St Tropez start |
| Cannes-Mandelieu (CEQ) | Private/GA clients starting in Cannes | ~10-15 min to central Cannes | Private and business jets only | No scheduled commercial flights; more weather-sensitive |
| Toulon-Hyères (TLN) | St Tropez starts | Roughly 45-60 min, depending on traffic | Limited commercial plus private/VIP | Fewer daily flight options than Nice |
Nice Côte d’Azur Airport: The Default Choice for Most Charters
We recommend Nice first because it is genuinely built for this: it is the largest airport on the Riviera, it takes every aircraft type from commercial jets to private aviation, and it has its own dedicated private-jet terminal with VIP lounges. If you are flying in from London, Geneva, New York, or the Middle East on a scheduled service, Nice is your only real option among the three, since neither Cannes-Mandelieu nor Toulon-Hyères runs meaningful scheduled international routes.
It also holds up well against every embarkation point except one. Nice is about 25 minutes to Antibes and about 30 minutes to Cannes, which matches what our destination pages already say about those two ports. St Tropez is the outlier: Nice is roughly 107 km away, which usually runs closer to an hour and 45 minutes by road once you factor in the coast road through Sainte-Maxime. If your charter starts in Antibes, Cannes, or Monaco, Nice is the easy right answer. If it starts in St Tropez, keep reading before you book.
Flying Into Nice for a Monaco Charter: Helicopter or Coastal Drive?
If Monaco is your start point, stop, or event base, Nice still makes sense, but how you get from the airport to the yacht is its own decision. A helicopter transfer between Nice and Monaco takes about 7 minutes, runs on a near-shuttle schedule with departures roughly every 30 minutes from 8am, and starts at around €195 per person. The alternative is a 30-45 minute coastal drive, which is perfectly workable but loses the point if your priority is getting onboard fast, especially during a Grand Prix or Monaco Yacht Show week when road traffic around the principality gets heavy. We’d book the helicopter for any group that wants the week to start the moment they land, and take the car when the group is larger, has more luggage, or simply doesn’t mind the drive.
Port Hercules, Monaco: about 7 minutes from Nice by helicopter, or a 30-45 minute coastal drive.
Cannes-Mandelieu Airport: The Private/GA Shortcut for Cannes Starts
Cannes-Mandelieu is not a Nice alternative for most travelers, and it’s worth being direct about that: it’s a dedicated general-aviation and private-jet airport about 5 km west of Cannes, with two runways (1,610 m and 760 m) built for private and business aircraft, not scheduled commercial service. If you are flying commercial, this airport isn’t an option; use Nice.
Where it earns its place is a narrower, specific case: clients flying private who are starting or ending their charter in Cannes itself. Landing a few minutes from the port instead of 30 minutes away in Nice matters more during the Cannes Film Festival and the Cannes Yachting Festival, when Nice gets noticeably busier and Cannes’s own roads are under more pressure than usual. The tradeoff is that Cannes-Mandelieu’s shorter runway and the surrounding terrain make it more weather-sensitive than Nice, so we’d treat it as the smart choice for a private-aviation Cannes arrival, not the safest bet if your schedule has zero flexibility.
Cannes marina: where most Cannes-based French Riviera yacht charters begin.
Toulon-Hyères Airport: The Practical Answer for St Tropez
St Tropez is the one Riviera start point where Nice stops being the obvious answer. At roughly 107 km and closer to an hour and 45 minutes by road, Nice is a long first transfer for a charter that’s supposed to start the moment you land. Toulon-Hyères is the nearer option: it sits between Nice and Marseille, offers some scheduled commercial routes alongside private and VIP facilities, and gets you to St Tropez in roughly 45 to 60 minutes depending on traffic and which route you take. Treat that as a range rather than a fixed number; the coast road in July and August moves slower than the same drive in May or October.
We’d point most St Tropez charters toward Toulon-Hyères first, especially smaller groups or clients who are already looking at connecting flights rather than a single nonstop into Nice. The exception is a group that’s already flying into Nice for other reasons, such as visiting Monaco or Cannes before the charter, where one longer transfer can be simpler than splitting the trip across two airports.
St Tropez: roughly 45-60 minutes from Toulon-Hyères, versus nearly two hours from Nice.
Which Airport Fits Your Charter? By Start Point
- Starting in Antibes: Nice. It’s the closest and easiest of the three, and it’s already the airport our Antibes guests use.
- Starting in Cannes: Nice for commercial flights, Cannes-Mandelieu if you’re flying private and want to land minutes from the port, especially during the Film Festival or Yachting Festival.
- Starting in St Tropez: Toulon-Hyères first, unless you have a specific reason to route through Nice.
- Starting in Monaco: Nice, then decide between the 7-minute helicopter and the coastal drive based on group size and how fast you want the week to start.
If you’re still deciding where to start your charter at all, our Antibes vs Cannes guide walks through that decision separately, and the airport choice above should follow whichever start point you land on there.
Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Riviera Airport
- Defaulting to Nice for a St Tropez charter without checking the transfer time. It’s still workable, but a nearly two-hour drive is a poor start to a week you’re paying to enjoy from the first hour. Check Toulon-Hyères first.
- Assuming Cannes-Mandelieu takes commercial flights. It doesn’t. If your flight isn’t private or chartered, book into Nice.
- Booking the Nice-Monaco helicopter too late. Seats fill up fast during Grand Prix week and the Monaco Yacht Show. If you want it, book it as soon as your dates are confirmed.
- Ignoring event-week congestion. Nice and Cannes-Mandelieu both get busier during the Cannes Film Festival, the Cannes Yachting Festival, and the Monaco Grand Prix. If your charter lines up with one of these, build in extra time either way.
Our Recommendation
Fly into Nice unless you have a specific reason not to: it’s the airport with the most flight options, the shortest transfers to Antibes and Cannes, and the easiest connection to Monaco by helicopter or car. Use Cannes-Mandelieu only if you’re flying private and starting in Cannes. Use Toulon-Hyères if your charter starts in St Tropez, where it beats Nice on transfer time in almost every case.
Tell us your start point and travel dates, and we’ll confirm the airport and transfer plan that gets you onboard fastest. If you want the budget picture as well, our French Riviera yacht charter cost guide and our 7-day French Riviera itinerary are the best next reads.
“In peak season, we plan the welcome timing around passport control at Nice, not just the flight time. A commercial arrival in July or August can mean a 30 to 45 minute non-EU queue before guests even reach the curb, so we build that buffer into the transfer schedule instead of promising an on-the-dot pickup. When a group is split between a couple of guests flying private and others flying commercial, we time the private arrivals last, so nobody is sitting in a car at the port waiting on the rest of the group.”
Our South of France Team, DMA Yachting
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nice the best airport for every French Riviera yacht charter?
For most charters, yes. The two exceptions are a private/GA arrival for a Cannes-based charter, where Cannes-Mandelieu is faster, and a St Tropez-based charter, where Toulon-Hyères is closer.
What's the fastest way to get from Nice Airport to a yacht in Monaco?
A helicopter transfer takes about 7 minutes and starts around €195 per person, with departures roughly every 30 minutes from 8am. The coastal drive takes 30-45 minutes and works fine for larger groups or more luggage.
Can I fly commercial into Cannes-Mandelieu Airport?
No. Cannes-Mandelieu is a private and business aviation airport with no scheduled commercial service. If you’re flying commercial, book into Nice.
What's the closest airport to St Tropez?
Toulon-Hyères, roughly 45 to 60 minutes away by road depending on traffic. Nice is still an option at around 107 km and closer to an hour and 45 minutes, but it’s a longer first transfer than most St Tropez charters need.
Tell Us Your Start Point and Travel Dates
We’re a Mediterranean-based charter brokerage with a team drawn from the superyacht world. We track flight options, transfer times, and event-week congestion across Nice, Cannes-Mandelieu, and Toulon-Hyères so you don’t have to.
Tell us your start point and travel dates, and we’ll confirm the airport and transfer plan that gets you onboard fastest.
