French Riviera yacht charter itinerary.

French Riviera yacht charter itinerary — the concierge's guide

The French Riviera is 120 nautical miles of coast between Menton and Saint-Tropez, and it is the most concentrated cruising ground in the world. A well-built French Riviera yacht charter itinerary moves the yacht enough to see the full arc but not so much that the guest party spends the week at anchor watching the horizon. That balance — how many hours a day the yacht is underway, where it lies overnight, which anchorages become lunch stops and which become the day's destination — is what a Monaco-based concierge desk builds into the itinerary before it is handed to the captain.

This page is that itinerary in written form. It covers the classic 7-day Monaco return loop, the 10-day extended charter with an Italian leg, the long-weekend option, and the shoulder-season quiet route — with the anchorages, ports, lunch stops and dinner reservations each day. Any of these is a starting point; every itinerary is customised in dialogue between the guest party and the captain in the days before embarkation.

Luxury Yacht Charter Monaco embarks most guests at Port Hercule and cruises west from there. Cannes and Antibes are also common embarkation points for guests flying into Nice Côte d'Azur; Saint-Tropez is the natural embarkation for guests coming from Toulon-Hyères or driving down from Paris. All three yacht-market embarkation ports connect back into the same 7-day loop.

The classic 7-day Riviera loop — Monaco return

Day 1 — Monaco to Villefranche. Embark at Port Hercule at 3pm. The captain briefs the party on safety and the yacht's layout. The yacht slips lines at 4pm and cruises the short 8nm west to Villefranche-sur-Mer — one of the deepest and most protected bays on the Riviera. Anchor by 5pm. Aperitifs on the aft deck as the sun drops behind the Cap Ferrat. Dinner on board, the chef's welcome tasting menu. Overnight at anchor in Villefranche.

Day 2 — Villefranche to Antibes to the Îles de Lérins. Breakfast at anchor. Slip at 10am. Cruise 15nm west along the Riviera coast to Antibes, dropping anchor in the Baie des Anges for a lunch stop. The tender runs guests ashore for a walk through the old town and the Marché Provençal, then back on board for a light lunch on the aft deck. Slip again at 3pm, cruise 8nm to Sainte-Marguerite in the Îles de Lérins for the afternoon — swimming, snorkelling, jet skis and paddleboards off the yacht. Reposition to the Baie de Cannes for dinner. Tender in to Cannes for dinner at La Palme d'Or or Astoux et Brun. Overnight at anchor off Palm Beach.

Day 3 — Cannes to Saint-Tropez. Breakfast at anchor. Slip at 10am. Cruise 55nm west along the Massif de l'Estérel — a dramatic red-rock coastline — with a lunch stop in the Baie d'Agay. Continue to Saint-Tropez, arriving at Pampelonne beach around 4pm. Anchor off Club 55 or La Réserve à la Plage. Sunset drinks on the aft deck. Tender in to Saint-Tropez Vieux Port for dinner at Le Girelier or Sénéquier. Overnight at anchor in the Baie de Pampelonne.

Day 4 — Saint-Tropez rest day. No cruise. The yacht stays at anchor off Pampelonne for a full rest day. Breakfast at leisure. Late-morning water sports — jet skis, seabobs, paddleboards, inflatable slide off the swim platform. Tender in to Club 55 for a two-hour lunch at 1pm. Back to the yacht for the afternoon. Evening cocktail on the flybridge, dinner on board — the chef's Mediterranean menu with local vegetables and Bandol rosé. Overnight at anchor.

Day 5 — Saint-Tropez to Portofino (or Bonifacio). Slip at 4pm for the overnight crossing. Dinner on board — the chef's tasting menu — as the yacht cruises east through the Ligurian Sea. Guests retire to cabins; the yacht runs through the night at 12 knots. Arrive Portofino at 7am the following morning.

Day 6 — Portofino day. Anchor off Portofino harbour. Breakfast at anchor with the village view. Tender in mid-morning for a walk through Portofino, coffee on the piazza. Back to the yacht for lunch on the aft deck. Afternoon swimming and paddleboards. Tender in for dinner at Da ö Batti or DaV Mare. Overnight at anchor.

Day 7 — Portofino back to Monaco. Slip at 9pm the previous evening for the overnight return, or at first light for a full-day cruise. Arrive Port Hercule mid-afternoon on Day 7. Farewell dinner on board or ashore at Le Louis XV or Yoshi. Disembarkation the following morning at 10am.

The 10-day extended itinerary — Marseille to Monaco

For guests wanting the full Riviera plus the Provençal coast and an Italian leg, the 10-day itinerary begins at Marseille and finishes at Monaco. It is the concierge desk's recommended itinerary for a first-time charter that wants to see everything without any single day feeling rushed.

Day 1 Marseille embarkation, cruise to the Calanques for the afternoon. Anchor overnight at Cassis. Day 2 Cassis to Bandol via the Île de Bendor. Day 3 Bandol to the Îles d'Or — Porquerolles for lunch, Port-Cros for the afternoon and overnight anchor. Day 4 Îles d'Or to Saint-Tropez via the Baie de Cavalaire. Day 5 Saint-Tropez rest day (see Day 4 of the 7-day itinerary above). Day 6 Saint-Tropez to Cannes via the Massif de l'Estérel. Day 7 Cannes and Îles de Lérins day. Day 8 Cannes to Portofino overnight crossing. Day 9 Portofino day, evening slip back west. Day 10 Arrive Monaco Port Hercule mid-afternoon.

The 10-day format allows the addition of the Calanques (a private-yacht-only destination that isn't accessible from a Riviera-only itinerary), the Îles d'Or (a national-park anchorage strip that the 7-day itinerary bypasses) and the Italian leg without cutting any of the classic Riviera stops.

The long-weekend itinerary — 4 nights

For guests wanting the Riviera at pace without a full week, the four-night long-weekend itinerary compresses the essential stops.

Day 1 Monaco embarkation Friday afternoon, cruise to Villefranche or Cap-Martin for overnight anchor and dinner on board. Day 2 Villefranche to Cannes via Antibes and the Îles de Lérins for lunch, dinner ashore in Cannes. Day 3 Cannes to Saint-Tropez, lunch at Club 55 on Pampelonne, dinner ashore in Saint-Tropez. Day 4 Rest day at anchor off Pampelonne, dinner on board. Day 5 Saint-Tropez to Monaco, arriving mid-afternoon Tuesday for disembarkation Wednesday morning — or a shorter direct return.

Priced at roughly half a full week's charter fee plus proportional APA. The concierge desk builds this format most often for board-level corporate charters, milestone birthdays and small wedding parties.

The shoulder-season quiet itinerary — May or September

The same 7-day loop, run in the second half of May (outside GP week and Cannes Film Festival) or in the first half of September (outside Cannes Yachting Festival). The anchorages are half full, the restaurants easy to book at short notice, the water still 22–24°C, and prices ~10–20% under peak.

The concierge desk's private preference for a first Riviera charter is the last week of May or the second week of September. The weather is very reliable, the coast is not at high-August pressure, and every experience described in the 7-day itinerary above is available without the peak-season contention. Every advisor in the office plans their own private trips in these windows.

What's included in a French Riviera holiday charter

Included in the base fee. The yacht (fully insured), the full crew (captain, chef, chief stewardess, interior team, deck team, engineer on 40m+), the yacht's fuel for a normal cruising range at 12 knots, all onboard equipment (linens, china, glassware, tenders, water toys, water sports gear, wi-fi, television and audio systems), and the standard onboard toiletries.

Covered by APA (25–35% of base, transferred pre-charter). Food, drinks (wine, champagne, spirits, soft drinks), extra fuel for high-speed cruising, dockage, port fees, customs and immigration paperwork, mobile phone and internet costs above the yacht's included allowance, and any onshore transport arranged by the crew (taxis, private cars, restaurant reservations, helicopter transfers).

Not included (paid separately). Crew gratuity (5–15% of the base fee at guest discretion, paid to the crew at the end of the charter), off-yacht restaurant meals eaten as part of the itinerary (paid by the guest party directly at the restaurant), personal shopping, spa treatments taken ashore, and any special provisioning requested outside the standard APA scope (grand cru wines by the case, private jet transfers, chartered helicopter for a specific excursion). See our APA guide for the full running-cost account.

Choosing the right yacht for the itinerary

For the 7-day Monaco loop with a party of 4–6 adults: a 30–35m motor yacht with a crew of four to six, four cabins, chef and stewardess. Base fee €80,000–€140,000/week. Sunseeker 116, Ferretti 1000, Azimut Grande 27, Sanlorenzo SL96.

For the 7-day loop with a party of 6–10 adults: a 40–45m superyacht with a crew of eight to twelve, five cabins including a master with private terrace, formal dining, extensive water toys. Base fee €200,000–€400,000/week. Sanlorenzo SD135, Benetti Delfino, Baglietto 43.

For the 10-day itinerary with the Italian leg: the same 40m class as above; the additional cruising range is well within any modern motor yacht's fuel envelope.

For the long-weekend with a party of 4: a 25–30m dayboat / short-week yacht with a skipper and one crew. Base fee €30,000–€60,000 for the four nights.

The concierge desk shortlists three to five yachts for every enquiry — each with full brochure, layout, crew CVs, base fee, APA estimate and any relevant itinerary constraints (draft, guest count, cruising speed). See our fleet page for a sample of yachts we currently place.