The French Riviera by Yacht: Cannes, Saint-Tropez & Corsica

The coast that invented the charter holiday

The Côte d'Azur has been the home of the crewed-yacht holiday for a century, and it still does it best. Everything sits close together — Saint-Tropez, Cannes, Antibes, Monaco and the Îles de Lérins are all within a short cruise — so a week here is less about covering distance than about choosing your evening.

A beach club on Pampelonne, the ramparts of Antibes, or the harbour lights of Monte-Carlo: the yacht is your private base, and the crew moves it while you sleep.

The ports, cape to cape

Saint-Tropez still sets the tone — the old port, the market, and the legendary beach clubs of Pampelonne a short tender away. Cannes and the wooded, car-free Îles de Lérins offer a calmer day at anchor, while Antibes and Cap Ferrat hold the coast's grandest anchorages.

Monaco is the finale: anchor off Monte-Carlo, and if your dates land on the Grand Prix in May, the yacht becomes the best seat in the house. The Cannes Film Festival, also in May, has the same effect — book early, because demand and rates peak around both.

Corsica: the wild contrast

For a completely different week, point south to Corsica — the red cliffs of the Scandola reserve, the sand of Palombaggia and empty, maquis-scented bays. Many charters combine the two: the glamour of the Riviera, then a passage to two days of wild coast, a trip only a yacht can string together.