This page contains affiliate and referral links. If you charter, book, or buy through them we earn a referral fee, paid by the broker or platform, at no cost to you. We have not adjusted our rankings for the referral rate. Full breakdown on our how-we-make-money page.
Cannes is the marina-led charter base of the Côte d'Azur and the only French port that absorbs more than 250 yachts in season inside a single bay. A 40m motor yacht out of Cannes in the second week of August runs €185,000 to €240,000 a week before APA, putting it on par with Saint-Tropez and roughly 8 percent below Monaco. The Cannes bay holds two serious harbors (the Vieux Port with 50 superyacht slots above 50m, and Port Pierre Canto with 70 mid-size slots), the Croisette anchorage that runs the length of the bay's eastern stretch, and the Lerins islands 1.5 miles offshore. The wider Côte d'Azur fleet of 220 charter yachts rotates through Cannes from May through October, with the Cannes Yachting Festival in mid-September pulling almost every superyacht in the Mediterranean to the bay for one week.
Cannes is the answer for charter clients who want the Côte d'Azur infrastructure (Nice airport 30 minutes east, the Cap d'Antibes restaurants, the Monaco run inside one day) without the Saint-Tropez August density. The Vieux Port and Port Pierre Canto are easier to secure than the Saint-Tropez Vieux Port at the same yacht size. The Lerins islands cover the swimming side of the week without the 25-nautical-mile run to the Iles d'Or. The Cap d'Antibes restaurant scene (Eden Roc at the Hotel du Cap, La Bacon, Bistrot du Curé) sits 15 minutes east by tender.
The Cannes week is the most accessible Côte d'Azur week. The festival rhythm and the airport proximity make it the charter base most often used for the first-time Côte d'Azur client.
When to charter Cannes
May. Water 17 to 18 degrees Celsius. Cannes Film Festival runs the second week of May (typically May 13 to 24). During festival week the Croisette anchorage and the Vieux Port are media-reserved and the regular charter calendar collapses. The week before and after the festival is open and rates are 30 to 40 percent below August. Pampelonne and the Lerins anchorages remain workable.
June. Water 21 to 22 degrees. The Cannes Lions creative festival runs the third week of June (typically June 16 to 20) and again pulls the Vieux Port and Croisette into festival mode. The first two weeks of June are the cleanest of the month. Rates 25 to 35 percent below August.
July. Peak begins around July 5. Water 23 to 25 degrees. Vieux Port berths fully booked. Pampelonne (40 minutes west) at full density. Headline rates.
August. Hardest month. Vieux Port berths sold out 6 to 12 months ahead. The Croisette anchorage runs at full density by midday. Restaurant ashore (La Palme d'Or, Da Laura, the Eden Roc lunch service) booked 2 to 3 weeks ahead. The trip works but the booking discipline is the difference.
September. Water 22 to 24 degrees. First 10 days of September are the cleanest charter window. The Cannes Yachting Festival runs the second week of September (typically September 9 to 14) and is the largest yachting event in Europe with 700+ yachts on display. During the festival week, charter activity in the bay collapses to anchored standoff and the harbor is exhibition-only. The last two weeks of September are excellent.
October. First two weeks workable. Most yachts reposition to the Caribbean or to refit yards by October 20.
The Cannes cruising zones
The Vieux Port and Port Pierre Canto. The two Cannes marinas. The Vieux Port (50 superyacht slots, up to 90m at the outer Quai Saint-Pierre, up to 60m at the inner stretches) is the photographic anchor of a Cannes week. Port Pierre Canto, 1 kilometer east of the Vieux Port, absorbs 70 mid-size yachts and is the easier berthing for 30m to 60m. Both work as boarding and disembarking bases.
The Croisette anchorage. The 2-kilometer stretch of bay along the Boulevard de la Croisette where yachts anchor outside the marinas. Absorbs yachts at every size up to 130m+. This is where 70 percent of charter yachts overnight during festival weeks because Vieux Port berthing is full. The tender ride to the Boulevard tender dock is 5 to 8 minutes.
The Lerins islands (Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat). 1.5 miles offshore. Sainte-Marguerite is the larger of the two with the Fort Royal (Man in the Iron Mask) and the protected eucalyptus park. Saint-Honorat is the working Cistercian monastery with the wine production. Both anchorages absorb 80m yachts. The standard Lerins day is lunch ashore at La Tonnelle on Saint-Honorat, an afternoon swim at the Sainte-Marguerite east anchorage, and an evening return to Cannes.
Cap d'Antibes and the eastern coast. The 8-nautical-mile run east to Cap d'Antibes and Antibes. The Hotel du Cap at the Eden Roc, La Bacon in the harbor at Antibes, and the Cap d'Antibes anchorages on the west side absorb yachts up to 60m on the cap shore. Port Vauban at Antibes handles 100m+ yachts. This zone works as one or two nights of a Cannes-based week.
Theoule, the Esterel, and the west run. West of Cannes the coast turns to the red-rock Esterel coast (Cap Roux, La Galère, Theoule). The Esterel anchorages are quieter than the Cannes bay and the day run west into Saint-Tropez covers 25 nautical miles. Most Cannes weeks include one or two nights here for the cruising side.
A standard Cannes week
| Day | Anchorage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Sat | Cannes (Vieux Port or Port Pierre Canto) | Boarding, evening at La Palme d'Or or Da Laura |
| Sun | Croisette and Lerins | Anchored day, lunch at La Tonnelle on Saint-Honorat |
| Mon | Cap d'Antibes anchorage | Run east, lunch at Eden Roc, dinner at La Bacon |
| Tue | Antibes and Port Vauban day | Anchored or berthed at Antibes, walk into the old town |
| Wed | West run to Saint-Tropez | Cross to Saint-Tropez or Pampelonne anchorage |
| Thu | Pampelonne and Saint-Tropez | Beach club lunch at Loulou or Le Club 55, dinner ashore |
| Fri | Return east via Esterel | Anchor at Theoule or La Galère, final dinner ashore |
| Sat | Cannes Vieux Port disembark | Disembarkation morning |
This is the standard Cannes week and it works on 30m to 80m yachts. The eastward variant runs to Monaco and Beaulieu instead of west to Saint-Tropez. The Lerins-only short variant works as a 4-day or 5-day mini-charter for clients who want the festival week energy without the longer cruising.
Cannes yacht size guidance
30m to 50m. The sweet spot. Port Pierre Canto direct, Vieux Port outer slots accessible. Lerins anchorages cleanly. Cap d'Antibes anchorages direct.
50m to 70m. Workable across the bay. Vieux Port outer slots at the Quai Saint-Pierre absorb up to 70m with notice. Croisette anchorage standard.
70m to 100m. Vieux Port berthing limited to the outermost slots (4 to 6 berths above 70m). Most weeks anchor on the Croisette and tender into the Vieux Port for dinner. Port Vauban at Antibes is the alternative deep-water berth for 90m+.
100m and above. Cannes is one of the few Côte d'Azur bays that absorbs 100m+ yachts on the open anchorage. The Croisette holds anchored yachts up to 130m+. The Vieux Port and Port Pierre Canto tighten to 1 to 2 slots above 100m. Above 130m the trip is anchored-only with the Antibes IYCA quay as the alternative.
Cannes charter cost math
| Line item | Range (40m motor yacht, August peak) |
|---|---|
| Weekly rate | €185K to €240K |
| APA (28% to 32%) | €52K to €77K |
| VAT (20% French, reduced charter rate where applicable) | €37K to €48K |
| Vieux Port berthing (per night, August) | €1.2K to €3.5K |
| Cap d'Antibes restaurant spend (per week) | €8K to €25K |
| Gratuity (10% to 15%) | €19K to €36K |
| Full check | €302K to €430K |
APA in Cannes runs 2 to 4 percentage points below Saint-Tropez because the inter-anchorage passages are shorter and the fuel burn is lower. The Vieux Port berthing during festival weeks (Film Festival, Cannes Lions, Yachting Festival) carries a premium of 30 to 60 percent above the standard rate; this is a separate line item the broker should disclose in writing.
What we passed on
We pass on the Cannes Yachting Festival second week of September for clients who want a charter week rather than an exhibition week. The festival is the largest yachting event in Europe and during the week the Vieux Port is exhibition-only with 700+ display yachts. The Croisette anchorage thins because most charter yachts have moved to Monaco or Saint-Tropez. If you want to attend the festival, book a yacht overnight at Monaco and tender in for the day visits.
We pass on the Cannes Film Festival second week of May as a charter window for clients who came for the cruising. The Croisette and the Vieux Port collapse to media-yacht reserved during festival week. The festival is the strongest single week of the year for harbor-scene spectacle but the wrong week for swimming, cruising, or quiet dinners. Either book the festival week deliberately for the spectacle or shift the charter window by 10 days.
We pass on the Mandelieu-La Napoule marina as an overnight base for clients who came to Cannes for Cannes. The marina is 8 nautical miles west and absorbs 30m to 60m yachts at lower rates than the Vieux Port, but the city of Cannes is the point and the tender or shore transfer back at midnight is the friction. Mandelieu works as a daytime anchorage; not as an overnight for the Cannes week.
We pass on the Cap d'Antibes pickle and tender congestion at the Hotel du Cap pier between 12:30 and 14:30 in August. The Eden Roc lunch is one of the standard Côte d'Azur lunches but the tender choreography during peak season is the friction. Either book an early lunch (12:00) or shift to a late lunch (15:00) to avoid the rush. Better still, walk in from the Cap d'Antibes anchorage.
Multi-region pairings
The Cannes-Monaco short week (Cannes to Antibes to Beaulieu to Monaco and back) is the standard Côte d'Azur 7-day east-west structure for clients who want all four bases. The total distance is 50 nautical miles round trip and the trip allows two nights in Monaco for the Grand Prix or evening casino.
The Cannes-Saint-Tropez wide week (Cannes board, Saint-Tropez or Pampelonne disembark, both at one-way drop-off rates) is the standard wide-Côte-d'Azur charter and the best 7-day structure for first-time Côte d'Azur clients.
The Cannes-Corsica or Cannes-Sardinia 10-day or two-week one-way runs the standard summer south-west crossing. We cover the structure on the Corsica page and the Sardinia page.
The cross-pillar question (villa or charter)
Cannes has a deep villa inventory in the Super Cannes and California hills above the Croisette plus the Cap d'Antibes peninsula. For clients who want the festival access without the yacht overhead, a villa plus day boat structure works. The yacht charter is the answer when the trip wants to include Saint-Tropez or Monaco in the same week, or when the group wants Lerins as the daytime base.
The rest of the trip
VillasForKings covers the Cannes and Cap d'Antibes villa inventory. HotelsForKings covers Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Carlton Cannes, Hotel Martinez, Hotel Belles Rives, and the Cheval Blanc on the Croisette. RestaurantsForKings covers La Palme d'Or, Da Laura, La Bacon, Bistrot du Curé, and the Eden Roc lunch service. BarsForKings covers the Carlton Bar, the Bar du Port, and the Cap d'Antibes evening map.
FAQ
What size yacht works best in Cannes? 40m to 70m motor yacht. The Vieux Port and Port Pierre Canto handle this size cleanly and the Croisette anchorage absorbs larger. Above 90m the Vieux Port options collapse to 4 slots and the trip moves to Croisette anchorage with tender.
When is Cannes at its best for a charter week? First 10 days of June (between the Lions festival), first 10 days of September (between the Yachting Festival), and the last two weeks of September. All three windows deliver 25 to 35 percent below August peak rates and full Vieux Port availability.
Should I avoid the festival weeks entirely? Only if you came for the quiet. Film Festival, Cannes Lions, and the Yachting Festival each have their own social calendar and clients who came specifically for the festival week book 6 to 12 months ahead and accept the harbor density. Charter clients who want a quiet Côte d'Azur week should pick a non-festival week.
Can I attend the Cannes Yachting Festival on my charter yacht? Yes. Most clients overnight at the Croisette anchorage or Monaco during festival week and tender in for the day visits to the exhibition. The Vieux Port itself is exhibition-only.
Should I charter Cannes or Saint-Tropez as the Riviera base? Cannes for clients who want the marina base, the airport proximity, and a shorter daily passage radius. Saint-Tropez for clients who want the anchorage rhythm and the Pampelonne beach club coast. For a wide-coast week, board in Cannes and disembark in Saint-Tropez.