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Saint-Tropez is the anchorage-led base of the Côte d'Azur and the only French destination where a 100m motor yacht in mid-August can choose between four legitimate overnight options inside a 10-mile radius. A 40m motor yacht out of Saint-Tropez in the second week of August runs €195,000 to €250,000 a week before APA, making it the third most expensive Mediterranean base after Monaco and the Côte d'Azur generally. The wider Côte d'Azur fleet sits at roughly 220 charter yachts for the 2026 season, with the largest concentration based around Antibes (the IYCA refit yard, the Port Vauban superyacht quay), Cannes, and Saint-Tropez itself. A meaningful share of that fleet positions to the Vieux Port and the Baie des Cannebiers from mid-June through mid-September.
Saint-Tropez is the answer for charter clients who want the Côte d'Azur visual signature (the Vieux Port stern-to, the Pampelonne beach clubs, the dinner at Sénéquier or La Vague d'Or) and the cruising flexibility to run west to the Iles d'Or for the swimming side of the week. For repeat clients who want the Côte d'Azur infrastructure without the Saint-Tropez August density, Cannes or Antibes is the alternative base. We cover both elsewhere.
The Saint-Tropez week is the most social Côte d'Azur week. The cruising is half of the trip; the harbor scene, the beach clubs at Pampelonne, and the evening at the Vieux Port are the other half.
When to charter Saint-Tropez
May. Water 17 to 18 degrees Celsius. Cannes Film Festival runs the second week (the yacht traffic on the Croisette pulls the entire coast into festival rhythm). Pampelonne beach clubs opening from mid-May. Anchorages empty. Rates 35 to 50 percent below August peak. The cleanest charter window of the year for clients who want the coast empty.
June. Water 21 to 22 degrees. Pampelonne fully open by June 10. The Monaco Grand Prix the last weekend in May pulls some yacht traffic west into early June but Saint-Tropez itself stays manageable. Rates 25 to 35 percent below August peak. Last 10 days of June is the technical sweet spot.
July. Peak begins around July 5. Water 23 to 25 degrees. Pampelonne beach clubs (Loulou, Verde, Cucina, Indie, Bagatelle, Le Club 55) at full booking pressure. Vieux Port berths sold out for both Friday and Saturday nights. Headline rates apply.
August. Hardest month. The first two weeks are the densest Côte d'Azur fortnight. Vieux Port berths sold out months ahead. Pampelonne anchorages at full density by 11 a.m. Beach club tables booked 3 to 5 weeks ahead. Restaurant ashore (La Vague d'Or, Sénéquier, La Pesquière) booked 2 to 3 weeks ahead. The trip works at headline rates and headline pressure.
September. Water 22 to 24 degrees through mid-month. The first 10 days of September are the cleanest charter window of the year for Saint-Tropez. Restaurants reliably bookable. Beach clubs at lower density. Vieux Port berths available. Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez the last week of September brings 300 classic and modern sailing yachts to the bay for one of the best Mediterranean sailing spectacles of the year.
October. First week workable, Vieux Port restaurant scene closing from October 12. Most yachts reposition by October 20.
The Saint-Tropez cruising zones
The Vieux Port and the Baie des Cannebiers. The harbor and its outer anchorage. The Vieux Port absorbs 50 stern-to berths up to 90m at the outer quay (the Quai Suffren and the Quai Jean Jaurès). The Baie des Cannebiers is the protected bay east of the Vieux Port where yachts overnight at anchor. Most charter weeks alternate Vieux Port berthing for the social nights and Baie anchorage for the rest. This zone runs as the boarding and disembarking ends of every Saint-Tropez week.
Pampelonne and the beach club coast. The 5-kilometer stretch east of Saint-Tropez town, from the Pointe du Capon to Bonne Terrasse, anchored along the Pampelonne beach. Loulou, Verde, Cucina by Cipriani, Bagatelle, Le Club 55, and the Indie Beach are the standard tender-in beach clubs. Anchorages absorb 80m yachts comfortably along the stretch. This is where most of a Saint-Tropez week sits during daylight hours.
The Cap Camarat and the south. Cap Camarat lighthouse and the Anse de Pampelonne south stretch. Quieter than the northern Pampelonne. Cala Roquille and Cala de Briande are the swimming anchorages off the cape. This zone works for one morning of a 7-day week.
The west run and the Iles d'Or (Hyères islands). The 25 to 30-nautical-mile run west from Saint-Tropez to Porquerolles, Port-Cros, and the Ile du Levant. Porquerolles village absorbs 50m yachts at the harbor and the Cala Notre Dame anchorage handles 80m. This is the swimming and quieter side of the Saint-Tropez week and most clients spend two to three nights here midweek.
Cannes, Antibes, and the eastern coast. The 25-nautical-mile run east to Cannes, Antibes, and the Lerins islands. Most Saint-Tropez weeks include one or two nights in Cannes or Antibes for the wider Riviera variety. We cover these on dedicated pages.
A standard Saint-Tropez week
| Day | Anchorage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Sat | Saint-Tropez (Vieux Port berth) | Boarding, evening at La Vague d'Or or Sénéquier |
| Sun | Baie des Cannebiers / Pampelonne | Anchored day, lunch at Loulou or Le Club 55 |
| Mon | Pampelonne to Cap Camarat | South anchorages, dinner ashore at La Pesquière |
| Tue | West run to Porquerolles | Cross to Iles d'Or, Cala Notre Dame anchorage |
| Wed | Port-Cros and Ile du Levant | Quiet day, lunch at Mas du Langoustier on Porquerolles |
| Thu | East to Cannes or Antibes | Run east, dinner at La Palme d'Or in Cannes |
| Fri | Lerins islands and return | Day at Sainte-Marguerite, return to Pampelonne overnight |
| Sat | Saint-Tropez Vieux Port disembark | Disembarkation morning |
This is the standard Saint-Tropez week and it works on 30m to 80m yachts. Above 80m the Vieux Port berthing tightens to the outer quay and the Pampelonne anchorages run on dropped-anchor standoff with tender access.
Saint-Tropez yacht size guidance
30m to 50m. The sweet spot for Vieux Port berthing and Pampelonne anchorage variety. Iles d'Or harbor at Porquerolles direct.
50m to 70m. Workable across the coast. Vieux Port berthing limited to the outer quay slots. Pampelonne anchorages absorb without issue. Porquerolles harbor mooring requires booking 6 months ahead for August.
70m to 90m. Vieux Port berthing possible at the Quai Jean Jaurès outer slots (8 to 10 berths). The Baie des Cannebiers becomes the standard overnight at this size. Pampelonne anchorages absorb 90m on standoff.
90m and above. Vieux Port berthing pulls back to 2 to 3 slots that book a year ahead. Most 90m+ weeks anchor in the Baie des Cannebiers and tender into the Vieux Port for dinner. Pampelonne works as a daytime stop. Above 100m, the trip is anchorage-led with Cannes or Antibes marina overnights for the larger yacht infrastructure.
Saint-Tropez charter cost math
| Line item | Range (40m motor yacht, August peak) |
|---|---|
| Weekly rate | €195K to €250K |
| APA (30% to 35%) | €60K to €88K |
| VAT (20% French, reduced charter rate where applicable) | €39K to €50K |
| Vieux Port berthing (per night, August) | €1.5K to €4K |
| Beach club bills (per week, four to six clubs) | €18K to €45K |
| Gratuity (10% to 15%) | €20K to €38K |
| Full check | €333K to €475K |
French charter VAT is 20 percent at the headline rate. Reduced effective rates apply to charters using the French commercial license and itineraries crossing into international waters during the charter, but the rules are tighter than the Italian or Spanish equivalents. Insist on the VAT calculation in writing from the broker.
Beach club spend at Pampelonne is the largest single discretionary line on a Saint-Tropez week. A Le Club 55 lunch for 10 guests runs €2,000 to €4,000. A Loulou or Cucina by Cipriani lunch runs €3,000 to €6,000 with wine. Multiply by four to six club visits and the line is €18,000 to €45,000 above the APA.
What we passed on
We pass on the Cogolin and Sainte-Maxime marinas as overnight bases for charter clients who came to Saint-Tropez for Saint-Tropez. The marinas across the bay are functional and discounted relative to the Vieux Port but they sacrifice the harbor scene and the walking distance to dinner. The tender ride across the bay at midnight in a strong meltem south is the problem. If the budget is the issue, the Baie des Cannebiers anchorage is the better answer than Sainte-Maxime berthing.
We pass on the Plage de la Bouillabaisse beach as an anchorage. The stretch north of the town is shallow, the holding is patchy, and the better swimming is 10 minutes south at Pampelonne or 20 minutes west at the Iles d'Or.
We pass on the Monaco Grand Prix weekend (last weekend in May) for charter clients who want Saint-Tropez as the base. The fleet density that weekend is at Monaco and the Saint-Tropez harbor empties; the cruising is fine but the social rhythm is wrong. Either start the charter the following Monday or book Cannes or Monaco as the base for the Grand Prix specifically.
We pass on the Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez week (last week of September) for clients who do not want sailing yacht spectacle. The harbor is closed to non-participant yachts above 30m, the social rhythm is dense, and the restaurant reservations are tight. For sailing yacht enthusiasts, this is the best charter week of the year on the Côte d'Azur; for clients who came for the quieter September, shift the week one earlier.
Multi-region pairings
The Saint-Tropez-Corsica one-way (Saint-Tropez to Bonifacio, 175 nautical miles) is the standard summer one-way from the Côte d'Azur. The crossing runs overnight from the Iles d'Or and the Corsica side opens the Lavezzi and Bouches de Bonifacio anchorages for the back half of the trip. We cover the structure on the Corsica page.
The Saint-Tropez-Sardinia 10-day or two-week one-way (Saint-Tropez to Porto Cervo, 220 nautical miles) is the strongest long-form charter from the Côte d'Azur. The route runs through Corsica midweek and finishes at the Costa Smeralda for the social end of the trip. Most major brokers structure this on request.
The Saint-Tropez-Riviera local week (Saint-Tropez to Cannes to Antibes to Monaco and back) runs as a 7-day east-west week without leaving French waters. This is the standard wide-Côte-d'Azur week for clients who want all four bases inside one charter.
The cross-pillar question (villa or charter)
Saint-Tropez has a deep villa inventory in the Ramatuelle and Gassin hills above Pampelonne, plus the rare Saint-Tropez town center properties. For clients who want the beach club access without the yacht overhead, the villa-plus-day-boat structure works. The yacht charter is the answer when the trip wants to include the Iles d'Or or run east to Cannes or Monaco, and when the group prefers the boat as the base for the harbor scene at evening.
The rest of the trip
VillasForKings covers the Ramatuelle and Gassin villa inventory and the Saint-Tropez town center rentals. HotelsForKings covers the Lily of the Valley, Cheval Blanc Saint-Tropez, La Réserve Ramatuelle, Hotel Byblos, and the Pan Deï Palais. RestaurantsForKings covers La Vague d'Or, La Pesquière, Sénéquier, Loulou, and Le Club 55. BarsForKings covers the Les Caves du Roy, the Sénéquier terrace, and the Vieux Port evening map.
FAQ
What size yacht works best in Saint-Tropez? 40m to 65m motor yacht. Vieux Port berthing variety and Pampelonne anchorage flexibility both work at this size. Above 80m the Vieux Port berthing tightens and the trip moves to Baie des Cannebiers anchorage with tender access.
When is Saint-Tropez at its best for a charter week? The last 10 days of June and the first 10 days of September. Both deliver warm water, full restaurant availability, and 25 to 35 percent below August peak rates. The first 10 days of September is the cleanest single window of the year.
How far in advance should I book a Saint-Tropez August week? 12 to 14 months for the largest yachts (80m+), 8 to 10 months for the 50m to 80m range, 6 to 8 months for 30m to 50m. Vieux Port berthing for Friday and Saturday in August needs to be a contracted line in the charter agreement and the broker chases it directly with the harbor master.
Can I include the Iles d'Or in a Saint-Tropez week? Yes. Most weeks include two to three nights at Porquerolles and Port-Cros. The 25-nautical-mile crossing is a half-day each way and the Iles d'Or are the swimming and quieter half of the week.
Should I charter Saint-Tropez or Cannes as the Riviera base? Saint-Tropez for clients who want the anchorage rhythm and the beach club coast. Cannes for clients who want the marina base and the Cap d'Antibes restaurant scene with shorter daily passages. For a wide-coast week, board in one and disembark in the other.