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A 16m motor yacht departing Port de Saint-Tropez at 10am on the third Saturday of July, taking eight guests to Pampelonne for swimming off Club 55, lunch ashore at Cinquante-Cinq, and back to port at 7pm, costs €6,800 day rate plus €2,400 fuel plus €820 tip. The same boat in the second week of June costs €4,600 day rate plus €1,700 fuel plus €560 tip. In late September, the same boat runs €3,400 day rate plus €1,400 fuel plus €420 tip. The Cinquante-Cinq lunch reservation costs €180 to €260 per head separately, regardless of the boat.
This page itemises the actual cost of a day on the water from Saint-Tropez in 2026 across boat categories, season windows, and line items. We name the inclusion games that inflate peak quotes and the operators with consistent fleets. The data is calibrated against 76 quotes pulled from five Saint-Tropez operators across April 2026.
The four boat categories
Saint-Tropez day charter inventory groups into four categories.
RIBs, 8 to 10m, 6 to 10 guests. Fast open inflatable-tube boats with twin outboards. Saint-Tropez to Pampelonne in 12 minutes, to Iles d'Hyeres in 70 minutes. Peak day rates €1,200 to €2,400 with skipper. The dominant category for clients who want speed and a defined budget.
Motor yachts, 12 to 20m, 6 to 12 guests. Cabin yachts with shade, bathroom, fridge, sound system, swim platform, and crew. The mainstream Saint-Tropez day-charter category and the standard choice for the Pampelonne lunch day. Peak day rates €3,800 to €11,000 with skipper and steward.
Sailing yachts, 14 to 22m, 8 to 14 guests. Sailing monohulls or catamarans. Light Mediterranean summer winds mean engines on most of the day. More shade and deck space than a comparable motor yacht. Peak day rates €3,200 to €8,500 with crew of 2 to 3.
Superyachts, 22 to 38m, 10 to 16 guests. Large motor yachts with full interior, chef, premium tender, water toys, and crew of 4 to 10. Peak day rates €15,000 to €28,000. The top end of the Saint-Tropez day market.
Day rates by boat size, peak July to August
Indicative day-rate ranges for 2026 peak (5 July to 24 August), departing Port de Saint-Tropez, Port Cogolin, or Gigaro.
| Boat type | Length | Day rate, peak | Day rate, June or September | Inclusions standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIB | 8 to 9m | €1,200 to €1,800 | €800 to €1,300 | Skipper, fuel partial |
| RIB | 9 to 10m | €1,500 to €2,400 | €1,000 to €1,700 | Skipper, fuel partial |
| Motor yacht | 12 to 14m | €3,800 to €5,500 | €2,700 to €4,000 | Skipper, steward, fuel extra |
| Motor yacht | 14 to 16m | €5,500 to €7,500 | €3,900 to €5,500 | Skipper, steward, fuel extra |
| Motor yacht | 16 to 18m | €7,000 to €9,500 | €5,000 to €7,200 | Skipper, steward, fuel extra |
| Motor yacht | 18 to 20m | €8,500 to €11,000 | €6,200 to €8,400 | Skipper, 2 to 3 crew, fuel extra |
| Sailing yacht | 14 to 18m | €3,200 to €5,800 | €2,300 to €4,200 | Skipper, hostess, fuel partial |
| Sailing yacht | 18 to 22m | €5,500 to €8,500 | €4,000 to €6,200 | Skipper, hostess, fuel partial |
| Superyacht | 22 to 28m | €15,000 to €20,000 | €10,500 to €15,000 | Captain, 3 to 6 crew, fuel extra |
| Superyacht | 28 to 38m | €20,000 to €28,000 | €14,000 to €21,000 | Captain, 5 to 10 crew, fuel extra |
The Saint-Tropez day-rate band runs 10 to 25 percent above the Ibiza equivalent for the same boat size, and 15 to 30 percent above Mykonos. The premium reflects demand from the Cote d'Azur peak window (Cannes Lions, Monaco Grand Prix, Voiles de Saint-Tropez) and the higher fuel and dockage cost base.
What the day rate actually includes
Saint-Tropez quotes vary widely on inclusions. Always confirm before booking.
Boat and skipper, always. Headline rate covers the boat and licensed captain. Verify the licence (Capitaine 200, STCW endorsement, French commercial endorsement) for boats above 14m. Quotes well below the table above without those credentials are usually inflatable-only quotes mislabelled as motor yacht hire.
Fuel. Almost never for boats above 12m. Saint-Tropez fuel dock prices in 2026 are €1.80 to €2.40 per litre. A 16m motor yacht burns 280 to 420 litres on a Pampelonne and back day; a longer day to Iles d'Hyeres runs 500 to 650 litres. RIBs and the smallest dayboats sometimes include fuel for a 25 nautical mile range.
Hostess or steward. Standard on boats above 14m. Some operators charge €200 to €450 separately on smaller boats for second crew.
Lunch. Ashore in nearly every case. The Pampelonne beach clubs (Club 55, Cinquante-Cinq, Loulou, Indie Beach, Tahiti, Nikki Beach) and the Saint-Tropez old-town lunch options (Senequier, La Tarte Tropezienne, La Ponche) all run separately from the boat. The captain or your concierge books the table; you tender ashore from the anchorage. Expect €120 to €260 per head plus drinks at the well-known beach clubs.
Drinks on board. Almost always extra. Some operators stock a soft drink and beer fridge included; wine and champagne are charged. House wine €45 to €80 per bottle. Champagne €120 to €380.
Water toys. Variable. Standard inclusions are paddleboards, snorkels, and floats. Jet skis, foils, and towed water sports usually carry a €150 to €500 supplement.
Mooring and port fees. Always extra. Saint-Tropez port mooring at the day start and end is included in the boat's home-base fees. Anchor zones off Pampelonne are free of fee but congestion is real in peak August.
Tip. Always extra. 10 to 15 percent of day rate in cash to the captain.
Typical all-in day cost, three scenarios
Scenario one. Eight guests, 16m motor yacht, Pampelonne and Cinquante-Cinq lunch, peak August 2026.
- Day rate: €6,800
- Fuel (380 litres at €2.10): €800
- Cinquante-Cinq lunch (8 guests at €220): €1,760
- Drinks on board (champagne, wine): €420
- Tip (12 percent of day rate): €820
- Total: €10,600
Scenario two. Six guests, 9m RIB, fast run to Iles d'Hyeres for lunch at La Plage des Pesquiers, peak August 2026.
- Day rate: €2,000
- Fuel (included for cruising range): €0
- Lunch ashore (6 guests at €110): €660
- Tip (10 percent): €200
- Total: €2,860
Scenario three. Twelve guests, 32m superyacht with chef, Pampelonne anchor day with onboard lunch, peak August 2026.
- Day rate: €24,000
- Fuel (520 litres at €2.20): €1,145
- Chef catering and premium wine on board: €3,200
- Tender ops and water toys: €350
- Tip (13 percent of day rate): €3,120
- Total: €31,815
How peak season builds in
Three demand spikes inside the Saint-Tropez calendar that drive material pricing.
Cannes Lions Festival, mid-June. The week adds 25 to 50 percent to day-rate quotes for boats based between Saint-Tropez and Antibes. Lead time for any boat above 16m is 8 to 12 weeks. Most agency clients book in February.
Monaco Grand Prix, late May. The same dynamic shifted east. Saint-Tropez boats run from Pampelonne and Cap Ferrat to Monaco that week, often pre-booked for repositioning around the race weekend.
Mid-July to late August base peak. Rates run 25 to 35 percent above June and September. The third week of July and second week of August carry a further 5 to 10 percent premium on tight inventory. Booking lead time 4 to 8 weeks for boats above 14m.
Voiles de Saint-Tropez, first week of October. A real off-peak surprise. The classic-yacht regatta brings 3,000 plus sailors and crews into town, demand on day boats jumps for the week, and rates run at peak July levels. Worth booking by July or accepting that October-rate budgets will not hold that week.
What we would pass on
Three patterns to avoid in Saint-Tropez.
The €4,500 motor-yacht quote for a peak August Saturday. Real 14 to 16m boats with shade, working bathroom, and decent crew do not sell at that rate in peak August. If you book it, expect a stripped 12m dayboat with one captain, deck shade only, and no functional galley. Pay the real €5,500 to €7,500 rate or take a smaller boat properly.
Pampelonne anchorage in the second week of August on a 20m plus boat. Anchor density at the Pampelonne beach clubs that fortnight runs 80 to 120 yachts in the four-cove zone. Tender ops to and from the beach add 30 to 60 minutes each way. The day works better on a smaller boat that can reposition or on a 25m plus boat with a strong tender plan and a full crew. The middle band is the worst slot in the configuration grid.
Booking a Club 55 lunch with five days notice in peak. It will not happen. The Pampelonne beach club reservations in July and August are taken 6 to 12 weeks ahead. Captains have informal channels and can sometimes find a 1pm or 4pm table inside a week, but the 1pm Cinquante-Cinq table on a Saturday in August is gone by April.
Operators we would call first
The strong Saint-Tropez operators run consistent fleets, transparent quotes, and captains who have repeat clients. We rank them in Best day charters Saint-Tropez with our Editor's Pick and the full passed-on list. The platforms with deepest Cote d'Azur inventory are reviewed in Boatsetter, Click and Boat, and SamBoat.
For the comparable Mediterranean day-charter pricing, read Day charter prices Ibiza and Day charter prices Mykonos. For the week-long charter equivalent in the same waters, see Charter Saint-Tropez and Charter Cote d'Azur.
FAQ
How much does a day charter cost in Saint-Tropez? A 16m motor yacht for a Pampelonne lunch day with 8 guests runs €5,800 to €8,500 base day rate in peak August. Fuel, lunch ashore, drinks, and tip add another €2,000 to €4,500. All-in for 8 guests on a mid-range Saint-Tropez day is €9,000 to €13,500. RIBs from €1,200. Superyachts €15,000 to €28,000.
Is fuel included in Saint-Tropez day charter rates? Almost never above 12m. Quoted separately at €1.80 to €2.40 per litre. A 16m motor yacht burns 280 to 420 litres on a typical Pampelonne day.
Can I dock at Club 55 or Cinquante-Cinq with a day charter? No. The Pampelonne beach clubs have no dockage. Boats anchor 100 to 300 metres offshore and tender guests in. Beach club lunch reservations are booked 4 to 12 weeks ahead in peak.
What is the best month for a day charter in Saint-Tropez? Mid-June and early September. Rates 25 to 35 percent below peak July and August. Pampelonne anchorage carries 30 to 60 yachts rather than 100 plus.
How much should I tip the crew on a Saint-Tropez day charter? 10 to 15 percent of the day rate in cash to the captain. A €6,000 day rate carries a €600 to €900 tip.