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Cannes sits on the French Riviera 27 kilometres west of Nice and 11 kilometres east of the Esterel massif, with a population of 73,000 across the Cannes city and 250,000 across the Cannes-Antibes-Grasse metropolitan area. The day-charter calendar runs May to October with the peak from late June to early September. A 45-foot motor yacht with crew for a 6-hour Lerins Islands and Esterel day in July runs €3,200 to €4,800 with French VAT, fuel, and gratuity on top. The day-charter inventory operates from four bases: Vieux Port de Cannes at the Palais des Festivals position (midmarket and aggregator band), Port Pierre Canto at La Croisette east (premium 65-foot-and-up band and Film Festival mega-yacht anchorage front), Port Camille Rayon at Golfe-Juan (Esterel and sportfish band), and Port de Mandelieu-la-Napoule at the Esterel west (budget midmarket and Esterel-coast band). Nice Cote d'Azur Airport (NCE) handles the air access with the canonical 30 to 40 minute road transfer to Cannes, plus the helicopter transfer from Nice via Heli Securite at the 7-minute Cannes Mandelieu landing.
The point of a Cannes day charter on a 4 to 8 hour rotation is the Lerins Islands calendar (the two-island archipelago 1.5 nautical miles south of Cannes with the Sainte-Marguerite north anchor at the Man-in-the-Iron-Mask fortress front, the Saint-Honorat south anchor at the Cistercian monastery front, and the white-sand swim anchorages on both islands), the Esterel coast rotation (the 15-nautical-mile red-rock volcanic coastline west to Saint-Raphael with the Anthéor, Le Trayas, Théoule, and Cap Roux anchorages on the calanque inventory), the Cap d'Antibes east rotation (the Eden Roc and Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc anchor, the Garoupe Beach anchor, and the Billionaire's Bay at the Cap d'Antibes south), and the Saint-Tropez 30-nautical-mile southwest run on the larger 60-foot-and-up inventory.
The day-charter pattern combines a 10am to 11am marina departure from Vieux Port or Pierre Canto, a 90-minute Sainte-Marguerite north anchor with the tender drop at the Fort Royal and the swim at the east-side anchorage, a Saint-Honorat south anchor with the monastery tender stop and lunch, an afternoon Esterel coast cruise west via the Théoule and Cap Roux calanques, and a 5pm marina return. The Cap d'Antibes east rotation substitutes the Lerins anchor with the Eden Roc anchor at La Garoupe and the Cap d'Antibes south swim at Billionaire's Bay.
When to day-charter Cannes
May. Shoulder begins. Water 17 to 19 degrees Celsius, air 18 to 23. The Cannes Film Festival runs mid-May (typically the second Tuesday for 12 days) with rates at 2x to 3x off-peak and the 65-foot-and-up inventory booked 6 to 9 months in advance. Outside the Festival window, shoulder rates run 50 to 60 percent of August peak. The cleaner booking pattern is the post-Festival window from 27 May.
June. Shoulder through 21 June, peak thereafter. Water 19 to 22 degrees, air 22 to 26. The post-Film-Festival window absorbs the clean shoulder pattern. From 21 June the canonical Mediterranean peak begins with the Cannes Yachting Festival not yet open (the Festival runs September), and rates climb to 75 to 90 percent of August peak through 30 June. The cleanest single June booking pattern is the first three weeks at 60 to 75 percent of peak.
July and August. Peak. Water 22 to 25 degrees, air 26 to 30. The canonical Cote d'Azur peak window with the Bastille Day (14 July) firework calendar, the Monaco Yacht Show absent from Cannes, and the canonical La Croisette beach-club calendar at Plage du Festival, Le Bâoli, La Mome, and the Hotel Martinez beach club. Rates at 90 to 100 percent of peak through 31 August. Book 10 to 16 weeks out for the premium 55-foot-and-up inventory.
September. Peak through Cannes Yachting Festival, shoulder thereafter. Water 22 to 24 degrees, air 23 to 28. The Cannes Yachting Festival runs the second week of September (10 to 15 September 2026 confirmed) at Vieux Port and Port Pierre Canto with rates at 2x to 2.5x off-peak. Outside the Festival window, the cleaner September pattern runs at 70 to 80 percent of August peak with full operator inventory.
October. Shoulder. Water 19 to 22 degrees, air 18 to 24. Working off-peak rates at 50 to 65 percent of August peak with full operator inventory. The cleanest October pattern is the first two weeks at the warmer-water and clearer-light window before the Mediterranean autumn pattern. Working operators wind down inventory 31 October to 1 November.
November to April. Working off-peak with material weather risk at the winter Mistral wind calendar (north-northwest wind at 35 to 60 knots in the Gulf of Genoa pressure pattern). Working inventory thins to 20 to 30 percent of peak. Working booking is possible on 48 to 72 hour notice at the operator-direct booking but the weather-cancellation risk runs material.
The Cannes day-charter zones
The Lerins Islands (the canonical Cannes day-charter axis). The two-island archipelago 1.5 nautical miles south of Cannes. Sainte-Marguerite north anchor (the 3-kilometre-long larger island with the Fort Royal at the Man-in-the-Iron-Mask 17th-century prison cell, the eucalyptus forest, and the swim anchorages at the east side at depths 4 to 10 metres). Saint-Honorat south anchor (the 1.5-kilometre-long smaller island with the Cistercian monastery, the monastery wine production, and the tender stop at the monastery dock). The canonical Cannes day-charter Lerins anchor pattern runs the north Sainte-Marguerite morning anchor with the monastery afternoon stop.
The Esterel coast (the west rotation). The 15-nautical-mile red-rock volcanic coastline from Mandelieu-la-Napoule west to Saint-Raphael. The canonical calanque inventory at Anthéor (the twin viaducts anchor 4 nautical miles west), Le Trayas (the canonical calanque 6 nautical miles west), Théoule-sur-Mer (the swim anchor 3 nautical miles west), Cap Roux (the dramatic red-rock anchor 7 nautical miles west), and Agay (the calanque cluster 10 nautical miles west). The west-rotation pattern runs the morning Théoule anchor with the Cap Roux lunch and the Agay swim.
Cap d'Antibes (the east rotation). The 4 nautical mile east cruise to the Cap d'Antibes peninsula. The Eden Roc anchor in front of the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, the La Garoupe Beach anchor at the east side of Cap d'Antibes, the Billionaire's Bay anchor at the south Cap d'Antibes, and the Pointe Bacon anchor at the southeast. The east-rotation pattern absorbs the canonical Cote d'Azur photo calendar at Eden Roc.
Saint-Tropez southwest extension (the long-day rotation). The 30 nautical mile southwest run to Saint-Tropez. The day-yacht inventory at the 65-foot-and-up motor yacht runs the full-day Saint-Tropez extension at 2 hours each way transit, a 4-hour Saint-Tropez window at the Pampelonne beach club anchor (Club 55, Nikki Beach, or the Loulou), and a 6pm marina return. Cleanest at the 65-foot-and-up given the 30-knot transit requirement to compress the day.
Iles de Lerins south extension. The south-side anchorages at Saint-Honorat south face the open-water cluster at Plateau du Veyron at the south of Saint-Honorat and the canonical south-side Lerins swim cluster. The cleaner alternative to the high-volume Sainte-Marguerite north anchor at peak Saturday and Sunday in July and August.
A standard Cannes day charter (6 hours)
| Hour | Position | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 10:30 | Vieux Port or Pierre Canto board | Boarding at the slip, provisioning check, departure briefing |
| 11:00 | Lerins south transit | 20-minute slow cruise south to Sainte-Marguerite |
| 11:20 | Sainte-Marguerite north anchor | 1.5 to 2 hour swim, paddleboard, Fort Royal tender drop, lunch on board |
| 13:00 | Saint-Honorat south cruise | 15-minute slow cruise south to Saint-Honorat |
| 13:15 | Saint-Honorat monastery anchor | 1-hour monastery tender stop, optional wine pickup, swim at south side |
| 14:15 | Esterel coast west run | 30-minute run west at 18 to 22 knots to Théoule or Cap Roux |
| 14:45 | Théoule and Cap Roux anchor | 1.5-hour calanque swim window with paddleboard, optional Seabob |
| 16:15 | Marina return | 30-minute return run east to Vieux Port or Pierre Canto |
This is the canonical Cannes 6-hour rotation on a 45 to 60 foot motor yacht with 8 to 12 guests. The structure adjusts for the Cap d'Antibes east rotation (which substitutes the Lerins anchor with the Eden Roc and La Garoupe pattern at the 30-minute east transit), for the Saint-Tropez extension (which moves to an 8 to 10 hour day at 65-foot-and-up inventory), and for the sunset cruise (which runs the 4-hour 5pm to 9pm rotation at the Esterel sunset position west).
Cannes day-charter boat size guidance
24 to 32 foot ribs and small motorboats. €600 to €1,500 per day, 6 to 10 guests, skipper-included on the captain-licensed rib. The clean fit for Lerins day with budget booking; absorbs the short-range Sainte-Marguerite and Théoule rotation.
33 to 45 foot motor yachts. €1,500 to €3,500 per day, 8 to 12 guests, crew of 1 to 2, small galley capacity. The midmarket Cannes day-charter band; the cleanest fit for the Lerins and Esterel rotation.
45 to 60 foot motor yachts. €3K to €6K per day, 10 to 12 guests, crew of 2 to 4, on-board chef on the 55-foot-and-up, full watersports inventory. The premium midmarket band with the structured Lerins-Esterel-Cap d'Antibes rotation and the canonical Cannes day-charter inventory at Vieux Port and Pierre Canto.
60 to 80 foot motor yachts. €6K to €14K per day, 12 guests legal-capacity maximum (the French commercial day-charter limit), full crew of 3 to 6, tender garage with full watersports inventory. The premium day-charter band with the structured Saint-Tropez extension capacity.
80 to 120 foot motor yachts. €14K to €25K per day, 12 guests legal-capacity maximum, full crew of 5 to 9, overnight extension capacity. The extension-charter band for clients combining Cannes day product with overnight at Saint-Tropez, Monaco, or Portofino.
Cannes day-charter cost math
| Line item | Range (45-foot motor yacht, 6-hour day, July peak) |
|---|---|
| Boat day rate | €3.2K to €4.8K |
| French VAT (20% on the day-charter fee) | €0.64K to €0.96K |
| Fuel (typical 6-hour day, 30 nautical miles, at-cost) | €0.2K to €0.6K |
| Crew gratuity (10% to 15% standard) | €0.32K to €0.72K |
| Provisioning (lunch, drinks, operator-provided or external) | €0.4K to €1.2K |
| Working full check (6-hour Lerins-Esterel day) | €4.5K to €8K |
| Working full check (8-hour Saint-Tropez extension, 65-foot) | €11K to €16K |
| Cannes Film Festival week premium (2x to 3x rate) | €9K to €25K |
The Cannes day-charter cost runs at the upper-end of the Mediterranean day-charter market on a per-day basis given the 20% French VAT and the August peak rate calendar. The cost-control move is to book the June (post-Festival, pre-July) or September (post-Yachting-Festival) window at 60 to 75 percent of August peak, decline the Film Festival and the Yachting Festival weeks unless prioritising the calendar event, and prefer the 4 to 6 hour rotation over the 8-hour Saint-Tropez extension. The Italian-flag charter alternative from Liguria runs 0% Italian luxury VAT through 2026 but adds a 6-hour transit from Liguria; the French-flag inventory at Cannes runs the 20% VAT but the same-day pickup pattern.
Operator ranking (the day-charter inventory)
We rank rather than list. The Cannes day-charter operator inventory we would book runs at the following band:
Cannes Boat Club holds the operator-direct 40 to 80 foot motor-yacht inventory at the Vieux Port and Pierre Canto bases with the Sunseeker, Princess, Azimut, Beneteau, and Sea Ray inventory. Working operator-direct booking, French commercial licensing, on-board chef capability at the 55-foot-and-up, and the Saint-Tropez extension capacity at the 65-foot-and-up. The cleanest single operator-direct booking pattern at the working €3K-and-up Cannes day-charter band.
Riviera Yachting Network holds the broker-aggregator inventory across the 25 to 120 foot Cannes day-charter pool at the Vieux Port, Pierre Canto, and Camille Rayon bases. The broker-direct booking pattern with the full-day quote across the inventory pool; the clean fit for clients comparing the operator-direct quote against the broker-aggregator pricing.
Easy Boat Cannes holds the high-volume budget 24 to 40 foot rib and motorboat inventory at the Vieux Port base with the captain-licensed rib pattern. The cleanest single budget Cannes day-charter pattern at the €600 to €2K band; the short-range Lerins and Théoule rotation is the clean fit.
Click and Boat Cannes holds the aggregator inventory at the Vieux Port and Camille Rayon bases with the 24 to 65 foot inventory across the budget and midmarket bands. The aggregator interface, insurance, and the captain-included pattern at the 30-foot-and-up. The cleaner alternative for clients comparing the aggregator quotes against the operator-direct booking; we cover the platform on the Click and Boat review page.
Samboat Cannes holds the second-tier aggregator inventory at the comparable bases with the comparable inventory pool. The cleaner alternative for clients comparing the Click and Boat budget-band quotes.
We rank Cannes Boat Club at the top of the Cannes day-charter operator inventory list because the French-flag commercial-licensed pattern at the working €3K-and-up band runs cleaner on the operator-direct booking than the aggregator pattern at the Cote d'Azur peak rate calendar. The aggregator pool at Click and Boat and Samboat runs cleaner at the working €600 to €2.5K budget rib and small-motorboat band; above €3K the operator-direct booking at Cannes Boat Club runs cleaner on the specific-boat selection, the commercial-licensing verification, and the operator-cancellation policy.
What we would change
The August peak rate calendar at Cannes runs at the upper end of the Mediterranean day-charter market with rates at 2x to 2.5x the Croatia day-charter equivalent and 1.5x the Mallorca day-charter equivalent on the 45-foot motor-yacht band. The cleanest single fix is the June (post-Festival) or September (post-Yachting-Festival) booking pattern at 60 to 75 percent of August peak with full operator inventory and the cleanest single water-temperature window. The 20% French VAT is non-negotiable on the French-flag inventory at the Cannes departure.
The Lerins Islands peak Saturday and Sunday calendar at July and August peak runs the Sainte-Marguerite north anchor at 60 to 120 anchored boats and the tender congestion at the Fort Royal landing. The cleanest single fix is the weekday booking (Monday through Thursday) at the 20 to 40-boat Sainte-Marguerite calendar, the Saint-Honorat south alternative at the monastery anchor, or the morning 10am anchor pattern at the pre-noon peak.
The Cannes Film Festival peak rate window in mid-May runs material on the 65-foot-and-up inventory with the full Festival-week inventory at 2x to 3x off-peak rates. The cleanest single fix is the post-Festival booking pattern at 27 to 31 May at 50 to 65 percent of peak with the clean shoulder pattern and full operator inventory.
The rest of the trip
VillasForKings covers the Cannes and Cap d'Antibes private villa inventory at La Californie, Super Cannes, Cap d'Antibes, and the Mougins inland cluster with the pool, private-tennis, and direct-sea-view inventory. HotelsForKings covers the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc at Cap d'Antibes, the Hotel Martinez at La Croisette, the Carlton Cannes at La Croisette, the Imposing Barriere at La Croisette, the Grand Hyatt Martinez at La Croisette, the Five Seas Hotel at the Vieux Port, and the Mougins cluster at the Mas Candille. RestaurantsForKings covers La Palme d'Or at the Martinez, Le Park 45 at the Grand Hyatt, La Mome at La Croisette, La Mome Plage at the beach, Bobo Bistro at the Suquet, Le Fouquet's at the Imposing, and Maison Bruno at Lorgues. BarsForKings covers the La Croisette bar calendar at the Carlton 7th floor, the Martinez bar, La Mome Plage at sunset, the Bâoli, and the Suquet old-town bar cluster.
FAQ
Do I need to book a Cannes day charter in advance? For July and August peak, yes. Book 10 to 16 weeks out for the premium 55-foot-and-up inventory at Cannes Boat Club, with 6 to 9 months for the Cannes Film Festival window (mid-May) and the Cannes Yachting Festival window (early to mid-September). May, June (post-Festival), September (post-Yachting-Festival), and October open inventory on 1 to 2 week notice at the shoulder rates.
Can I day-charter from Cannes to Saint-Tropez? Yes on the 65-foot-and-up motor-yacht inventory with the 28 to 30 knot transit capacity. Saint-Tropez sits 30 nautical miles southwest of Cannes, a 60 to 75 minute transit each way at the 25-knot cruise speed. The full Cannes-to-Saint-Tropez day rotation runs 8 to 10 hours marina-to-marina with a 3 to 4 hour Saint-Tropez window at the Pampelonne beach club anchor (Club 55, Nikki Beach, Loulou, or the Verde). We cover the Saint-Tropez day-charter pattern on the Saint-Tropez day charter page.
What size group fits a Cannes day charter? 6 to 10 guests on the 24 to 32 foot rib and motorboat band, 8 to 12 on the 40 to 50 foot motor-yacht band, 10 to 12 on the 50 to 80 foot motor-yacht band (capped at 12 on the French commercial day-charter limit), 12+ on the two-yacht booking pattern. Groups above 12 should book the two-yacht pattern via Riviera Yachting Network or the Cannes Boat Club two-yacht inventory.
How does Cannes day-charter cost compare with Monaco? Comparable at the 45-foot motor-yacht band, both running €3K to €5K at peak per day before extras. Cannes runs cleaner on the Lerins and Esterel inventory and the Vieux Port and Pierre Canto pickup pattern; Monaco runs higher on the Port Hercule slip premium and the Monaco Grand Prix window (late May) at 3x to 5x off-peak rates. We cover Monaco day-charter on the Monaco day charter page.