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Nice sits on the French Riviera at the Baie des Anges between Cap d'Antibes west and Cap-Ferrat east, with a population of 340,000 across the Nice city and 1 million across the Nice-Cannes-Monaco Cote d'Azur 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 Villefranche and Cap-Ferrat day in July runs €2,800 to €4,500 with French VAT, fuel, and gratuity on top. The day-charter inventory operates from three bases: Port de Nice (Port Lympia) at the east of the Vieux Nice (midmarket and budget band), Port de Villefranche-sur-Mer 4 nautical miles east (Cap-Ferrat-priority and larger 65-foot-and-up bands), and Port de Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat at the Cap-Ferrat north (premium Cap-Ferrat band with the closest peninsula access). Nice Cote d'Azur Airport (NCE) handles the air access with the canonical 15 to 25 minute road transfer to Port Lympia.
The point of a Nice day charter on a 4 to 8 hour rotation is the Villefranche-sur-Mer bay axis (the 4 nautical mile east cruise to the 14-square-kilometre deep-water bay with the Plage des Marinieres anchor, the Citadelle tender stop, and the canonical superyacht anchorage at depths 20 to 40 metres), the Cap-Ferrat peninsula rotation (Plage de Passable on the west, Plage de Paloma on the east, and Mala anchor at the west-of-Monaco side), the Baie des Anges west rotation (the Cap d'Antibes east cruise via the 12 nautical miles to Cap d'Antibes and the Eden Roc anchor), and the Monaco and Italian Riviera east long-day extension (the 11 nautical mile east cruise to Monaco's Cap-d'Ail and Cap Martin and the further 7 nautical miles to the Italian border at Ventimiglia and Bordighera).
The day-charter pattern combines a 10:30am to 11am Port Lympia or Port de Villefranche departure, a 30-minute slow cruise east to the Villefranche bay anchor, a 1.5-hour Citadelle anchor with the Villefranche old-town tender stop and lunch, a Cap-Ferrat south rotation at Plage de Passable and Plage de Paloma, an optional Mala anchor swim at the west-of-Monaco, and a 5pm Port Lympia return.
When to day-charter Nice
May. Shoulder. Water 17 to 19 degrees Celsius, air 18 to 23. The Cannes Film Festival mid-May and the Monaco Grand Prix late May absorb the Cote d'Azur premium-charter calendar but Nice runs at the clean shoulder pattern with full operator inventory at 55 to 65 percent of August peak. The cleanest single May booking pattern is the post-Grand-Prix window from 27 May.
June. Shoulder through 21 June, peak thereafter. Water 19 to 22 degrees, air 22 to 26. The June booking pattern runs at 60 to 80 percent of August peak across the month. From 21 June the canonical Cote d'Azur peak begins with rates climbing to 80 to 90 percent of August peak through 30 June.
July and August. Peak. Water 22 to 25 degrees, air 26 to 30. The canonical Cote d'Azur peak window with the Nice Jazz Festival in mid-July at the Theatre de Verdure, the Bastille Day (14 July) firework calendar at the Promenade des Anglais, and the canonical Vieux Nice and Promenade des Anglais beach calendar. Rates at 90 to 100 percent of peak through 31 August. Book 8 to 14 weeks out for the premium 55-foot-and-up inventory.
September. Peak through Monaco Yacht Show, shoulder thereafter. Water 22 to 24 degrees, air 23 to 28. The Monaco Yacht Show (last week of September) absorbs the Cote d'Azur premium calendar but Nice runs at 70 to 85 percent of August peak through the Yacht Show window. The cleaner September pattern outside the Yacht Show runs at 65 to 80 percent of August peak.
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. Operators wind down inventory 31 October to 1 November.
November to April. Working off-peak with material weather risk at the winter Mistral and Tramontane wind calendar. Working inventory thins to 20 to 30 percent of peak.
The Nice day-charter zones
Villefranche-sur-Mer bay (the canonical Nice day-charter axis). The 14-square-kilometre deep-water bay 4 nautical miles east of Port Lympia. The Plage des Marinieres anchor on the north side (the main Villefranche pebble-beach anchor at depths 6 to 12 metres with the Citadelle Saint-Elme tender stop, the Chapelle Saint-Pierre tender stop with the Cocteau interior, and the Villefranche old-town pastel-house calendar), the Anse du Lazaret anchor on the west, and the canonical superyacht anchorage at the bay center at depths 20 to 40 metres on the deep-water mooring.
Cap-Ferrat peninsula axis. The 14-square-kilometre peninsula 6 to 8 nautical miles east of Port Lympia. Plage de Passable on the west side (the pebble-beach anchor at depths 4 to 8 metres with the Plage de Passable restaurant tender stop), Plage de Paloma on the east side (the pebble-beach anchor with the Paloma Beach Club tender stop), and Mala anchor at the west of Monaco (the swim anchor at depths 5 to 10 metres in front of the Mala Plage beach club). The canonical Nice day-charter Cap-Ferrat pattern combines the Plage de Passable morning anchor with the Paloma afternoon stop.
Baie des Anges west (the Cap d'Antibes rotation). The 12 nautical mile west cruise to Cap d'Antibes. 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 west-rotation runs 90 minutes each way at the 18-knot cruise; the 60-foot-and-up inventory absorbs the cleaner Cap d'Antibes day.
Monaco and Italian Riviera east long-day extension. The 11 to 18 nautical mile east cruise via Cap-Ferrat, Cap-d'Ail, Monaco, Cap Martin, Menton, and the Italian border to Ventimiglia and Bordighera. The long-day pattern runs the 8 to 10 hour day with the multiple-anchor rotation on the 60-foot-and-up inventory at the 22 to 28 knot cruise speed.
Saint-Tropez southwest long-day extension. The 55 nautical mile southwest run to Saint-Tropez on the 80-foot-and-up motor-yacht inventory at 28 to 30 knot transit speed. The full Nice-to-Saint-Tropez day rotation runs 10 to 12 hours marina-to-marina with a 3 to 4 hour Saint-Tropez window at the Pampelonne beach club anchor.
A standard Nice day charter (6 hours, Villefranche-Cap-Ferrat axis)
| Hour | Position | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 10:30 | Port Lympia or Port de Villefranche board | Boarding at the slip, provisioning check, departure briefing |
| 11:00 | Villefranche bay east cruise | 25-minute slow cruise east past the Mont Boron headland |
| 11:25 | Plage des Marinieres anchor | 1.5-hour swim at the Villefranche north anchor with the Citadelle and Chapelle Saint-Pierre tender stop |
| 13:00 | Cap-Ferrat south cruise | 20-minute slow cruise south past the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and the Cap-Ferrat south point |
| 13:20 | Plage de Passable anchor | 1.5-hour lunch and swim at the Plage de Passable west anchor |
| 14:50 | Plage de Paloma anchor | 1-hour swim at the Cap-Ferrat east anchor with the Paloma Beach Club tender drop |
| 15:50 | Port Lympia return | 40-minute return run west to Port Lympia or Port de Villefranche |
This is the canonical Nice 6-hour rotation on a 45 to 60 foot motor yacht with 8 to 12 guests. The structure adjusts for the Baie des Anges west Cap d'Antibes rotation (which substitutes the Cap-Ferrat axis with the Eden Roc and La Garoupe west pattern), for the Monaco and Italian Riviera east long-day extension (which moves to an 8 to 10 hour day at 60-foot-and-up inventory), and for the sunset cruise (which runs the 4-hour 5pm to 9pm rotation at the Villefranche bay sunset position).
Nice day-charter boat size guidance
25 to 35 foot ribs and motorboats. €700 to €1,800 per day, 6 to 10 guests, skipper-included on the captain-licensed rib. The clean fit for Villefranche or Cap-Ferrat day with budget booking; absorbs the short-range east-cruise rotation.
33 to 45 foot motor yachts. €1.8K to €4K per day, 8 to 12 guests, crew of 1 to 2, small galley capacity. The midmarket Nice day-charter band; the cleanest fit for the Villefranche-Cap-Ferrat rotation.
45 to 60 foot motor yachts. €3.5K to €7K 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 Villefranche-Cap-Ferrat-Monaco rotation.
60 to 80 foot motor yachts. €7K to €13K 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 or Italian Riviera extension capacity.
80 to 110 foot motor yachts. €13K to €18K per day, 12 guests legal-capacity maximum, full crew of 5 to 8, overnight extension capacity. The extension-charter band for clients combining Nice day product with overnight at Saint-Tropez, Monaco, or Portofino.
Nice day-charter cost math
| Line item | Range (45-foot motor yacht, 6-hour day, July peak) |
|---|---|
| Boat day rate | €2.8K to €4.5K |
| French VAT (20% on the day-charter fee) | €0.56K to €0.9K |
| Fuel (typical 6-hour day, 28 nautical miles, at-cost) | €0.25K to €0.7K |
| Crew gratuity (10% to 15% standard) | €0.28K to €0.68K |
| Provisioning (lunch, drinks, operator-provided or external) | €0.4K to €1.2K |
| Working full check (6-hour Villefranche-Cap-Ferrat day) | €4.3K to €8K |
| Working full check (10-hour Saint-Tropez extension, 80-foot) | €13K to €18K |
| August peak premium versus shoulder | 1.5x to 1.8x |
The Nice day-charter cost runs at the midmarket of the Cote d'Azur day-charter market on a per-day basis, materially below the Monaco Port Hercule rate and broadly comparable to Cannes. The cost-control move is the Port Lympia departure (which runs the lower mooring fee versus Port de Villefranche and Port de Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat), the June or September booking window at 65 to 80 percent of August peak, and the Click and Boat or Samboat aggregator quote at the budget-rib band. The 20% French VAT is non-negotiable on the French-flag inventory.
Operator ranking (the day-charter inventory)
We rank rather than list. The Nice day-charter operator inventory we would book runs at the following band:
Nice Yachting Charter holds the operator-direct 40 to 95 foot motor-yacht inventory at the Port Lympia and Port de Villefranche 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 Nice day-charter band.
Riviera Yachting Network Nice holds the broker-aggregator inventory across the 28 to 110 foot Nice day-charter pool at the Port Lympia, Port de Villefranche, and Port de Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat bases. The broker-direct booking pattern with the full-day quote across the operator pool.
Easy Boat Nice and Villefranche holds the budget 25 to 42 foot rib and motorboat inventory at the Port Lympia and Port de Villefranche bases with the captain-licensed rib pattern. The cleanest single budget Nice day-charter pattern at the €700 to €2K band; the short-range Villefranche and Cap-Ferrat rotation is the clean fit.
Click and Boat Nice holds the aggregator inventory at the Port Lympia and Port de Villefranche bases with the 25 to 70 foot inventory across the budget and midmarket bands. The aggregator interface, insurance, and the captain-included pattern at the 30-foot-and-up. We cover the platform on the Click and Boat review page.
Samboat Nice 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 Nice Yachting Charter at the top of the Nice day-charter operator inventory list because the Port Lympia operator-direct pattern at the working €3K-and-up band runs cleaner on the specific-boat selection and the commercial-licensing verification than the aggregator pattern. The aggregator pool at Click and Boat and Samboat runs cleaner at the working €700 to €2.5K budget rib and small-motorboat band; above €3K the operator-direct booking runs cleaner on the specific-boat selection.
What we would change
The Port Lympia berth pickup pattern at peak Saturday and Sunday in July and August runs the slip congestion at the 10am to 11am embarkation window with 15 to 25 day-charters embarking in the same window. The cleanest single fix is the Port de Villefranche-sur-Mer alternative pickup at the closer Cap-Ferrat access and the lower slip-congestion pattern, the weekday booking (Monday through Thursday) at the Port Lympia, or the 11:30am late-embarkation window after the peak slip pattern clears.
The Villefranche bay peak Saturday and Sunday calendar at July and August peak runs the bay anchor at 40 to 80 anchored boats and the tender congestion at the Citadelle landing. The cleanest single fix is the morning Villefranche anchor before 11am (which clears the 1pm peak congestion), the Cap-Ferrat south alternative at Plage de Passable and Plage de Paloma, or the weekday booking pattern.
The 20% French VAT on the French-flag inventory runs material on the day-charter cost. The cleanest single fix at the Nice departure is the Italian-flag charter from Ventimiglia, Bordighera, or Sanremo at the 0% Italian luxury VAT through 2026, with the 12 to 18 nautical mile transit east; the VAT-saving is material at the €4K-and-up daily-rate band.
The rest of the trip
VillasForKings covers the Nice, Villefranche, and Cap-Ferrat private villa inventory at Mont Boron, La Colline du Chateau, Villefranche-sur-Mer, and the Cap-Ferrat peninsula cluster with the pool, private-tennis, and direct-sea-view inventory. HotelsForKings covers the Hotel Negresco at the Promenade des Anglais, the Anantara Plaza Nice, the Le Meridien Nice, the Boscolo Exedra Nice, the Grand Hotel du Cap-Ferrat at Cap-Ferrat, the Royal Riviera at Cap-Ferrat, La Reserve at Beaulieu, and the Welcome Hotel at Villefranche. RestaurantsForKings covers Le Chantecler at the Negresco, JAN at the Vieux Nice, La Petite Maison at the Vieux Nice, Le Mesclun at the Vieux Nice, La Voile d'Or at Cap-Ferrat, Le Cap at the Grand Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, La Mere Germaine at Villefranche, and Mirazur at Menton. BarsForKings covers the Vieux Nice bar calendar at Wayne's, Le Smarties, and the Cours Saleya, the High Club at the Promenade des Anglais, the Negresco Le Relais bar, and the Cap-Ferrat bar at the Royal Riviera sunset terrace.
FAQ
Do I need to book a Nice day charter in advance? For July and August peak, yes. Book 8 to 14 weeks out for the premium 55-foot-and-up inventory at Nice Yachting Charter, with 12 to 16 weeks for the Bastille Day weekend, the Nice Jazz Festival window in mid-July, and the Monaco Yacht Show week (late September). May, June, September (post-Yacht-Show), and October open inventory on 1 to 2 week notice at the shoulder rates.
Can I day-charter from Nice to Monaco? Yes. Monaco sits 11 nautical miles east of Nice, a 25 to 40 minute transit each way at the 18-knot cruise speed. The Nice-to-Monaco day rotation runs 6 to 8 hours marina-to-marina with a 90-minute Monaco Port Hercule day-stop window (with the working €250 to €1,500 Port Hercule mooring fee on the 50-foot-and-up inventory). The cleaner pattern is the Nice-Villefranche-Cap-Ferrat-Monaco-and-back rotation as a 8-hour day on the 60-foot-and-up inventory.
What size group fits a Nice day charter? 6 to 10 guests on the 25 to 35 foot rib and motorboat band, 8 to 12 on the 40 to 55 foot motor-yacht band, 10 to 12 on the 55 to 110 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 Nice Yachting Charter.
How does Nice day-charter cost compare with Cannes and Monaco? Nice runs at 80 to 90 percent of the Cannes rate and 60 to 75 percent of the Monaco Port Hercule rate at the 45-foot motor-yacht band. Nice runs cleaner on the Port Lympia operator-direct pickup pattern and the closer Cap-Ferrat access; Cannes runs cleaner on the Lerins and Esterel inventory. We cover Cannes day-charter on the Cannes day charter page and Monaco on the Monaco day charter page.