A Full-Day Yacht Itinerary from Cannes
Depart from the Vieux Port and trace a 25-nautical-mile loop that sweeps past the Lérins Islands, hugs the Esterel cliffs and returns along the Croisette as the lights come on.
From the port outwards
- 01
09:30 · Cast off — Vieux Port de Cannes
The crew welcomes you at the quay with coffee and a briefing on the day's weather. Morning departure avoids the midday tender traffic around the harbour entrance. Within ten minutes you are clear of the breakwater and heading south toward the islands with flat, calm water ahead.
- 02
10:15 · Swim and snorkel — Île Sainte-Marguerite
Anchor in the sandy shallows off the island's north shore, where Posidonia meadows create clear turquoise water barely three metres deep. The crew sets up the swim platform and water toys. Visit the Fort Royal on the tender if time allows — it is a five-minute ride to the stone jetty.
- 03
13:00 · Lunch at anchor — Anse de la Figueirette
Cruise west along the Esterel coast to this sheltered cove framed by red porphyry rock. The chef serves lunch on the aft deck while the yacht sits in the lee of the headland. Swell rarely reaches this bay before mid-afternoon, making it the calmest lunch spot between Cannes and Théoule-sur-Mer.
- 04
16:30 · Aperitivo ashore — Plage de la Croisette
Return east and drop anchor off one of the private beach clubs along the Boulevard de la Croisette. The tender puts you on the sand in under two minutes. Order a glass of Bandol rosé and watch the late-afternoon promenade before the crew calls you back for the final leg.
- 05
19:30 · Sunset and nightcap — Cap de la Croisette
Round the cape at golden hour for an unobstructed view of the sun dropping behind the Esterel ridge. The stewardess pours champagne as the sky shifts from amber to deep violet. From here the Vieux Port is barely ten minutes away, so you arrive back at the quay relaxed and well before any late dinner reservation ashore.
About Cannes
Cannes sits at the centre of the western Riviera's finest cruising waters. The Vieux Port and Port Pierre Canto together berth hundreds of charter yachts from April through October, giving clients direct access to a coastline that stretches roughly 60 nautical miles from Saint-Raphaël in the west to Monaco in the east. Within a two-hour cruise you can anchor off Île Sainte-Marguerite, explore the red volcanic creeks of the Esterel massif, or pull alongside the ramparts of Antibes. Few departure points on the French coast offer this range so close to shore.
The local fleet reflects the diversity of the coastline itself. Day boats from 12 to 18 metres handle family swims around the Lérins Islands, while motor yachts of 24 to 40 metres serve multi-day runs east to Villefranche-sur-Mer and beyond. Med mooring is standard in every harbour from Golfe-Juan to Saint-Tropez, so crews know the drill. Summer seas here stay calm most mornings, with a light thermal breeze building after midday — ideal for lunch at anchor. Ashore, the Forville market supplies chefs with Provençal produce less than 200 metres from the quay.
Couples planning a quiet afternoon off the Île Saint-Honorat monastery, families who want a full day of water toys in the Esterel bays, corporate hosts entertaining during the Cannes Lions or MIPIM — each finds a yacht and itinerary that fits. A realistic highlight reel: morning departure, swim stop by 10:30, seafood lunch on deck, an afternoon cruise to Cap d'Antibes, and sundowners back in port. Our brokers build these routes daily. Reach out with your dates and group size, and we will match a vessel within hours.