Contents
Route principle: spend the first two days on the east coast
The coast is visually close but operationally busy. A short chart distance can become a slow day once you add harbour traffic, anchoring, shore tenders and a dinner reservation. Start from Antibes, keep the first afternoon local, and use the second day for the more committed leg toward Villefranche or Monaco.
The distances below are planning estimates for a 5–6 knot charter yacht, not navigation instructions. Recheck the track, depth, traffic separation, weather and berth acceptance with the skipper and the base before departure. Port contacts, VHF channels and local mooring rules take priority over any blog itinerary.
| Day | Planning leg and time | Main experience | Overnight logic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antibes to Juan-les-Pins or Cap d’Antibes; 2–5 nm, 1–2 h with manoeuvres | Handover, swim, short shakedown and an easy first dinner | Stay close to the base so a late check-in does not create pressure |
| 2 | Antibes to Villefranche-sur-Mer; about 12–15 nm, 3–4 h | Coastal views, a protected lunch stop and an evening in Villefranche or Beaulieu | Confirm anchoring or berth rules before committing |
| 3 | Villefranche to Monaco / Port Hercule; about 8–10 nm, 2–3 h | Monaco shore time, Port Hercule arrival and a short local sail | Keep the harbour night only if the port confirms space and formalities |
| 4 | Monaco to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and back toward Antibes; 10–14 nm, 3–4 h | Morning swim, Cap-Ferrat coastline and a relaxed return leg | Use Beaulieu, Villefranche or Antibes as the weather-led fallback |
| 5 | Antibes to Cannes / Port Canto; about 8–10 nm, 2–3 h | Cannes waterfront, provisioning top-up and sunset outside the busiest channel | Reserve Port Canto or use an approved alternative before sailing |
| 6 | Cannes to the Lérins Islands and Théoule; 6–12 nm, 2–4 h | Sainte-Marguerite or Saint-Honorat, snorkel stop and a quiet dinner | Respect the no-anchor and seasonal mooring limits near the islands |
| 7 | Lérins or Cannes to Antibes; about 10–12 nm, 2–3 h | Final swim, fuel and check-out preparation | Arrive early; do not make the last day a cross-coast passage |
How to make each day feel like a holiday
Day 1 is deliberately short. Use it to learn the boat, test the dinghy, label cabins and decide who handles lines. If the handover runs late, stay in Antibes instead of chasing a sunset stop. That choice protects the rest of the week.
Days 2 and 3 are the east-coast highlight. The Nice Côte d’Azur tourist office lists coastal boat experiences around Villefranche, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Monaco, but a private charter still needs its own berth and weather confirmation. Treat Monaco as a shore programme attached to a safe harbour night, not as a box to tick from offshore.
Days 5 and 6 are the west-coast reset. Port Canto sits opposite the Lérins archipelago and publishes draft, berth and harbour-master information. Around Sainte-Marguerite, Cannes publishes a seasonal pleasure-craft mooring area and a larger no-anchor zone. Use an approved buoy or marina and carry your own water rather than assuming an island supply.
Two weather scenarios to decide before casting off
Scenario A, stable forecast: keep the eastbound sequence. Leave Antibes after the base briefing, spend the night near Villefranche, and enter Monaco early enough to handle port formalities before the afternoon traffic. Return west by Day 4, then devote two nights to Cannes and the Lérins zone.
Scenario B, unsettled forecast or heavy swell: remove Monaco first, not the safe-return day. Spend Days 2–4 around Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Cannes and the Lérins side, using short legs and marina nights. If the sea state improves, add a coastal visit toward Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat as a day sail; never turn a late forecast improvement into a forced night passage.
Use Météo-France’s marine forecast, the base’s local briefing and the skipper’s observations together. A shore forecast can miss wind acceleration around headlands, traffic concentration near ports and a swell that makes a seemingly short anchorage uncomfortable.
Berth, fuel and check-out discipline
Call or reserve the next berth before leaving the current one. Port Canto states that berths must be vacated at noon and publishes a harbour-master contact; Port Hercule has its own port operator and procedures. These are small details that decide whether a route remains a sequence of relaxed stops or becomes a search for space at 17:00.
Refuel before the final morning, not after it. Keep a written log of engine hours, fuel, water, shore power and any new mark on the inventory. If the contract sets a return deadline, plan to be back in the base area the previous afternoon and keep the last morning for fuel, cleaning and documents.
Route brief to send the skipper or broker
- Starting base and exact handover berth in Antibes, Nice or Cannes.
- Maximum comfortable daily passage and the guest who is least comfortable at sea.
- East-coast priority: Villefranche, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat or Monaco.
- West-coast priority: Cannes, Sainte-Marguerite, Saint-Honorat or Théoule.
- Two approved alternatives for each night if the first harbour is full.
- Latest safe-return time, fuel plan and who signs the check-out inventory.
Booking the route without overpromising
Ask for a route that names the base, not just a list of towns. The quote should show yacht model, beam, draft, tender, skipper, cleaning, fuel policy, berth assumptions, deposit or insurance and cancellation rules. For a crewed charter, clarify whether meals, drinks and shore transfers sit inside the quoted price or in a separate allowance.
Once the boat is selected in the [fleet](https://www.trimteam.ai/fleet), use [Helm](https://www.trimteam.ai/helm) to keep the route readable for the whole group: one line for the passage, one for the stop, one for the fallback. That format makes a weather change feel like a normal choice rather than a failed holiday.
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