Route · 7 days · round-tripYacht charter route · Côte d'Azur

Cannes via Saint-Tropez & Porquerolles.

A 7-day yacht route from Cannes through the Lérins, Saint-Tropez, Cavalaire, Porquerolles and Port-Cros, back along the red Esterel coast.

The route

Day-by-day route

Click any pin on the map or any day in the route summary below to see that day's stop, story and photos.

Day 1

Cannes → Iles de Lerins

A short hop from the marina to two pine-covered islands, one guarding a famous prison cell, the other still farmed by monks.

Distance

2 NM

Sailing

~0.4h at 5 kn

At a glance

Route at a glance

Best season

May – October

Duration

7 days

Departure

Cannes

Sailing area

Côte d'Azur

Route summary

Click any day to jump back to the map and see its photos, narrative and mooring tip.

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The full story

Day-by-day journey

Named anchorages, mooring notes and things to do for every leg of the week — the map follows along as you scroll.

Day 1 / 7

Day 1

Cannes → Iles de Lerins

Barely an hour out of Cannes and you drop the engine off Sainte-Marguerite, the larger of the two Lérins. The channel between it and Saint-Honorat is one of the calmest spots on this coast, ringed by Aleppo pines and eelgrass you must not anchor over. Pick the sandy patches instead, and give the marked protection zones a wide berth. Ashore on Sainte-Marguerite, the old Fort Royal held the man in the iron mask; the walk up through the pines takes twenty minutes. Saint-Honorat is quieter, still worked by Cistercian monks who press their own wine and the Lérina liqueur. We usually run this leg late morning, swim off the boat through the afternoon, and stay put for a still first night.

Things to do

Walk up to Fort Royal, Sainte-Marguerite

Taste Lérina liqueur at Saint-Honorat abbey

Swim the channel between the two islands

Follow the shaded pine paths of Sainte-Marguerite

Mooring tip

Anchor only on the sand patches in the channel; the eelgrass beds are protected and holding is poor over weed. It gets busy by noon in July, so arrive early or take the outer edge of the field.

Day 2

Iles de Lerins → Saint-Tropez

This is the first real sail of the week, a little over twenty miles of open water with Cap Camarat closing the gulf ahead. Leave by nine and you will be tied up before the afternoon breeze fills in. Saint-Tropez wants booking well ahead in season; the harbourmaster puts you stern-to along the quay, close enough to read the menus. Café Sénéquier and its red terrace have watched the port since 1887. Behind the Quai Jean-Jaurès the Ponche quarter keeps its pastel walls and narrow lanes, quiet once the day boats leave. Time it for a Tuesday or Saturday and the Place des Lices fills with market stalls from first light, tapenade and Provençal cheese and far too many hats.

Things to do

Coffee on Sénéquier's red terrace

Wander the Ponche old quarter's lanes

Shop the Place des Lices market

Climb to the Citadelle for the view

Mooring tip

Book a berth in Saint-Tropez well in advance for July and August; the quay is stern-to and fills fast. If it is full, anchor off the north of the gulf toward Les Canoubiers and tender in.

Day 3

Saint-Tropez → Cavalaire

Only ten miles today, but they round some of the best coast in the gulf. Off Cap Taillat and Cap Lardier the land belongs to the Conservatoire du Littoral, steep green inlets with no road behind them, worth dropping the hook for a lunch swim if the sea is calm. Cavalaire itself sits in a broad sandy bay that shrugs off the Mistral but opens to anything from the east and southwest, so read the forecast before you commit to a night. Free anchoring is banned in the bay; take one of the moorings or a visitor berth in the port. The town is unfussy and geared to sailors, with easy provisioning and a string of Côtes de Provence growers up the valley behind it.

Things to do

Swim the wild inlets off Cap Lardier

Provision at Cavalaire's morning market

Taste Côtes de Provence rosé inland

Walk the sandy sweep of Cavalaire beach

Mooring tip

Anchoring is prohibited across Cavalaire bay, so pick up a mooring buoy or book a visitor berth at the port. The holding on mud and weed is fine, but the bay is untenable in easterlies, so move on if the wind backs.

Day 4

Cavalaire → Porquerolles

Around twenty-two miles west, past Cap Bénat, and the Îles d'Or come up out of the haze. Porquerolles is the largest and the greenest, all vineyards, pine and eucalyptus, and it sits inside a national park with real teeth. You need a black-water holding tank to anchor legally here. The buoy field off the port takes boats up to thirteen metres and books out in July, so reserve ahead or plan to anchor well off the sand. Plage Notre-Dame, a long walk or cycle east of the village, is the one people come for, pale sand under umbrella pines. The village itself gathers round the Place d'Armes, a dusty square with boules, a couple of bars and bikes for hire by the hour.

Things to do

Cycle to Plage Notre-Dame beach

Play boules on the Place d'Armes

Ride up to Fort Sainte-Agathe

Taste island wine from Porquerolles vineyards

Mooring tip

Reserve a harbour buoy in advance; the field is limited to boats under thirteen metres and fills through the summer. To anchor you need a black-water tank aboard and must stay clear of the marked Posidonia beds, at least 300 metres off the beaches.

Day 5

Porquerolles → Port-Cros

Under eight miles island to island, so there's no rush off the mooring. Port-Cros is the smallest of the Golden Isles and the least touched, a hump of dense forest that runs down to the water with almost no building on it. The main road, so to speak, is a footpath. The rade in front of the harbour holds boats on buoys and along the quay, protected from most directions except a hard southerly. Over twelve metres and you must take a buoy in the Bagaud zone; anchoring between Bagaud and the port is now banned outright. Off La Palud on the north side, a marked snorkel trail runs over six buoys, and on a good day you will drift over grouper and barracuda. Save an hour for the walk up to Fort de l'Estissac.

Things to do

Snorkel the marked trail off La Palud

Walk up to Fort de l'Estissac

Anchor quietly in Port-Man bay

Follow the forest path across the island

Mooring tip

Take a buoy in the Rade de Port-Cros; anything over twelve metres is required to, and anchoring between Bagaud and the harbour is prohibited. Book where you can, arrive by early afternoon, and remember a black-water tank is mandatory in the park.

Day 6

Port-Cros → Theoule-sur-Mer

This is the long one. Reckon on forty-odd miles back east, so we slip the buoy at first light and settle in for a full day on the water. The reward comes at the end, when the Esterel massif rises ahead in fired-up red, volcanic rock falling sheer into deep blue. If the timing works, drop into Cap Roux on the way in, sandy bottom in five to eight metres and good shelter from the west. Île d'Or, with its little Saracen tower, is private, so you round it rather than land. Théoule sits at the western corner of the Bay of Napoule, tucked out of the northwest and holding a handful of restaurants and a beach or two, well clear of the Cannes crush across the water.

Things to do

Anchor under the red cliffs of Cap Roux

Round Île d'Or and its Saracen tower

Swim the Esterel coves near Anthéor

Dine on the quiet Théoule waterfront

Mooring tip

Start this leg at dawn to beat the afternoon breeze on a long passage. Théoule anchorage in the Bay of Napoule shelters you from northwest through south, but for a settled night the port or a Cannes-side berth is the safer bet.

Day 7

Theoule-sur-Mer → Cannes

The shortest leg of the week, five miles or so across the Bay of Napoule with the Esterel at your back and Cannes ahead. No reason to hurry. If the charter base wants the boat by noon, there is still time to anchor for a last swim off Île Sainte-Marguerite on the way in, closing the loop where the week began. Coming into Cannes you pass under the old town, Le Suquet, its watchtower standing over the tiled roofs, and the long sweep of La Croisette with the palaces behind the beach. Get fenders and lines ready early; the marina at Cannes runs tight in season and the fuel dock can back up. Fuel, pump out, and step ashore for a proper lunch in the Suquet before you leave.

Things to do

Last swim off Île Sainte-Marguerite

Climb Le Suquet to the watchtower

Stroll La Croisette before departure

Lunch in the old town of Le Suquet

Mooring tip

Coming into Cannes in season, have fenders and stern lines ready before you enter and call the marina ahead on VHF for a berth. The fuel dock backs up mid-morning, so top up early if you owe the base a full tank.