Yacht charter and Boat rental in France

France offers two genuinely different kinds of charter: Mediterranean sailing along the Côte d'Azur and Corsica, and motor-powered river cruising on canals such as the Canal du Midi, where no boating licence is required. Yacht charter in France covers both, so the type of trip you want matters as much as the boat itself.

Why Sail in France

The Mediterranean coast is shaped by two regional winds. The mistral blows from the north-west down the Rhône valley and can reach 40-60 knots in gusts, typically lasting three to six days at a time. The tramontane affects the Gulf of Lion and the Languedoc-Roussillon coast further west, similarly strong but usually shorter-lived. Both are common rather than exceptional, and route planning around Provence and the Gulf of Lion allows for them.

Inland, the canals run at a different pace: boats on the Canal du Midi are limited to 6-8 km/h and locks are staffed or semi-automated, so the "weather" that matters most is the queue at each lock rather than wind.

When to Go

• May, June and September: milder heat on the coast, fewer boats, lower charter and marina prices.
• July and August: warmest sea, busiest marinas and anchorages on the Riviera and in Corsica, highest prices.
• April to October: the usual season for canal boating, since locks and rental bases mostly close over winter.

Charter Options: Bareboat, Skippered, Crewed

Bareboat charter at sea. You sail the boat yourself. French maritime authorities require the skipper to hold a recognised qualification, such as an International Certificate of Competence, RYA Day Skipper practical or higher, or an ASA 104 certificate or above, plus a VHF radio certificate. This applies to monohulls and both sailing and motor catamarans.

Skippered charter at sea. A professional skipper handles navigation and the boat. Useful in the Hyères islands or around Corsica in peak season, or for crews without the right qualification.

Crewed charter at sea. Skipper plus hostess, cook or deckhand, the usual setup for a luxury yacht charter in France, where no sailing qualification is required from guests.

Canal and river boats work differently: French law does not require a licence for a boat with an engine under 6 CV (4.5 kW), and rental houseboats on the Canal du Midi and similar waterways are built to stay under that limit. Rental bases give a briefing of about an hour before departure instead of asking for a certificate.

Types of Boats in France

Sailing yacht rental France (monohull)

From around nine-metre boats with two cabins to fifteen-metre yachts with four or five. Common brands include Beneteau, Jeanneau, Bavaria and Dufour. Sails closer to the wind than a catamaran, suited to crews who want to actually sail between the Riviera and Corsica rather than motor. Available bareboat or skippered.

Catamaran rental France

Two hulls, minimal heeling, shallow draft and considerably more deck and cabin space. Brands such as Lagoon, Bali and Fountaine Pajot. Usually 4-6 cabins for 8-12 people, splitting the cost across a group. The shallow draft helps for anchoring closer to shore around the Hyères islands and Corsica's calanques. More expensive than a monohull of similar length.

Motor yacht rental France

Engine instead of sails, so distance along the coast is covered quickly - useful for combining Saint-Tropez, Cannes and the Hyères islands in a single week. Sizes range from small day boats to crewed yachts over 20 metres. Higher fuel use, less time under sail. A common choice on the Côte d'Azur, where marinas and towns sit close together.

Canal boat and houseboat rental France

A flat-bottomed motor boat built for canals and rivers rather than the sea, with no licence required under French law since the engine stays below 6 CV. Speed on the water is limited to 6-8 km/h and days are shaped by the pace of the locks rather than wind or tide. Typically 2-8 berths, used for one-way or return trips along a single waterway rather than island-hopping.

Where to Sail in France

Yacht charter Côte d'Azur

Between Saint-Tropez and Menton, the Côte d'Azur combines well-known towns with the Hyères islands to the west. Port-Cros National Park, created in 1963 around Port-Cros and Porquerolles, was the first marine national park in continental Europe and now covers about 1,700 hectares of land and 2,900 hectares of sea. Anchoring is restricted within 300 metres of Port-Cros and 600 metres of Porquerolles, and a mooring field of 68 buoys with ecological anchors has replaced anchoring in some bays to protect the seabed.

Yacht charter Corsica

Corsica's west coast includes the Scandola Nature Reserve, part of the Gulf of Porto and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, covering roughly 11,800 hectares of cliffs, inlets and clear water. It has no road access, so a boat is the only way in; landing and swimming inside the reserve itself are not permitted, though boats can pass through and view the coastline from the water.

Yacht charter Brittany

Brittany faces the Atlantic rather than the Mediterranean, with a longer tidal range and cooler water than the south. The coastline is broken into estuaries, islands and granite headlands rather than open bays, which makes tidal planning a bigger factor in a passage than it is further south.

Canal du Midi boat rental

Built between 1667 and 1694 and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, the Canal du Midi runs about 240 km between Toulouse and the Mediterranean at Marseillan, part of a wider 360 km network linking the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. It has 63 locks along the main route. No boating licence is needed to rent a houseboat here; rental bases give a safety and handling briefing before departure instead.

What It Costs

Price depends on season as much as on boat type. A sailing yacht for a week (Saturday to Saturday) costs about €460 in the September shoulder season, rising to €846 in peak season (July-August). A motorboat runs from about €950 to €960 across the same window - one of the few categories where price barely shifts with the season. A motor yacht costs from about €1,274 up to €1,680, and a catamaran from about €2,090 up to €3,500. At the top end sit power catamarans, from about €2,800 up to €3,200 a week.

Yacht charter and Boat rental in France

Charter a yacht and explore France! Prices start from 43 € per day. Choose from the largest selection of houseboats, motor boats, sailboats, catamarans, motor yachts, power catamarans and gulets.

Popular regions are Mediterranean Sea, South of France, Côte d'Azur, French Riviera, Balearic Sea, Ligurian Sea, Bay of Biscay, Brittany, Gulf of Lion, Corsica, South Corsica, Burgundy, Hérault, Canal du Midi, English Channel, Occitanie, North Corsica, Alsace, Camargue, Lorraine, Lot, Franche-Comté, Gironde, Poitou-Charentes, Aquitaine, Gard, Pays de la Loire, Charente, Normandy, Loire-Atlantique, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Grand Est and Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine.