Estérel, Lérins, Cap d’Antibes, Monaco or Pampelonne: the four days at sea I offer from Cannes, with their real trade-offs.
Chartering a yacht for the day out of Cannes isn’t about choosing a boat, it’s about choosing an itinerary. The boat can always be found. What separates a magnificent day from a day spent watching the wake is the programme, and above all the ratio between time under way and time at anchor.
Here are the four days I genuinely offer, with what each one gives you and what it costs in hours at sea.
1. Cannes → Lérins → Cap d’Antibes → Lérins: my number one
If it’s your first charter out of Cannes, this is the one I recommend, without a second’s hesitation.
- 10:00, departure from Cannes, heading for Île Sainte-Marguerite
- First swim between Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat
- Cap d’Antibes : Baie des Milliardaires, Anse de l’Argent Faux
- Lunch
- Back towards the Lérins: swimming, water toys, rosé
- Cannes around 18:00
The big advantage is how little time you spend under way: the Lérins sit directly opposite Cannes, and Cap d’Antibes is a short hop away. The islands offer precisely that mix of clear water, coves and protected nature that works extremely well on a charter.
For lunch, three schools of thought. La Guérite, right on Sainte-Marguerite and open daytime from May to September, is clearly the festive, lifestyle option. Le Grill at Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc is far chicer and quieter, lunch facing the sea. And there’s lunch on board at anchor, still my favourite when the group doesn’t want to leave the water. Perfect for: just about every client.
2. Cannes → Théoule → Estérel → Lérins: the most beautiful
If you were to keep only one itinerary for the scenery, this is it.
- Cannes → Théoule-sur-Mer
- Pointe de l’Aiguille
- The coves of the Estérel
- Cruising past the red rocks of the Corniche d’Or
- A swim in a cove
- Lunch on board
- Back via the Lérins islands → Cannes
The Estérel coast has nothing in common with the rest of the Riviera: red rock plunging straight into the Mediterranean, and one cove after another. The Corniche d’Or runs along some thirty kilometres of coast between the Cannes area and Saint-Raphaël, and to my mind it’s the finest shoreline in the region.
On this day I genuinely favour excellent catering on board rather than a restaurant: you drop anchor, set the table aft, rosé, swimming and water toys. It shows the itinerary off best, and stopping ashore would break the rhythm. Perfect for: families, couples, and clients who have already done La Guérite.
Cruising ★★☆☆☆ · Nature ★★★★★ · Scenery ★★★★★ · Party ★★☆☆☆
3. Cannes → Cap Ferrat → Monaco → Cap d’Antibes: the prestige charter
Ideal departure at 9:30 or 10:00, because it’s a long day.
- Cannes → cruising along Cap d’Antibes
- Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
- Arrival in Monaco from the sea
- Lunch in Monaco or on board
- Return, swimming at Cap d’Antibes
- Cannes
This one is less a beach day and more Riviera lifestyle and sightseeing: you come to see the coast, not only to swim. Arriving in Monaco from the sea is a moment my clients don’t forget. I particularly recommend it on a fast yacht: Monaco is about 21 nautical miles from Cannes as the crow flies, so you have to accept more time under way. Perfect for: American and Middle Eastern clients, and first-time Riviera guests.
Cruising ★★★★☆ · Prestige ★★★★★ · Swimming ★★★☆☆
4. Cannes → Saint-Tropez / Pampelonne → Cap Taillat: the big day
It’s doable, but I only sell it on a fast yacht, ideally 20–25 knots and above. Below that it isn’t a good day, and I say so beforehand rather than afterwards.
- 09:30, departure from Cannes, direct crossing to Pampelonne
- Swimming and beach club
- Lunch: Club 55, Gigi, Loulou, Shellona…
- On towards Cap Camarat, l’Escalet, Cap Taillat
- A long swimming session
- Back to Cannes
Pampelonne remains the emblematic coast of Ramatuelle, and Cap Taillat is a far wilder protected area separating two bays, offering different shelter depending on the wind, often the best moment of the day. But you have to understand the trade-off: Cannes–Pampelonne is around 24 nautical miles direct, and Cap Taillat 28. So a significant share of your day goes into cruising. Perfect for: someone who absolutely wants Saint-Tropez but is staying in Cannes.
Cruising ★★★★★ · Destination ★★★★★ · Time-to-cruising ratio ★★☆☆☆
How I choose with you
Three questions, and the itinerary almost decides itself. How many hours are you willing to spend under way? Do you want lunch ashore or on board? And are you after a swimming day or a sightseeing day?
The rest (size of boat, crew, water toys, catering) follows from the answer. Our yacht catalogue, linked at the foot of this page, gives you a sense of the available units; I then steer you towards the one that genuinely matches your itinerary. A slow boat on a long programme is the one reliable way to ruin your day.
