Saint-Tropez to Monaco by yacht: the itinerary

It is one of the Mediterranean's great short passages: around 60 nautical miles from the Gulf of Saint-Tropez east to Monaco and Port Hercule. A yacht charter from Saint-Tropez to Monaco can be run as one long day with the wind behind you, or drawn out over a cruise with nights at anchor — and either way the route takes in the finest of the eastern coast. This is a bay-by-bay guide to the passage, the anchorages along the way, and how to plan it.

Day trip or cruise?

The honest answer is that Monaco sits at the far end of a comfortable day's range. With an early start and settled weather, a fast motor yacht can reach Port Hercule, spend time on the Rock and return — a long but spectacular day. More often, the run is best enjoyed over two or more days, breaking the coast into its natural stops: Cannes and the Lérins, Cap d'Antibes, Nice and the Baie des Anges, and finally Monaco. A weekly charter gives you the time to do it properly, with the freedom to choose where you drop anchor for lunch and where you spend the night.

Leaving the Gulf

You cast off from the Vieux Port and clear the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, Pampelonne falling astern. The first stretch opens toward the red porphyry cliffs of the Esterel massif — one of the most striking coastlines in France, where the mountains drop straight into deep blue water. The coves here, around the Cap Roux and toward Agay, make beautiful early stops if you have set out without a fixed schedule.

Cannes and the Lérins

Around 25 nautical miles on, the Bay of Cannes and the Lérins Islands make a natural lunch stop. The anchorages off Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat are quiet and clear, sheltered by pine-covered shores, yet only minutes from the Croisette. It is one of the most popular legs for a boat charter to Cannes — close enough to Saint-Tropez for a relaxed day, with the islands offering calm water for swimming away from the busy seafront.

Golfe-Juan, Antibes and the Cap

East of Cannes the coast curves through Golfe-Juan to Antibes and the discreet, deep anchorages of Cap d'Antibes — including the famous bay known to crews as Billionaires' Bay, with some of the clearest water on the coast. Antibes is also home to one of the Mediterranean's great yachting harbours, Port Vauban, where many of the world's largest yachts berth. It makes a natural overnight or a long, unhurried lunch stop.

Nice and the Baie des Anges

Beyond the Cap, the coast bends toward Nice and the sweeping Baie des Anges, with the city and the Promenade des Anglais opening along the shore. Past Nice lie two of the most beautiful anchorages of the whole route — Villefranche-sur-Mer, a deep, sheltered bay much loved by larger yachts, and the green headland of Cap Ferrat. Many cruises linger here, because there is nowhere finer to spend a last night before the final short hop to the Rock.

Arrival at Monaco

The final stretch brings you into Monaco and Port Hercule, the harbour of the Monaco Yacht Show and the Grand Prix. Arriving by sea is the way to see the Principality at its best — the cliffs of Monaco-Ville, the superyachts lining the quays, and the amphitheatre of the city rising behind. Berths in Port Hercule are limited and booked well ahead, especially in season, so we arrange a place or a nearby anchorage as part of planning the run.

Distances and timing at a glance

The passage breaks naturally into measured legs. It is roughly 25 nautical miles from the Gulf of Saint-Tropez to the Bay of Cannes and the Lérins, a further short hop past Golfe-Juan to Cap d'Antibes, then on to Nice and the Baie des Anges, and a final stretch through Villefranche and Cap Ferrat to Monaco — around 60 nautical miles end to end. At a relaxed cruising speed a fast motor yacht covers the whole route in a few hours of actual running; a sailing yacht or catamaran takes it more gently, which is part of the pleasure. Spread the distance over a cruise and no single day asks much of you — the longest leg is the first, out of the Gulf and along the Esterel, and every stage after that is short enough to leave time for swimming and lunch at anchor.

What to see ashore

Part of the appeal of this route is that each stop rewards a few hours ashore. In Cannes, the Croisette and the old town of Le Suquet are a short tender ride from the Lérins anchorage. Antibes offers the ramparts of the old town and the Picasso museum above Port Vauban, where the world's largest yachts lie alongside. Villefranche-sur-Mer is a postcard fishing town wrapped around its deep bay, and Cap Ferrat hides some of the most beautiful gardens and villas on the coast. And Monaco itself — the Oceanographic Museum on the cliff, the Casino square, the harbour of the Grand Prix — is a city built to be arrived at by sea. We can arrange tenders ashore and a berth where you want one as part of the plan.

Where to drop anchor for lunch

The pleasure of this passage is in the anchorages between the harbours. Off Cannes, the channel between Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat in the Lérins is a classic midday stop — sheltered, clear and a world away from the seafront. At Cap d'Antibes, the bays on the western and southern sides hold some of the cleanest water on the coast for a swim before lunch. Villefranche-sur-Mer offers a deep, calm bay where even large yachts lie comfortably, and the coves around Cap Ferrat are quieter still. Closer to home, the bays toward the Esterel and the anchorages off Théoule make beautiful first or last stops. A crewed yacht means lunch is served on deck wherever you choose to stop, with the coast as the only backdrop.

When to make this passage

The run east is at its best from late spring to early autumn, when the sea is settled and the days are long enough to enjoy the stops without rushing. June and September are ideal: warm water, calm anchorages and harbours that are busy but not overwhelmed. In July and August the coast is at its liveliest — wonderful for atmosphere, though berths in Monaco and Cannes must be secured early. Whenever you go, the skipper plans each leg around the wind and the forecast, so the crossing stays comfortable and the timing fits your stops.

A westward alternative

The same coast runs the other way too. Instead of heading east to Monaco, a charter from Saint-Tropez can turn west toward Porquerolles and the Îles d'Hyères — a national park of pine-backed coves and clear, shallow turquoise water, around 35 nautical miles from the Gulf. Many of the finest cruises combine both directions over a weekly charter, or focus on one as a shorter escape. If the eastern run is about cities and harbours, the west is about wild anchorages and swimming — and we are happy to advise which suits your dates and your party best.

Choosing the right yacht for the passage

The vessel shapes the journey as much as the route. A fast motor yacht compresses the distance and opens the option of a single long day to Monaco and back, with the speed to outrun a building wind. A sailing yacht or catamaran turns the passage into the point of the trip, moving with the coast rather than past it, and a catamaran's stability and deck space make it a favourite for families spending the days at anchor. For the grandest version of the run — nights aboard in Villefranche or off Cap Ferrat, a full crew and every comfort — a luxury yacht or superyacht carries it in real style. We match the yacht to the way you want to travel, the size of your party and the time you have, so the route and the vessel work together.

Planning your passage

We design the timing around the yacht, the sea and your stops — and every passage is crewed, so you simply enjoy the coast. The same route works beautifully in reverse, leaving Monaco at first light and arriving in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez for sunset, or as part of a wider Côte d'Azur cruise taking in Porquerolles and the Îles d'Hyères to the west. However you choose to run it, the eastern Riviera rewards an unhurried approach — the bays, the harbours and the light are best taken one at a time. Tell us your dates, your party and the pace you have in mind, and we will chart the run to suit. Request a quote to begin.