Sailing in Côte d'Azur

The Côte d'Azur — the French Riviera — runs 115 kilometres from Marseille's Calanques to Monaco's Port Hercule. This is the Mediterranean's most famous coastline: Cannes, Nice, Antibes, Saint-Tropez, and the Îles de Lérins. Port Vauban in Antibes is Europe's largest yacht harbour with 1,642 berths.

Marina costs are the highest in the Mediterranean (€100-300/night for a 40-footer), but the coast is lined with free anchorages: Porquerolles, the Lérins islands, Cap Taillat, and dozens of calanques. The key is anchoring, not berthing.

Charter bases: Antibes (most charter companies), Marseille (for Calanques access), Toulon/Hyères (for Porquerolles). A week's sailing covers Lérins, Estérel coast, Saint-Tropez, and the Îles d'Or. Food and wine are the Riviera's hidden weapon — Côtes de Provence rosé at €5/bottle, Marché Provençal in Antibes, Michelin restaurants at every port.