Sailing off for a week or so on the Cote d’Azur offers a rare opportunity to explore Provence and the French Riviera in way that is unimaginable. You choose your boat, your company and your itinerary. The entire coast is at your disposal from Marseille to Menton with limitless mooring possibilities. Nature lovers can focus on islands, creeks, secluded beaches and secret caves. Culture and gastronomy fans can choose to dock in Marseille, Sanary, Toulon, Cannes, Antibes, Nice, etc. Of course it’s not or or, the best is a good mix of the two.

Sailing along the coast, one gets the impression that everyone has a boat in France. It’s not true of course, but the sheer number of boats and ports along the coast can attest that the French have figured something out. Travel by sea and you are free. No highways, no traffic, just the wind.

Imagine during the day swimming and exploring the beaches of Villefranche-sur-mer and at night exploring the winding alleyways old Nice, indulging in Nicoise culinary delights and finishing off at the local pub. Too crowded? Want some peace and quiet? Head back to your boat.

You might ask, why a sailboat and not a motorboat? Provence was discovered by the sea, it was conquered and laid siege to by the sea, and at the end, Provence was liberated by the sea. To understand Provence one needs to also approach it from the sea, not just from the land. The point of view it offers is unmatched.

The spirit of Provence dictates that we take our time to observe, understand, and enjoy. A motor boat is noisy, too fast (there is always that temptation to go faster), not eco-friendly, and at the end more expensive due to excessive fuel charges. On a sailboat you can also learn how to sail if you are interested, how to harness the power of the wind to travel. There is no greater feeling than gliding effortlessly along the blue coast with the sails raised high, and only the sound of the sea.

A one week sailing experience in Provence is an intimate adventure. We share time together, but also private time when we dock in ports. So what does a week like this look like? Here is a sample program:

West Coast Trip:

Day 1:

Toulon – Meeting, boat stocking, short tour of Toulon, sailing half day to a famous private island.

Day 2:

Calanques Parc National, stopping in creeks along the way, mooring in Calanque en Vau.

Day 3:

Calanque en Vau to Sanary-sur-mer, possible stops along the way – Cassis / Bandol.

Day 4:

Exploring local Provencal market in Sanary in the morning and sailing to Porquerolles island.

Day 5:

Hiking / bicycling in Porquerolles, continuing to sail to Port Cros island.

Day 6:

Port Cros to Saint Tropez.

Day 7:

Explore St. Tropez, visit to nearby stunning hanging Provencal village.

An East Coast trip will include more of the Riviera and would set sail from Hyere eastwards stopping in ports such as St. Tropez, Antibes, Cannes, Nice backtracking to Porquerolles just next to Hyere.

It is a trade off between sea miles and quality time on land. Less is more, so I recommend less sailing in order to explore the ports. In cities like Nice, I’d even recommend docking for two nights to allow for interesting side trips on land. There is nothing better than at the end of a full day coming back to your private boat, your floating hotel, and being rocked to sleep by gentle waters.

Sounds amazing? It is. Contact me for a detailed price offer for a once in a lifetime journey in Cote d’Azur.