Cannes → Saint-Tropez by yacht

How long is the Cannes → Saint-Tropez crossing by yacht?

About 1 h 30 at 20 knots in a motor yacht, for some thirty nautical miles along the coastal route — that is the cruising time published by day-charter.fr between Cannes and Saint-Tropez (1 h 30 at 20 knots, i.e. 30 nm), while the savvy navvy route planner gives 23 miles for the most direct line. Under sail, at 5–7 knots, the same crossing takes 4 h 20 to 6 h: you then make it a two-day trip with a night at anchor. In a motor yacht the return run in a single day is comfortable, with four to five hours on the spot.

You leave from the Vieux-Port de Cannes — more than 700 berths plus 100 for superyachts (Wikipedia) — or from Port Pierre Canto at the far end of the Croisette. The Îles de Lérins stay to port, you run along the red rocks of the Estérel massif (Théoule, Cap Roux, Agay), cross the bay of Fréjus – Saint-Raphaël and the Gulf of Saint-Tropez opens up, Sainte-Maxime to starboard, the bell tower of Saint-Tropez dead ahead. To reach Pampelonne you round the peninsula past Cap Saint-Tropez and Cap du Pinet: the beach faces east, outside the gulf.

Hour-by-hour plan for a Cannes – Saint-Tropez day

• 09:00 — Boarding at the Vieux-Port de Cannes. Coffee on board, the captain’s briefing on weather and route; lines off at 09:30.
• 09:30 – 11:00 — The crossing. An hour and a half at 20 knots along the Estérel; slower catamarans and day-cruisers allow two hours. The sea is usually calmest in the morning.
• 11:00 – 12:30 — Swimming at Pampelonne. Pick up a buoy in the Ramatuelle ZMEL (open 8 May to 5 October, 08:00 to 22:00) or anchor in the zone matching the boat’s length. Paddleboard, snorkelling, first swim.
• 12:30 – 15:00 — Lunch. On board, prepared by the crew, or ashore at one of the Pampelonne beach clubs by tender — the prefectoral order provides “drop-off” zones for embarking and disembarking passengers.
• 15:00 – 17:00 — Saint-Tropez. Either a stop in the Vieux Port for the Place des Lices and the lanes of La Ponche, or a second anchorage in the Baie des Canoubiers, from where a half-hour walk leads to the Tour Vieille and the harbour.
• 17:00 – 18:30 — Back to Cannes. Sun behind you, home before dinner. To stretch it, a night in port or at anchor turns the day into a weekend.

Where to anchor or berth in Saint-Tropez?

Pampelonne

Pampelonne beach, in the commune of Ramatuelle, runs for 4.5 km of sand facing the bay of the same name (Wikipedia). Since the order of 27 June 2023 issued by the Préfecture maritime de la Méditerranée, anchoring there is organised: an anchoring-prohibition line for vessels over 24 metres overall is drawn between Pointe de Bonne Terrasse and Cap du Pinet, with mandatory anchoring zones defined by vessel length and drop-off zones in front of the beach clubs. The Ramatuelle ZMEL (Pampelonne Mooring, run by the commune with EDEIS) provides buoys from 8 May to 5 October, including a “grande plaisance” zone for large yachts; buoy mooring is booked in advance and free anchoring is restricted, chiefly to protect the Posidonia seagrass. Your captain books the buoy ahead of the day.

Baie des Canoubiers

At the far south of the gulf, between Cap Saint-Tropez and the town, the Baie des Canoubiers (or Canebiers) is the most sheltered anchorage for a stop without entering the port. Access is through a buoyed channel, the sand-and-weed bottom holds well and depth does not exceed 16 m (Yacht Digest). Two caveats: shelter is reduced in westerly winds and care is needed in a mistral; and it is forbidden to anchor with a dead weight in the Posidonia beds. From there, a half-hour walk follows the shore to the Tour Vieille and the Vieux Port.

Port de Saint-Tropez

The Port de Saint-Tropez charges visiting yachts per m² per day: overall length × overall beam × the rate for the season and basin, in euros including VAT. Under the port’s published 2026 grid, the Vieux Port (yachts of 25 to 50 m) costs €7.03 / m² / day in high season (30/04 – 10/07 and 20/08 – 04/10) and €9.24 in peak season (10/07 – 20/08); the Bassin Jean Lescudier (up to 25 m) €2.35 then €2.94; the Môle d’Estienne d’Orves (up to 90 m, 4 m draught) €5.37 then €7.29. Worked example for a 20 m × 5 m boat, i.e. 100 m²: about €703 a day in the Vieux Port in high season. Booking is through Navily under 18 m and Magelan Eresa above, with a 50% deposit on the stay above 18 m. Summer berths go weeks ahead: a weekday is far easier to secure than a Saturday in July.

How much does a yacht day from Cannes to Saint-Tropez cost?

By quote — and here are the public 2026 references to frame the budget. A ~11 m day-boat charters from €1,500 a day excluding fuel; a 14 m open day-cruiser around €4,795 including fuel; a 21 m flybridge motor yacht about €6,600; a crewed superyacht from €10,000 a day (Monaco Boats, retrieved 5 September 2026). By the week, a 20–30 m motor yacht sits between €25,000 and €65,000 excluding APA (International Yachts Charter & Brokerage). The detailed table, the APA and VAT are further down this page; the form at the end goes straight to our brokers.

What does the price of a Cannes – Saint-Tropez day include?

• The crew. A skipper or captain in every case; a deckhand, then a stewardess and chef on larger yachts. You need no licence.
• Fuel. On a day-boat it is sometimes charged separately at cost (the 60 miles of the return run weigh on the budget); on a crewed yacht it goes through the APA.
• The APA (Advance Provisioning Allowance). 25 to 35% of the charter fee (median across surveyed MYBA listings: 35%), paid in advance and reconciled against receipts: fuel, food, drinks, harbour dues — including any berth in Saint-Tropez.
• VAT. 20% in France, in principle due on the whole charter fee for a charter in French waters since 1 November 2020.
• Gratuity. The MYBA recommends 5 to 15% of the charter fee, at your discretion.
• The framework. A written MYBA agreement: boat, crew, itinerary, how the APA is calculated and weather terms are all set out before you commit.

Which boat for Saint-Tropez from Cannes?

A 15 to 25 m motor yacht is the natural choice: it holds the 20 knots that make the return run comfortable, and offers a swim platform and a tender for the beach. A fast day-boat suits a small group that mainly wants Pampelonne and accepts a sportier day. A catamaran or sailing yacht changes the nature of the outing: the passage becomes the point, and you sleep at anchor or in port before returning the next day. A superyacht, finally, turns the day into a floating reception with chef and full crew — it is also the category concerned by the length-based anchoring zones at Pampelonne.

When to go?

From May to early October, while the Pampelonne ZMEL is open, with June and September the best balance of weather, crowds and port rates: the port’s peak season runs from 10 July to 20 August. The mistral sometimes rises in the gulf late in the day; your captain adjusts the return time or the route, and the Îles de Lérins remain a fallback ten minutes from Cannes.

What are the 2026 rates by boat class?

Chartering a yacht in Cannes to Saint-Tropez costs from €1,500 a day (day-boat ~11 m, excluding fuel) and from €25,000 a week (motor yacht 20–30 m), plus APA 25–35% and 20% VAT — public 2026 references for the Côte d’Azur, not a tariff: every Yacht Cannes quote is worked out for your date, your group and your boat.

On top of the rate: the APA (Advance Provisioning Allowance), 25 to 35% of the base price — fuel, food, drinks and harbour dues, reconciled against receipts at the end of the charter (median across surveyed MYBA listings: 35%) — and French VAT at 20%, in principle due on the whole charter fee since 1 November 2020 for a charter in French waters. The crew gratuity recommended by the MYBA is 5 to 15% of the charter fee.

Sources — retrieved 5 September 2026: Monaco Boats (The S Collection) — Yacht charter prices on the Riviera, day rates; International Yachts Charter & Brokerage — French Riviera weekly charter rates (Monaco Yacht Show 2026 page); Vital Charters — What's included in a yacht charter fee: MYBA contract (2026), survey of MYBA listings; service-public.gouv.fr — Taux de TVA (fiche F23567, "Vérifié le 18 juin 2025"); Mathez Compliance — Fiscalité du yachting, TVA charter.