Yachts for sale in France.
The Côte d’Azur is the deepest superyacht market in the Mediterranean and the most expensive place to keep a boat in it. Both facts matter to a buyer.
France is where the top of the market lives. Port Vauban at Antibes is the largest superyacht marina in Europe, 1,500 berths taking hulls to 160 metres, and the industry that has grown around it means crew, brokers, surveyors, refit yards and captains are all within a few kilometres. If a boat over 30 metres is being sold in the Mediterranean, the conversation usually passes through here.
Cannes adds capacity of a different kind. The Vieux Port runs about 635 berths to 140 metres with 58 dedicated superyacht places, and Port Pierre Canto holds 598 berths for hulls to roughly 90 metres with seven metres of draft. Between the two towns the Riviera has more large-yacht berthing than any comparable stretch of coast, which is exactly why it costs what it costs.
For a buyer, the honest read is this: France is the right place to find the boat and often the wrong place to keep it. Plenty of owners buy on the Riviera and base in Liguria, Lazio or the Costa Blanca, where the same length costs a fraction and the cruising is an easy passage away. We are happy to say that out loud because our job is the transaction, not the berth contract.
Current inventory
No hulls in France at the moment
The book turns over week to week. Tell us model, year range and budget and we will search the European network, or browse the full list.
The market
How buying works in France.
- Port Vauban at Antibes is Europe’s largest superyacht marina: 1,500 berths, hulls to 160 metres, and the crew and refit industry that clusters around it.
- Cannes Vieux Port holds about 635 berths to 140 metres with 58 superyacht places; Port Pierre Canto adds 598 berths for hulls to roughly 90 metres at seven metres of draft.
- Riviera berthing is the most expensive in the western Mediterranean for a given length, which is why a large share of Riviera-bought boats end up based in Italy or Spain.
- French VAT and the commercial-exemption regime are stricter in practice than the summary versions suggest; the position has to be verified rather than assumed from the previous owner’s arrangement.
- The Riviera season is short and the market knows it. Boats listed in March sell into a crowd of buyers planning the summer; the same hull in October waits, and sellers who miss the window usually reprice rather than wait it out.
- Provenance carries a premium here that it does not carry elsewhere. A Riviera-kept hull with local yard records and a known captain sells faster and higher than an identical boat with a thinner paper trail, which cuts both ways depending on which side of the deal you are on.
Flag, VAT and paperwork
What to settle before the offer.
- French VAT treatment depends on actual use and on the commercial-exemption conditions being genuinely met. Inheriting a previous owner’s structure without checking it is the most expensive mistake available here.
- Charter from a French port carries its own crewing and certification requirements, which change the economics of a boat bought with charter income in mind.
- A Riviera-bought boat can be re-based to Italy or Spain without VAT consequences if the hull is EU VAT-paid; the saving on berthing is usually larger than the delivery cost in the first season.
Marinas and berthing
Where a boat lives in France.
| Marina | Berths | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Vauban, Antibes | 1,500 | up to 160 m | Europe’s largest superyacht marina and the centre of the Riviera crew and refit industry. |
| Vieux Port de Cannes | 635 | up to 140 m | 58 dedicated superyacht berths in the middle of town, and the festival and show anchorage. |
| Port Pierre Canto, Cannes | 598 | up to 90 m | Seven metres of draft, quieter than the Vieux Port and the usual choice for a season base. |
| Port Hercule, Monaco | — | up to 160 m | Covered separately in our berthing guide; the reference point for Riviera peak-season pricing. |
Berth counts and length limits as published by the marina operators; we confirm actual availability case by case.
Berthing guides
Common questions
Buying a yacht in France.
- Why is the Côte d’Azur the centre of the yacht market?
- Concentration. Port Vauban at Antibes alone holds 1,500 berths and takes hulls to 160 metres, and around it sit the crew agencies, surveyors, refit yards and brokers. For boats above 30 metres the buyers, the boats and the people who service them are all in the same few kilometres.
- Is it worth keeping a yacht on the French Riviera?
- Often not, and we will say so. Riviera berthing is the most expensive in the western Mediterranean for a given length. Many owners buy here and base in Liguria, Lazio or the Costa Blanca, where the same berth costs a fraction and the cruising is one comfortable passage away.
- What should I check on French VAT?
- Whether the hull is genuinely EU VAT-paid, and if the seller relies on a commercial exemption, whether its conditions are actually met in practice rather than on paper. Inheriting a structure that does not hold up is the most expensive mistake available in this market.
- Can I move a boat bought in France to Italy or Spain?
- Yes, and if the hull is EU VAT-paid there is no VAT consequence in doing it. In most cases the first season’s berthing saving is larger than the cost of the delivery, which is why we raise it before the offer rather than after.
- Antibes or Cannes for a season berth?
- Antibes if the boat needs the industry around it: Port Vauban’s 1,500 berths sit next to the crew agencies, surveyors and refit yards. Cannes if the boat is used rather than worked on, with about 635 berths in the Vieux Port and 598 quieter ones at Port Pierre Canto, which takes seven metres of draft.
- Do you sell yachts on the French Riviera?
- We represent buyers there routinely and we list French-lying hulls when an owner engages us, but we do not pretend to be a Riviera house. Our offices are Rome and Valencia; in France we travel, and we work with local surveyors and maritime lawyers rather than claiming an address in Antibes.
Speak with a broker
Looking for something in France?
Tell us model, year range, budget and timing. We reply within one working day with a considered shortlist, public listings and private sellers included.