Between Nice, Villefranche‑sur‑Mer, Beaulieu and Saint‑Jean‑Cap‑Ferrat, the coast combines a deep roadstead, harbours, diving activities and several regulatory protections. This page helps you prepare your trip without mistaking apparent shelter for freedom to anchor.
The marine view shows the EMODnet seabed profile, depth contours and OpenSeaMap buoyage. The aerial view keeps the harbours, buoyage and PING zones. Drag the map, use the zoom or double-click to zoom in; click a zone to read its title and open PING.
Ideas for enjoying the water from the boat or the shore, without turning a regulated zone into a playground. The day’s conditions, the official chart and the buoyage always have the final say.
The coves and rocky seabeds are well suited to underwater observation when anchoring rules, protected areas and buoyage allow it. Mask, snorkel, paddleboard or diving are prepared from a stabilised, supervised boat.
From the shore, choose the facilities or access points that organise kayaking, paddleboarding and diving. Setting off from a beach never entitles you to cross a channel or a restricted zone.
Protected zones, harbours and mooring buoys may impose separate limits: the official chart and the buoyage take precedence over this overview.
The Villefranche roadstead is known for its depth and its water activities. This does not guarantee either an absence of traffic or the possibility of anchoring. Merchant ships, cruise vessels, pleasure boaters, divers and local activities may all cross paths here. Plan your arrival with an up-to-date chart and a route that leaves you options.
The roadstead’s ZMEL (organised mooring buoys) is shown by the corresponding PING regulatory object. The regulations set conditions of access and use: an available spot cannot be inferred from the chart alone. Check with the ZMEL management, read the PING text and the day’s instructions before entering.
Around the cape, PING lists bans and restrictions concerning, in particular, anchoring, diving, fishing and navigation. They are kept on the map so that the zones concerned are visible in both the marine and aerial views. The seabed, buoys, signage and exact texts must be checked before choosing an activity.
The harbours and coves in this area are manoeuvring zones, not waiting zones. The coastal strip and bay rules are shown on the map. Approach slowly, watch out for small craft and ask the harbour office for instructions for any stopover or refuelling.
The rich underwater life and the reputation of the roadstead are an invitation to observe, not to stray from the rules. The activity is decided after checking the zone, with a dedicated lookout, suitable signalling and weather that allows an easy return. For divers, proper signalling and separation from traffic are essential.
To the west, Nice is a different harbour and aviation environment; to the east, Cap‑d’Ail and Monaco bring additional rules and jurisdictions. Avoid treating the coast as a single corridor. The neighbouring guides help you prepare the transition before leaving the roadstead.
Beaulieu, Cap-d’Ail and Nice are the refuelling landmarks to consider around the roadstead. Being close by does not mean immediate access: a fuel station is reached through a harbour entrance, with its movements, priorities and instructions.
The contact details and services advertised are grouped in the fuel stations page. Check it before leaving your anchorage and ask the harbour to confirm opening hours or arrival conditions.
The roadstead’s organised mooring area has 52 berths for boats of 6 to 16 m, across four sites: A, B and C off the Palais de la Marine, D at Rochambeau (prefectoral order). From 1st May to 30 September, 13 berths are reserved for visitors, for boats of 12 m or less: 6 at site B, 6 at site C, 1 at site A. You may stay no more than 5 consecutive days, with a two-night gap between two stays.
| Length | Price per day in season |
|---|---|
| 6 to 8 m | €24 incl. VAT |
| 8 to 10 m | €36 incl. VAT |
| 10 to 12 m | €48 incl. VAT |
Bookings are made with the moorings office, Wilson car park: mouillages@villefranche-sur-mer.fr, 04 93 76 20 45 (Town of Villefranche, rates). Within the sites, anchoring is prohibited, as are swimming, diving, fishing, paddleboarding and jet skis. Tenders tie up at the quai Ponchardier or the quai du chemin du Lazaret. The regulations require you to leave your berth as soon as the CROSS announces force 6 on channel 16 (internal regulations).
Jet skis are prohibited within the buoyed strip at Saint-Jean, except in the Riviera and Lilong channels. The tourist office lists five public fine-shingle beaches and points out rich seabeds for mask and snorkel at Les Fosses and Les Fossettes.
At Beaulieu, a 25 m by 100 m channel is open from 1st June to 30 September, with a 100 m no-motor zone east of the beach (order). A Posidonia replanting zone is closed to anchoring for all boats (order), and an artificial reef zone is closed to anchoring, diving and dredging until 31 December 2031 (order).
Two zones around the cape are permanently prohibited: a 200 m circle around the west cardinal buoy, and a rectangle to the south; a wider circle around the lighthouse may be closed by notice to mariners (order 42/2025). Ferrat signal station: 04 93 76 04 06.
| Harbour | What the harbour publishes |
|---|---|
| La Darse (Villefranche) | Fuel 24/7 by card; 3 knots in the harbour, 5 knots in the approach channel; 04 89 04 53 70, on-call 06 64 05 24 83 (Département). |
| Port de la Santé | 51 berths; visitors’ pontoon free for 30 minutes, then a flat fee of €20.60 up to 13 m; tenders coming from the anchorage call on VHF 9 (Département, 2026 rates). |
| Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat | 555 berths, up to 50 m; VHF 9, 04 93 76 45 45; for stays of less than 48 hours, booking by phone or VHF only; fuel from 8 am to 8 pm in July and August (Métropole, harbour). |
| Beaulieu Plaisance | 720 berths, up to 45 m; VHF 9, 04 93 01 10 49; fuel station at the entrance, 04 93 01 41 22 (Métropole). |
| Beaulieu Fourmis | 244 berths, 12 m and 1.50 m draught at most (Métropole). |
Villefranche is a cruise port of call: liners moor to the French Navy buoys, and more than 200,000 cruise passengers pass through the port de la Santé each year. Since December 2025, an inter-prefectoral order has limited calls: no more than 3,000 passengers ashore at the same time, and only one ship carrying more than 1,300 passengers per day (order). On call days, expect constant shuttles between the buoys and the Santé.
Sources consulted on 26 September 2026. The press still refers to 60 buoys in the roadstead: the text in force sets 52. The number of berths at Saint-Jean varies depending on the source (550 to 562).
The fuel stations and harbours of Nice, Villefranche / La Darse, Beaulieu and Monaco can serve as landmarks depending on your route. Check access and refuelling directly with the harbour office before relying on them.