Sail Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

The stretch from Marseille to the Italian border packs more variety into a week than almost anywhere in the Med. You start among the white limestone calanques east of Marseille, cross to the pine-and-sand Îles d'Hyères, then work up a coast of anchorages, medieval ports and hill towns. The water runs deep blue and clear over rock, turquoise over the sand off Porquerolles. Mornings are usually calm; the wind fills in by lunch. It suits sailors who like short hops between anchorages with a real town at the end of most days, rather than long offshore passages.

We'll be honest about the trade-off: this coast is busy in July and August, and the marquee ports — St-Tropez, Cannes, Antibes — charge marquee prices for a berth. Sail the shoulder months, or lean on the anchorages, and the crowds and costs both drop.

Think of the coast in three chunks. West is Marseille, the calanques (Sormiou, En-Vau, Cassis) and Bandol — dramatic rock scenery and short sails, though calanque anchorages get packed and some ban overnight stays in summer. Centre is the Îles d'Hyères: Porquerolles, Port-Cros (a national park with mooring rules) and the Levant. This is the quiet heart of the region, with the best swimming water and sheltered bays. East is the glamour coast — St-Tropez, Ste-Maxime, St-Raphaël, Cannes and Antibes — where the harbours are the show as much as the sailing.

Base marinas are spread right along the coast, from Marseille's Vieux Port and the Corbières basin through Toulon, Bandol, Hyères, Port-Grimaud and Cogolin to St-Raphaël, Golfe-Juan, Cannes and Antibes. That spread means you can pick a start point close to your arrival airport and sail east or west from there.

The charter season runs roughly April to October, with July and August the hottest and busiest. May, June and September are the sweet spot — warm, less crowded, water still swimmable.

The wind to know is the mistral, a cold, dry north-westerly that funnels down the Rhône valley and out to sea. It builds fast, blows hard (30–40 knots is common) and can last three days. It flattens off as you move east of Toulon, so the Îles d'Hyères and the coast beyond are more sheltered. Otherwise summer days follow a sea-breeze pattern: calm mornings, a building westerly or south-westerly by early afternoon, dying at dusk. Always check the forecast before committing to an exposed anchorage, and treat a mistral warning seriously — plan a protected port and stay put.

Most of the fleet here is bareboat — monohulls and catamarans you skipper yourself, provided you hold the right licence and can show sailing experience. Sizes run from compact 30-something-foot monohulls up to larger cruising catamarans that suit families and groups.

If you'd rather not skipper, crewed options are available but limited, and a hired skipper is the middle path — you keep the boat to yourselves but hand the navigation and berthing to someone who knows the coast. A skipper is worth it here if you're new to Med berthing (stern-to mooring is the norm) or nervous about the mistral. Crew and skipper availability changes through the season; message us on WhatsApp for current options on your dates.

Boat hire is the big line item and it swings hard with season and size. A small bareboat monohull in the shoulder months sits at the affordable end; a large catamaran in peak August is several times that. Rather than quote figures that go stale, we'll say: expect a wide range and ask us for a quote on your exact boat and week. Price on request for anything specific.

Budget separately for: marina berths (the eastern glamour ports are the priciest on the coast, especially in summer), fuel, an end-of-charter clean, and the security deposit held against the boat. Porquerolles and Port-Cros mooring fields and the national-park zones may charge or restrict. Eating ashore ranges from a modest quay bistro to St-Tropez prices — you choose the mix. Provisioning is easy and good; the markets at Cassis, Hyères and Sanary are worth the trip.

A westbound loop from Hyères, tuned to short sails and good anchorages:

Day 1 — Board at Hyères, provision, short hop to Porquerolles and anchor off the village. Swim, walk the fort.

Day 2 — Around to Port-Cros; pick up a park mooring, snorkel the marked trail.

Day 3 — West to Bandol or Sanary-sur-Mer; market, a quiet harbour evening.

Day 4 — On to Cassis and the eastern calanques. Anchor for lunch in En-Vau if it's quiet, berth in Cassis for the night.

Day 5 — Day among the Marseille calanques and back east, or push into Marseille's Vieux Port.

Day 6 — Long-ish sail back east toward the Îles d'Hyères, anchor off the Giens peninsula.

Day 7 — Final swim, easy sail back to Hyères for the morning handover.

Flip it eastbound from Cannes or St-Raphaël for St-Tropez, the Estérel red cliffs and Golfe-Juan instead. Adjust for wind — if the mistral's up, stay east.

The coast is easy to reach. Nice airport serves the eastern bases (Antibes, Cannes, Golfe-Juan, St-Raphaël); Marseille airport and the Marseille–Toulon TGV line serve the western and central ones (Marseille, Bandol, Toulon, Hyères). Hyères has its own small airport too. From most airports it's a train or a short transfer to the marina. Handovers are typically Saturday, with boarding in the afternoon and check-out in the morning; confirm the exact times for your boat when you book. Bring your sailing licence, ICC or equivalent, and a sailing CV — the base will want to see both before you take a bareboat out.