Yacht charter in France

01 · Overview

Yacht charter in France

France is two charter countries in one. Most of our fleet here are houseboats on rivers and canals, from Burgundy to the Canal du Midi and Alsace, which most people can drive without a licence after a briefing. The rest are sailing yachts and catamarans on the coast, from Brittany to Corsica.

02 · The sailing grounds

The sailing grounds

On the waterways, bases include Saint-Jean-de-Losne in Burgundy, Castelnaudary and Homps on the Canal du Midi, Port Cassafières near the Mediterranean, and Hesse in Alsace-Lorraine. On the coast, Port du Crouesty in southern Brittany is a main sailing base, and Corsica has its own page.

Sailing areas on our desk:

Corsica: about 40 boats

03 · Season and weather

Season and weather

Waterways run from about March to October; spring and autumn are quiet and cheaper. Coastal sailing is best from May to September.

04 · The fleet on our desk

The fleet on our desk

We list about 1,300 boats in France from about 30 charter companies. The fleet is houseboats (75%), catamarans (9%), sailing yachts (8%) and motor yachts and motorboats (7%). Half the boats were built in 2008 or later, and the typical boat is about 40 ft long with 3 cabins. The most common models here are the Pénichette 1020, Horizon 1 and Vision 3.

05 · Ways to charter

Ways to charter

Boats in France offer these kinds of charter (a boat can offer more than one):

Bareboat (1229 boats): you skipper the boat yourself. The skipper needs a licence the operator accepts, and usually a VHF radio certificate.

Crewed (32 boats): a skipper and crew come with the boat, often with a cook or host.

Day charter (14 boats): a single day on the water, usually with crew.

Skippered (10 boats): a professional skipper sails the boat with you, and you crew as much or as little as you like.

Cabin charter (6 boats): you book one cabin on a shared, crewed boat rather than the whole yacht.

All-inclusive (3 boats): crew, meals and drinks are in one price.

Flotilla (1 boat): you sail your own boat in a group, with a lead boat and crew on hand to help.

Houseboats on rivers and canals can usually be driven without a boating licence after the operator's briefing. Each boat page says whether a licence is needed.

06 · What a week costs

What a week costs

These prices are for the boat for seven nights, taken from the 2027 offers we hold in November 2026.

In April, the cheapest month for most boats here, a well-priced boat costs about €1,400 a week and the middle of the fleet about €1,850.

In July, the dearest month, the middle of the fleet costs about €2,900 a week.

The cheapest tenth of boats here start from about €950 a week, and the top tenth from about €2,700.

Fuel, marina fees, the final clean and any skipper are usually extra on bareboat yachts; crewed boats include their crew. Each boat page shows what its operator includes and the live price for your dates.

07 · Bases and start days

Bases and start days

Boats start from Port Cassafières (73 boats), Saint-Jean-de-Losne (72 boats), Hesse (71 boats), Castelnaudary (55 boats) and Homps (42 boats). Many boats can start on any day of the week, with Saturday the most common.

08 · Getting there

Getting there

Paris and regional airports serve the waterways, and high-speed trains reach many bases. Corsica has four airports.