Nice by yacht, 6 nm from Monaco
The Baie des Anges and the old town, a short hop from Monaco.
A yacht from Monaco to Nice covers about 6 nautical miles in a straight line: 30 min of cruising at 12 knots, 18 min at 20. Crewed days are published from €1,500 (day boat) to €10,000 and up (superyacht); a week on a 20–30 m motor yacht runs €25,000 – €65,000, plus APA of 25–35% and VAT at 20%.
Nice offers a working harbour, a sweeping bay and a vivid old town of markets and terraces. It is a short cruise from Monaco and a fine place to embark guests arriving through the airport just along the coast.
Anchor off the Promenade des Anglais, lunch in the Cours Saleya, and you have the best of the city in an afternoon.
Why embark guests at Nice?
With the Côte d'Azur airport at the western end of the bay, Nice is the most convenient place on the coast for guests to join a yacht. We can position the yacht to embark arrivals here and cruise east to Monaco, or run the day from Nice itself — a practical start that saves a road transfer and puts guests on the water within minutes of landing. Port de Nice is a working harbour used to yachts of all sizes.
What does a day on the Baie des Anges look like?
The wide Bay of Angels invites an easy day: anchor off the Promenade des Anglais for a swim, come ashore for the markets and terraces of the Cours Saleya in the old town, then cruise the short hop to the sheltered bay of Villefranche, one of the deepest natural harbours on the coast. At about 6 nautical miles from Monaco in a straight line, Nice folds neatly into a day-charter or the first leg of a westbound cruise.
Villefranche, just around the headland, deserves a mention of its own: its deep, sheltered bay is a favourite anchorage for a calm lunch and an afternoon swim, ringed by the pastel old town and the wooded slopes of Cap-Ferrat. Many days from Monaco pair the energy of Nice with the stillness of Villefranche, the two within easy reach of each other and of the home port.
Where does a yacht anchor or berth in Nice?
Port Lympia — the Port de Nice, below the Château hill at the eastern end of the old town — is a working harbour with 503 berths and 8.50 m of draught, managed by the Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur. It takes yachts of every size on the outer quays, sits ten minutes from the Cours Saleya on foot, and is the practical place to embark guests who have just landed. For a swim the yacht rarely stays in the harbour: the Baie des Anges is open and often lively, so the anchorage of choice is the deep, sheltered rade of Villefranche just around the Mont Boron, where a yacht can lie in flat water in almost any wind and the pastel waterfront is a tender-ride away.
Beyond Villefranche, the coast toward Monaco is a string of coves — Beaulieu, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, the Paloma beach — that make the return leg as good as the outward one.
What is there to do ashore in Nice from the yacht?
Nice is the one big city on this coast, and it rewards a proper walk. From Port Lympia the old town begins almost at the quay: the flower and food market of the Cours Saleya in the morning, the baroque churches and the lanes behind, the climb to the Colline du Château for the view over the bay and back over the harbour. The Promenade des Anglais runs west for seven kilometres of sea front; the Musée Matisse and the Chagall museum sit up on Cimiez. A yacht day here works best in two halves — the city in the morning, Villefranche and the capes in the afternoon — and the crew time the tender so nobody waits on the quay.
How much does a yacht charter to Nice cost?
At 6 nm, Nice is a day charter: a crewed day is published from €1,500 (Pirelli 1100, excluding fuel) to €6,600 (Prestige 680) and €10,000 and up for a superyacht. As a stop on a longer charter the weekly brackets below apply.
| Yacht size | Weekly rate | APA (25–35%) |
|---|---|---|
| Motor yacht 20–30 m | €25,000 – €65,000 | €6,250 – €22,750 |
| Superyacht 30–40 m | €65,000 – €180,000 | €16,250 – €63,000 |
| Premium superyacht 40–45 m | €140,000 – €320,000 | €35,000 – €112,000 |
| Megayacht 45 m+ | €280,000 – €800,000+ | €70,000 – €280,000+ |
APA — 25–35% of the fee, median 35% across MYBA listings — covers fuel for the run to Nice, harbour dues, food and drink, and the balance is returned. VAT at the standard 20% rate applies to charters starting in France or Monaco; crew gratuity is customary at 5–15% of the fee (MYBA guidance).
- International Yachts Charter & Brokerage — Monaco Yacht Show 2026 charter rates — retrieved 2026-09-05
- Monaco Boats (The S Collection) — Yacht charter prices in Monaco — retrieved 2026-09-05
- Vital Charters — What's included in a yacht charter fee: MYBA contract (2026), survey of MYBA listings — retrieved 2026-09-05
- service-public.gouv.fr — Taux de TVA (fiche F23567, "Vérifié le 18 juin 2025") — retrieved 2026-09-05
- Gouvernement Princier de Monaco — monentreprise.gouv.mc, TVA — retrieved 2026-09-05
Rates retrieved 2026-09-05.
Which harbour and anchorages does a yacht use in Nice?
Port Lympia (Port de Nice)
- From Port Hercule
- 6 nm (straight line) · 30 min at 12 knots · 18 min at 20 knots
- Operator
- Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur (since 1 January 2017)
- Berths
- 503 berths
- Depth
- draught 8.50 m
- Anchorages
- Baie des Anges · Villefranche
Distances are computed between the OpenStreetMap positions of Port Hercule and Port Lympia (Port de Nice); the actual coastal route is a little longer.
- OpenStreetMap / Nominatim — retrieved 2026-09-06
- Wikipédia — Port Lympia — retrieved 2026-09-06
- OpenStreetMap / Nominatim — retrieved 2026-09-06
When is the best time to charter a yacht to Nice?
Recommended season: April–October.
The season runs April to October, the warmest water from June to September. July and August fill the anchorages of Nice; June and September give the same sea with more room. Monaco Grand Prix week (late May) and the Monaco Yacht Show (23–26 September 2026) pull departure rates toward high season, even for a day to Nice.
- Monaco Yacht Show — official site (home + billetterie) — retrieved 2026-09-05
Frequently asked questions
Can guests join the yacht at Nice?
Yes. With the airport on the bay, Nice is the easiest place for guests to embark. We position the yacht to pick up arrivals and cruise toward Monaco or run the day from Nice, avoiding a road transfer and putting guests on the water soon after landing.
How far is Nice from Monaco by yacht?
About 6 nautical miles in a straight line — half an hour at 12 knots. Nice sits comfortably within a day-charter from Monaco and makes a natural first stop heading west toward Villefranche, Antibes and Cannes.
Is Nice worth a stop on a longer charter, or only for pick-ups?
Both. As a pick-up it saves a road transfer from the airport; as a stop it is the coast's one real city — the Cours Saleya market, the old town and the Château hill within a ten-minute walk of the harbour — and pairs with the flat-water anchorage of Villefranche next door.
How much does a yacht charter from Monaco to Nice cost?
From the published Monaco brackets: a day from €1,500 (day boat, excluding fuel) to €10,000 and up for a superyacht; a week from €25,000 – €65,000 for 20–30 m to €280,000 – €800,000+ above 45 m, exclusive of APA (25–35%) and VAT (20%).
Tell us your dates.
Every charter and sale is by quote, built around you. We reply within the day.