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Cap d'Antibes hosts the most chef-equipped day-charter fleet on the French Riviera, with roughly 140 licensed yachts above 18m operating from IYCA, Port Vauban, and Port Gallice in 2026. Peak July day rates run €4,000 for an 18m motor cruiser to €19,000 for a 30m motor yacht with chef. Cap d'Antibes-side embarkation gives faster exits to the Lerins anchorage and the Cap d'Antibes south-coast calanques than Cannes-side, the marina handling is cleaner, and the operator quality is consistently a tier above what we see at Vieux Port Cannes. This piece covers the three Antibes-side ports, the operators we book, the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc embarkation reality, and the operators we pass on.
The companion pieces are the Cannes day-charter operators, the Nice and Villefranche day charter, and the Antibes weekly route. For the broader Riviera week, see Cannes to Cap d'Antibes.
The three ports
IYCA (International Yacht Club d'Antibes / Port Camille Rayon Gallice cluster). The premium Cap d'Antibes-side commercial yachting cluster. The day-charter fleet here is the smallest of the three but the most chef-equipped, with longer captain tenure and the strongest service standards. Most yachts are 22m to 30m. Exit south to the Cap d'Antibes coast or west to Lerins is fast.
Port Vauban (Vieux Port Antibes). The large historic port, capacity for over 1,800 yachts including the Quai des Milliardaires for 40m+ yachts. Day-charter fleet 70 to 90 yachts in the 18-30m band. More chaotic in July and August because of the cruising-yacht traffic, but the wider catalogue and the broader rate band make it the most-booked Antibes-side port. Exit to the Cap d'Antibes coast takes a few minutes longer than from IYCA due to the harbour layout.
Port Gallice. The smaller marina on the west side of the Cap. Closer to the Garoupe-side hotels and villas. Day-charter inventory is the smallest (20 to 30 yachts), mostly 18-24m, no significant 28m+ commercial inventory. Use when you are staying at Eden-Roc, Belles Rives, or a Garoupe-side villa and you want the closest embarkation point.
Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc embarkation logistics
Eden-Roc has its own jetty, but it is not a commercial embarkation point. Licensed commercial day-charter yachts cannot tie up at the hotel jetty for embarkation. The standard play is one of three:
- Car transfer to IYCA or Port Gallice. 12 to 18 minutes from the hotel. The hotel concierge arranges. This is the routine option.
- Tender pickup from the hotel jetty. Some larger weekly-charter yachts that release for day work will send their tender to the hotel jetty for client pickup, then transit to the anchored mothership. Standard for 35m+ inventory. Operator coordination is required.
- Walk to the hotel anchorage point. For sailing yachts and smaller motor yachts that anchor off the Eden-Roc bay, the hotel can launch a beach tender to take the client out. This is used by 5 to 10% of clients and only the operators who pre-coordinate with the hotel.
For most Eden-Roc clients booking a day charter, the right call is a car transfer to IYCA. The 15 minutes is negligible against the saved coordination headache.
Rate bands for 2026
Peak July and August, per day, in euros, private charter with captain, crew, fuel at standard cruising, basic provisions. Chef +€500 to +€900.
- 18m to 22m motor yacht. €4,000 to €6,500.
- 22m to 24m motor yacht. €6,500 to €9,500.
- 24m to 28m motor yacht. €9,500 to €13,500.
- 28m to 32m motor yacht. €13,500 to €19,000.
- Above 32m. €18,000 to €40,000+, mostly weekly-charter inventory released for occasional day work.
Sailing yachts of equivalent LOA run 15-25% below. The Antibes sailing-yacht day-charter fleet is small (under 12 yachts in the 18-25m range) but two of those are exceptional and worth specific bookings.
Shoulder season (late May, late September, October) runs 25-35% below peak. The Cap d'Antibes yacht-show week in mid-September is not the same as Cannes show week (Cannes is yachts on display, Antibes is the broker-and-owner week), but rates here also jump 20 to 30% over natural September shoulder during show week.
IYCA operators worth booking
We work with three IYCA-based operators currently.
Camper & Nicholsons Day Charter Antibes. Camper releases occasional charter yachts for day work from their Cap d'Antibes inventory. The day-charter program is small (5 to 8 yachts in any given week), the rate is at the top of band, and the booking is competitive against weekly-charter clients. The 28m motor yacht (captain since 2018) in their current program is the right call for a Lerins-and-Eden-Roc anchorage day with chef at €14,000 to €16,500 peak.
Edmiston Day Charter Antibes. Same model as Camper. Small day-charter program from weekly inventory. Service standards are consistent. Pricing is at the top of band. Worth a booking when the inventory matches.
Antibes Yacht Day. Smaller dedicated day-charter operator. Fleet of 6 to 8 yachts in the 22-28m range, captain tenure is long, and the operator handles its own concierge program rather than outsourcing to the marina. Rates land mid-band. Their 24m Pershing is the right Antibes-side call for a fast cruising day with lunch ashore at La Guérite.
Port Vauban operators worth booking
The Port Vauban catalogue is bigger and the operator list more varied.
Maxim Yacht Service. Long-established Antibes operator, mixed fleet of 18m to 30m motor yachts. Booking team responds in under 6 hours, contracts are clear, captain allocations are stable across the season. Rates mid-band. The right default if you do not have a specific yacht in mind.
Riviera Yacht Charter Antibes. Smaller operator, 18-24m fleet, owner-operator model on most yachts. Lower headline rates than Maxim, more personal service. The 22m motor yacht in their fleet (captain since 2020) is the right Vauban-side call for a 6-person party at €6,500 to €8,500 peak.
Bluewater Antibes. Bluewater operates yacht management and crew placement and also runs commercial day-charter inventory from Antibes. Service standards are professional, rates are at the top of band. Useful for clients who specifically want a Bluewater-managed yacht.
Port Gallice operators worth booking
Gallice Yacht Charter. Small operator, 18-22m fleet, the right call for Eden-Roc and Belles Rives-staying clients who want a 10-minute transfer to the embarkation point.
The Gallice fleet is thin enough that for most clients, we recommend embarking from IYCA or Vauban and accepting the 15-minute transfer.
Operators we pass on
We do not list:
- One Port Vauban operator with a multi-yacht catalogue who has been the subject of two written client complaints in the past 12 months regarding undisclosed fuel pass-through charges and a "marina security fee" added at disembarkation. Their licenses are checkable but their billing practices are not.
- One operator advertising "Riviera VIP day experiences" with passenger counts that exceed the licensed capacity on the yachts they list. The Affaires Maritimes has a current case against them.
- One Cap d'Antibes-based concierge service that re-brokers day-charter bookings without holding charter licenses. They mark up 20-30% over direct operator booking and have no transparency on which operator actually runs the yacht.
We have also passed on two Italian-flagged yachts the Antibes day-charter scene without the necessary French charter license. Cabotage enforcement is real and the client is exposed.
Routes worth running
The standard Cap d'Antibes day routes:
- Lerins anchorage with lunch at La Guérite. South to Sainte-Marguerite, anchor, tender to La Guérite for lunch, return via Cap d'Antibes east. 7-8 hour day. The default Antibes day.
- Cap d'Antibes coastal loop. South around the Cap, anchor at the Anse de l'Argent Faux or off the Garoupe, lunch ashore at La Garoupe Plage Keller, return up the east side via Juan-les-Pins. 5-6 hour day. The shorter option.
- East to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. 75-minute transit each way, anchor at Paloma Beach or the Cap-Ferrat south, lunch ashore at Paloma or aboard. 8-9 hour day. Works in calm weather, otherwise the eastward transit gets uncomfortable.
- West to Lerins-Esterel loop. Out to Lerins, lunch, then west to the Esterel calanques. 8 hour day. Good for groups who want to see more coastline and skip the Cap d'Antibes itself.
The honest yacht-size recommendation
For a Cap d'Antibes day with six to eight people, the call is a 22m to 24m motor yacht with chef. The price band at €6,500 to €9,500 peak is right, the yacht handles the Lerins anchorage and the Cap d'Antibes south coast comfortably, and the chef-aboard option turns the lunch from a tender-to-La-Guérite expedition into the better play of eating on the yacht.
A 26m to 28m for the same group is the comfort upgrade at 35-50% more cost. Useful when the booking includes the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc as a marker and the day needs to feel proportionate to the rest of the trip. A 30m+ is the right call for parties of 10 to 12 only.
An 18m to 20m motor cruiser at €4,000 to €5,500 is the budget play for two-couple parties. The day works, lunch is ashore, the yacht is small enough that the marina exit is fast.
Lunch ashore: the short list
The Cap d'Antibes day lunch options:
- La Guérite (Sainte-Marguerite). The reference. Same booking as the Cannes-side day. 30-60 day lead in shoulder, 60-90 in peak.
- L'Escale (Sainte-Marguerite). Back-up.
- La Garoupe Plage Keller (Cap d'Antibes south). The Cap d'Antibes day's home-side lunch. Tender drop on the beach. Bookings open 14 days out. Quieter than La Guérite, equally good.
- Plage Eden-Roc. Available for Eden-Roc-staying clients only. Tender pickup from the hotel jetty to the yacht. Useful for the Eden-Roc client who wants to use the hotel-side beach club between two anchorage swims.
- Belles Rives Plage. For clients staying at Belles Rives, the hotel beach club takes yacht-charter lunch reservations. Same logic as Eden-Roc.
Where to stay
For IYCA-based days, Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Belles Rives, the Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel, La Baie Dorée, or Imperial Garoupe keep the transfer under 20 minutes. For Port Vauban-based days, the central Antibes hotels (La Villa Trois Soleils, La Bastide Saint-Antoine in Grasse for clients willing to drive) work. See hotelsforkings.com/cap-dantibes and villasforkings.com/cap-dantibes for the picks. For lunch before or dinner after, restaurantsforkings.com/antibes.
How to book
Book 60 to 120 days out for July and August, 30 to 60 days for shoulder. Confirm in writing: rate, included crew, fuel (most Antibes operators include fuel at standard cruising and meter excess), chef, anchoring permit, embarkation port, and named captain. Verify the operator against the Affaires Maritimes register.
For the wider Riviera context, the Cannes operators, Nice and Villefranche day charter, and Monaco day reality are the calibrations.