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Saint-Tropez has roughly 70 licensed commercial day-charter yachts above 16m operating out of the Vieux Port, the new Port Pinet, Sainte-Maxime, and Cogolin in 2026. Peak July day rates run €4,800 for a 16m motor cruiser to €24,000 for a 32m motor yacht with chef. The rate band is the highest on the French Riviera per meter, the regulation is the heaviest, and the anchorage logistics changed materially after the 2019 posidonia decree and the 2022 ZMEL buoy field installation. This piece covers the four embarkation points, the operators we shortlist, the Pampelonne anchoring reality, the Cap Camarat west-coast alternative, and the operators we pass on.
The Saint-Tropez day charter market is also where the day-charter scam rate is the highest in France. We have separate pieces on day-charter scams and the Saint-Tropez anchorage permit regime for context. The companion Riviera operator pieces are Cannes, Cap d'Antibes, and Nice.
The four embarkation bases
Vieux Port (Quai Suffren and Quai de l'Épi). The reference Saint-Tropez embarkation. Roughly 40 to 50 licensed day-charter yachts hold any kind of departure slot. The marina is congested in peak season, embarkation is time-stamped, and the operator drops a 30 to 45 minute buffer into the morning. The walk from the village hotels and from the cliff-side villas above the port is short.
Port Pinet (Saint-Tropez east). The newer marina opened progressively from 2021, smaller fleet, less congestion. About 12 to 18 day-charter yachts. Faster exit toward Pampelonne and Cap Camarat. Useful if your hotel is on the Pampelonne side rather than the village.
Sainte-Maxime. The Sainte-Maxime marina on the north side of the gulf. 15 to 25 day-charter yachts in the 18m to 26m band. Lower headline rates, less crowded marina, slightly longer eastward transit (20 to 30 minutes) before the Cap Camarat or Pampelonne routes open up. The right call for clients staying on the Sainte-Maxime side or above Plan-de-la-Tour.
Cogolin and Port Grimaud. A handful of operators run out of Cogolin and Port Grimaud. Smaller fleet, mostly 18m to 22m, useful for clients staying in the Grimaud villas or for repositioning to Pampelonne via a faster non-Vieux-Port exit. The marina logistics are simpler than Vieux Port.
Rate bands for 2026
Peak July and August, per day, in euros, private charter with captain, crew, fuel at standard cruising, basic provisions. Chef +€600 to +€1,100. The Saint-Tropez rate-per-meter is 15% to 25% above Cannes and Nice for the same LOA, principally because of marina pressure, regulation, and the brand premium.
- 16m to 18m motor cruiser. Vieux Port €4,800 to €6,500. Sainte-Maxime €4,300 to €5,800.
- 18m to 22m motor yacht. Vieux Port €7,500 to €10,500. Sainte-Maxime €6,800 to €9,500.
- 22m to 24m motor yacht. Vieux Port €9,500 to €14,000. Sainte-Maxime €8,500 to €12,500.
- 24m to 28m motor yacht. Vieux Port €13,500 to €18,500. Limited Sainte-Maxime inventory.
- 28m to 32m motor yacht. Vieux Port €17,500 to €24,000. Sainte-Maxime thin or unavailable.
Sailing yachts of equivalent LOA run 15% to 25% below. The Saint-Tropez sailing day fleet skews toward Wally, Solaris, and classic Bermudan ketches. The Wally inventory in particular runs at a 10% to 20% premium over equivalent monohulls and is worth it for clients who specifically want the design.
Bastille Day weekend (July 13-14) and the Voiles de Saint-Tropez week (late September into early October) inflate by 60% to 120%. The 1 August weekend (start of the August fortnight) inflates by 30% to 50%.
The Pampelonne posidonia regulation, in 2026
This is the operational fact most operators understate.
The 2019 prefectoral decree restricting anchoring over posidonia seagrass in the Pampelonne bay has been updated annually since. The 2024 update extended the prohibited zones and increased the fine bands. As of 2026, yachts above 24m anchoring over a posidonia bed in the protected Pampelonne shoreline face administrative fines of €1,500 to €150,000 plus an environmental damage assessment. Yachts under 24m face €150 to €1,500. The prefectoral decree is enforced by the gendarmerie maritime, the Affaires Maritimes, and the National Park rangers, and the satellite-based anchor tracking system implemented in 2023 has made enforcement much more reliable.
The legitimate options:
- The ZMEL mooring buoy field. Installed in 2022 along the central Pampelonne shoreline, expanded in 2024. Approximately 60 buoys, reserved through the ZMEL portal, day-rate €40 to €180 depending on yacht size. Operators worth booking reserve the buoy ahead of the day. If they say "we'll get one when we arrive" that is not a plan in July or August.
- Sand-bottom anchoring outside the protected zone. Possible at the Pampelonne north end (Tahiti Plage side) and the south end (toward Bonne Terrasse), in sand patches charted on the up-to-date Navionics or French SHOM data. Operators with good captains know the sand patches.
- West-coast anchorage. The Cap Camarat and Escalet calanques, the Pointe du Capon, and the Baie de Briande on the west side of the peninsula are largely sand-bottomed and outside the heaviest restriction. The day-charter routes that work best in 2026 are increasingly Cap Camarat days, not Pampelonne days.
The honest reading: Pampelonne is still possible, but it is no longer the default. The default has shifted to the Cap Camarat coast and the south-Pampelonne sand patches, with a ZMEL buoy reservation if Pampelonne beach access is the priority.
Operators worth booking
Three operators we shortlist out of Saint-Tropez.
Saint-Tropez Yachting. The reference Vieux Port operator. Mixed fleet from 18m to 32m motor yachts. Multi-year captains, MYBA-aligned day-charter contracts, ZMEL buoy bookings handled proactively. The 26m motor yacht in the fleet (captain since 2017) is the Vieux Port call at €13,500 to €16,500 peak. Booking team responds in under 8 hours and the quotes break out fuel band, embarkation, lunch responsibility, and ZMEL fee explicitly.
ATM Yachts (Vieux Port). Larger fleet, broader inventory including chef-equipped 28m to 32m motor yachts. Rates at the top of the band. Service consistent. The right operator for parties of 8 to 12 wanting the bigger yacht on the Cap Camarat day.
Sainte-Maxime Day Charter. The Sainte-Maxime specialist. Fleet of 18m to 26m motor yachts and two Wally-style sailing yachts. Captains have run the Pampelonne and Cap Camarat coast for a decade-plus. Lower headline rates by 8% to 12% versus Vieux Port equivalents. The right call for clients staying north of the gulf or in Plan-de-la-Tour.
Operators we pass on
We do not list:
- One Vieux Port-fronted operator that re-brokers yachts from Cogolin and Sainte-Maxime at a 25% to 40% markup over the direct rate. We have priced the same 24m three different ways through them. The pattern is consistent.
- A concierge platform branded as a "Riviera lifestyle" service that does not hold day-charter licenses, has no central agency on the yachts it lists, and re-brokers with a 35% to 55% margin and opaque fuel and ZMEL pass-through.
- Three Instagram-marketed pop-up operators running unlicensed party-day formats in Pampelonne. The gendarmerie maritime documented two of them in summer 2024 for over-capacity (14 to 18 passengers on yachts certified for 12). Client liability is not nominal.
- The Bonne Terrasse-positioned shuttle operators that market themselves as "private day charter" but are licensed only as shuttles, with no proper insurance for private day-charter use. Read the certification before you wire a deposit.
Routes worth running
The four Saint-Tropez day routes.
- Cap Camarat west-coast day. Vieux Port or Sainte-Maxime, west toward the Cap Camarat point, lunch ashore at Plage de l'Escalet or anchor for an aboard lunch, return via the Baie de Briande. Seven to eight hours. The 2026 default. Less regulation pressure than Pampelonne, sand-bottom anchorages, and the swimming is as good.
- Pampelonne beach-club day. ZMEL buoy reserved, anchor or moor, tender ashore to Club 55, Loulou, La Réserve à la Plage, or Cabane Bambou for lunch. Six to seven hours. Still books, still works, but the regulation overhead is real and the beach clubs themselves require 30 to 90 day-out bookings in peak.
- Porquerolles and Port-Cros island day. West past Cap Lardier toward the Hyères archipelago. The Port-Cros National Park has its own anchoring rules and ZMEL buoy system. Nine to ten hours. Worth it only for parties willing to spend the day in transit and at one island.
- Sainte-Maxime north-coast cruise. Sainte-Maxime, east along the north shore of the gulf to the Roches Bleues and the Issambres calanques, return via Saint-Aygulf. Six to seven hours. Quieter and family-friendlier than the Pampelonne side.
The honest yacht-size recommendation
For a Saint-Tropez day with six to eight clients, the call is a 22m to 24m motor yacht with chef. Price band €9,500 to €14,000 peak from Vieux Port. The 24m sweet spot is more pronounced here than at Cannes because the Cap Camarat anchorages reward a yacht that can position close to the rocky points rather than a 30m-plus flybridge anchored further out.
For four clients, an 18m to 20m at €6,500 to €8,500 is the right size. The chef option matters more than the extra LOA at this party size, and most operators offer chef on 18m-plus.
For 10 to 12 clients, step up to a 28m to 32m at €17,500 to €24,000. Below 28m, 10-plus guests on board for a day with a real lunch service is uncomfortable.
For the Wally or Solaris sailing inventory, expect a 10% to 20% premium over equivalent motor LOA. Worth it if your party specifically wants sailing.
Lunch ashore: the short list
The Saint-Tropez-side day puts lunch at one of these:
- Club 55 (Pampelonne). The reference. Booking 60 to 120 days peak. Tender drop. 13:30 or 14:00 service.
- Loulou Ramatuelle (Pampelonne). The new generation. Booking 30 to 60 days peak. Tender drop. The food has improved in 2024 and 2025 and the scene is competitive with Club 55.
- La Réserve à la Plage (Pampelonne). Smaller, quieter, very good food. 30 to 60 day booking.
- Cabane Bambou (Pampelonne). More accessible, less scene, popular with French clients. Worth it on the days when Club 55 is over-scheduled.
- L'Escalet beach restaurants (Ramatuelle west). For the Cap Camarat day. Smaller, quieter, less pressure. Booking 14 to 30 days.
The post-day program then runs Senequier for the apéro, Le Quai for dinner, and Les Caves du Roy or L'Opéra after midnight. See restaurantsforkings.com/saint-tropez and barsforkings.com/saint-tropez.
Where to stay
For Vieux Port-based days, the Hôtel de Paris Saint-Tropez, Lily of the Valley, Hôtel Byblos, or the Cheval Blanc keep transfers under 12 minutes. For Sainte-Maxime, the Villa Belrose or one of the Plan-de-la-Tour villas. For Pampelonne-side, La Réserve Ramatuelle or one of the Pampelonne villas. See hotelsforkings.com/saint-tropez for the list.
How to book
Book 90 to 150 days out for July and August, 60 to 90 days for shoulder, 9 to 12 months for the Voiles de Saint-Tropez or Bastille Day weekend. Confirm in writing: rate, embarkation point, named captain, fuel band, chef inclusion, ZMEL buoy reservation handled, lunch booking responsibility, posidonia compliance language. Verify the operator against the French Affaires Maritimes register and check the yacht's commercial day-charter license. If the operator hesitates on the ZMEL language, book a different operator.
For the wider Riviera context, the Cannes day-charter operators, the Cap d'Antibes day charter, and the Nice day charter are the calibrations. Saint-Tropez is the most regulated, the most expensive, and the most rewarding when the operator and the route are picked well.