Port Lympia, Nice
Sport Yacht · 48ft
The Cap Ferrat coves and Villefranche, in a morning
- Up to 10 guests
- Half-day or full-day
- Skipper & hostess · Catered lunch
✦ Yacht Charter · Nice & Villefranche ✦
Luxury Yacht Charter Nice
Crewed charters from Port Lympia and the rade of Villefranche — ten minutes from the airport, on the calmest water of the Riviera.
Nice is the arrival port of the French Riviera. Nice Côte d'Azur is the principal private aviation gateway of the coast and it sits seven kilometres from Port Lympia — which makes this the one place where a guest can land, transfer, and be aboard within the hour. For charters that begin or end with a flight, no other port on the coast comes close.
Immediately east lies the rade of Villefranche-sur-Mer, one of the deepest natural harbours in the Mediterranean. The seabed drops to nearly a hundred metres within sight of the beach, the bay is sheltered on three sides, and the result is the flattest anchorage on the French Riviera. It is where a great many yachts choose to spend the night, and it is fifteen minutes from the airport by tender and car.
From this stretch the coast opens in both directions: Cap Ferrat and its anchorages in ten minutes, Monaco and Menton eastward, Antibes and the Îles de Lérins under an hour west, and the Italian border within a comfortable morning. Opera Prestige arranges crewed motor and sailing yachts across the full range from both harbours.
✦ Featured Nice & Villefranche Charters ✦
Yacht Selection from Port Lympia
Vessels available from Nice and the Villefranche rade — matched to occasion, group size, and duration.
Rade de Villefranche
Motor Yacht · 85ft
Nights at anchor in the flattest water on the coast
- Up to 10 sleeping
- 4 cabins · Full crew · Chef
- Tender & watersports aboard
Villefranche & Cap Ferrat
Superyacht · 140ft
Deep water close to shore — the rade takes vessels most bays cannot
- Up to 12 sleeping
- Beach club · Jacuzzi · Tenders
- Full crew & private chef
Nice & Villefranche Yacht Charter Services
Day Charters from Port Lympia
The Baie des Anges, Cap Ferrat, Beaulieu and the Villefranche rade — none of them more than thirty minutes from the quay.
Fly & Charter
Land at Nice and be aboard within the hour. We coordinate <a href="https://www.operaprestige.com/private-aviation-french-riviera/">private aviation</a> and the transfer to the quay as one sequence.
Week Charters East and West
Eastward to Menton and the Italian Riviera, westward to Antibes, the Lérins and Saint-Tropez. Nice sits at the hinge of both.
✦ Our Commitment ✦
Nice Yacht Charter — Opera Prestige Advantage
This stretch solves the two hardest problems of a charter week: how guests arrive, and where the yacht spends the night.
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01
The Shortest Arrival
Seven kilometres from Nice Côte d'Azur to Port Lympia, and seven minutes by helicopter to Monaco. No other charter base on the coast is this close to an airport.
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The Calmest Anchorage
The rade of Villefranche is sheltered on three sides and nearly a hundred metres deep. It is the flattest night at anchor on the French Riviera.
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03
Two Coasts, One Base
Italy within a morning east, the Lérins within an hour west. A week from Nice never commits you to one direction.
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Villa & Yacht Together
Coordinated with a house on Mont Boron or the Corniches — see our <a href="https://www.operaprestige.com/luxury-villa-rental-nice/">Nice villa rentals</a>.
✦ Expert Guide ✦
Nice & Villefranche Yacht Charter: Your Options
01
Villefranche
The Rade de Villefranche
The bay is the reason yachts come to this stretch. One of the deepest natural harbours in the Mediterranean, sheltered on three sides, with the seabed falling to nearly a hundred metres close inshore — which is why cruise ships anchor here and why private yachts choose it for the night. Tender ashore to the Quai Courbet for dinner, or stay aboard: it is the calmest water you will sleep on all week. The town itself, its citadel and the Cocteau chapel are covered in our guide to Eze and Villefranche.
02
Day Charter
Cap Ferrat and the Eastern Coves
Ten minutes from the rade, the peninsula holds a series of small anchorages — Paloma, the Baie des Fossettes, Passable on the western side — that are protected in almost any summer wind. A classic day runs Port Lympia to Villefranche, around the Cap for lunch at anchor, and back into Nice for the evening.
03
Fly & Charter
Arriving by Air
Nice Côte d’Azur is the principal private aviation hub of the coast, ten minutes from the quay by car and seven from Monaco by helicopter. For guests joining or leaving mid-charter it is the only practical point on the Riviera, which is why so many weeks begin and end here regardless of where they cruise.
04
Extended
East to Italy, West to the Lérins
Eastward: Monaco, Menton, and the Ligurian coast beyond — San Remo within two hours, Portofino within a comfortable day. Westward: Antibes, the Îles de Lérins and Saint-Tropez. The full cross-border routing is set out in our Saint-Tropez to Portofino itinerary.
✦ Planning ✦
Nice Yacht Charter — Best Seasons
May – June
Early Season
Empty anchorages, mild weather and a coast that has not yet filled. The Villefranche rade in June is close to private.
July – August
High Summer
Peak season across the eastern Riviera. The rade absorbs the pressure better than most bays, and the airport proximity matters more than ever.
September – October
The Warmest Water
The best charter month of the year here. Warm sea, settled weather, and the Monaco Yacht Show bringing the fleet along the coast in late September.
✦ FAQ ✦
Nice & Villefranche Yacht Charter — FAQ
Port Lympia is roughly seven kilometres from Nice Côte d’Azur — ten to fifteen minutes by car outside peak hours. Villefranche is a little further, around twenty minutes. It is the shortest airport-to-quay transfer on the French Riviera, and the reason many charters begin and end here whatever direction they cruise.
Because it is one of the deepest natural harbours in the Mediterranean and sheltered on three sides. The seabed drops to nearly a hundred metres close inshore, which allows large vessels to lie safely near the town and makes it the flattest night at anchor on this coast.
Yes. Sport yachts and open boats from 40 to 55ft are available for half and full days from Port Lympia, running to Villefranche, the Cap Ferrat coves and Beaulieu. Day charters require far less lead time than a week — two to four weeks is usually sufficient outside August.
Comfortably. San Remo is around two hours east and the Ligurian coast opens from there, with Portofino within a full day. Both France and Italy are in the Schengen area, so formalities are light, but the cruising area must be written into the charter contract before signature.
Nice for arrivals, guest changes and the shortest transfers; Villefranche for the nights at anchor and the quieter setting. Most of our charters use both — embarking at Port Lympia and lying in the rade — which is why we treat them as a single base rather than two.
✦ Let's Talk ✦
Charter from Nice & Villefranche
Speak with our marine team about vessels, embarkation at Port Lympia, and arrival coordination from the airport.