Market Intelligence
Port Hercule to Port Vauban, Grand Prix week to Monaco Yacht Show — the Côte d'Azur is the most rate-dense charter corridor on earth, and the one where berth access defines the ceiling.
€4.2B
Annual Charter Revenue, French Riviera
2,400+
Charter Yachts Based Monaco/Nice/Antibes
€185K
Average Weekly Rate, 40m+ Motor Yacht
92%
Peak Season Occupancy (Jul–Aug)
35%
Shoulder Season Occupancy Gap
68%
Bookings via Broker Channels
The six berthing locations that define where a Monaco-based charter can realistically be sold — and priced.
Monaco's principal harbour; 700 berths, hosts Monaco Yacht Show and Grand Prix.
Smaller Monaco basin favoured by 30–50m yachts; year-round liveaboard capacity.
Europe's largest yacht harbour by superyacht capacity — home of the IYCA 'Quai des Milliardaires'.
Purpose-built for 30m+ vessels; primary base during Cannes Film Festival and Lions.
Iconic med-mooring, ~400 berths; sees the highest August rate premium in the Med.
Deep-water anchorage for 60m+ superyachts unable to enter Monaco during events.
All-inclusive base charter fee ranges. Excludes APA (typically 30–35%), VAT (20%), and event-week premiums.
Apr
Antibes/Cannes fit-out; broker previews; MIPIM aftermath.
Shoulder
May
Cannes Film Festival + Monaco Grand Prix — highest single-week yields of the year.
Event-Peak
Jun
Corsica/Sardinia repositioning; strong UHNW private demand.
Peak
Jul–Aug
Absolute peak; near-100% occupancy; St-Tropez, Portofino, Cap Ferrat.
Peak
Sep
Monaco Yacht Show (last week) drives late-season charter enquiries; weather still strong.
Event-Peak
Oct
Season wind-down; yachts reposition Atlantic-bound for Caribbean crossings.
Shoulder
Regulatory Note — France / Monaco
Any commercial charter starting or ending in a French port must be operated on a yacht registered under a French-approved commercial flag (MYBA-recognised: Malta, Marshall Islands, Cayman etc. with an ACT permit) and comply with the French Commercial Yacht regime. Crew must hold STCW certification, and yachts over 24m load-line require a valid MCA LY3 or equivalent classification.
Charter VAT is levied at the full French rate of 20% on the base fee. The prior 50%-time-outside-EU deduction was withdrawn in 2020 — operators still applying that discount are exposed to retroactive VAT and penalty assessments. Monaco-flagged private yachts cannot commercially charter without dual French registration.
Only a limited set: Port Hercule (Monaco), Port Vauban's IYCA in Antibes, Port Canto in Cannes, and deep-water anchorages at Villefranche and Cap Ferrat. Saint-Tropez's Vieux Port med-moors up to ~65m LOA. During Monaco Yacht Show and the Grand Prix, berth availability effectively drops to zero unless pre-contracted.
Grand Prix week (late May) is Monaco's highest-yield event. Terrace-view berths in Port Hercule are auctioned or long-block reserved, typically at 4–6× the standard weekly berth fee. Charter rates on yachts positioned in Port Hercule command 200–300% premiums, with F1-inclusive hospitality packages routinely reaching €800K–€2M for 4-night bookings on 40m+ vessels.
Commercial charters in French waters require an ACT (Attestation de Commerce Temporaire) or a French commercial flag registration, plus the yacht must comply with the French Commercial Yacht regime. VAT is due at 20% on the charter fee, though the French Commercial Exemption still allows partial relief for fuel and provisioning when the yacht spends time in international waters during the charter.
The two shoulder windows — late April to mid-June, and mid-September to end-October — are where most Monaco-based operators leak revenue. The right activation combines corporate/event demand (Cannes Lions in June, Monaco Yacht Show week, MIPIM), broker-tier discounting (10–18%, not 30%), and Corsica/Sardinia repositioning bookings sold as one-way charters at a 15% delivery premium.
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