French Riviera vs the Italian Riviera Yacht Charter

Along with the choice of yachts for charter, the hardest decision on your yachting vacation is choosing between the French and Italian Riviera.

Which one will it be?

When you charter a yacht in Monaco, you have two thrilling options as you cruise out of the port: Will you decide to turn to starboard, and venture down the glamorous French Riviera to Cannes and Saint-Tropez, or instead turn to port, and journey along the colourful Italian Riviera to the Cinque Terre and Portofino?

Those who have booked yachts for charter for two weeks have the luxury of exploring both the French and the Italian Riviera in one trip; for the rest of us, it’s a difficult choice. However, the two destinations offer a very different cruising experience, so you may be guided by your tastes to decide between the two.

French Riviera Yacht Charter Highlights

On the French Riviera, Michelin-star dining and A-list beach clubs combine with boutique shopping, flowery hill villages, and tranquil Mediterranean anchorages.

Shopping on the French Riviera is hedonist’s dream—from the haute couture brands of Monaco and Cannes to the stylish local boutiques of glamorous Saint-Tropez. Fine restaurants offer up high French gastronomy along the coast, although you can also indulge in some traditional Provencal delicacies in cosy restaurants on ancient cobbled lanes.

The beach clubs of the French Riviera are justifiably famous, with the party getting started in the afternoon before continuing onto the French Riviera’s superstar nightspots: Baoli in Cannes, Les Caves du Roy in Saint-Tropez, and Jimmy’z Monte-Carlo.

You’ll also be spending a lot of time at anchor, drinking in stunning views of the Alps rising up behind the coast, and swimming off tranquil Mediterranean islands, like the Cannes Islands and dreamy Porquerolles. Meanwhile, up in the hills, medieval perched villages are the perfect place to browse art galleries and have lunches on shady terraces overlooking the distant sea.

It’s easy to see why the French Riviera is one of the most popular cruising grounds on earth for yachts for charter.

Italian Riviera Yacht Charter Highlights

The Italian Riviera stuns with its variety, from seaside Art Deco resorts and palm-lined promenades near the French border, down to the pastel-painted villages of the Cinque Terre and on to pretty Portofino on its deep emerald bay.

On the Italian Riviera, the high gastronomy of the French Riviera is replaced with the famous ‘cucina povera’ of the Ligurian coast, a cuisine stunning in its simplicity and best finished off with an icy glass of Limoncello or a sublime serving of gelato.

The Cinque Terre is one of the great draws of the Ligurian coastline, famous for its jumble of brightly-painted villages perched on the steep cliffs, surrounded by terraces of olives, lemon and vines. Walking between the five towns of the Cinque Terre is a visual feast—or you can just cruise along the coastline, anchoring in the deep water and swimming off the yacht.

Your yacht for charter will doubtless stop in gorgeous Portofino, where pastel buildings and pavement cafes line what is possibly the most picturesque superyacht port on earth. Villas and pine-forested hills surround the deepwater bay, where dolphins frolic as they have since ancient times when the Romans named this place ‘Portus Delphini’. Portofino is a celebrity hotspot, with an incredible roll-call of royals and movie stars staying at the Belmond Hotel Splendido, yet the nightlife is much more sedate than on the neighbouring French Riviera.

If you’re looking for yachts to charter on the French or Italian Riviera this summer, look no further than M/Y BROADWATER, a spectacular 165′ Feadship which has one last gap of high-season charter availability remaining between August 12th to 23rd.
M/Y BROADWATER has emerged from a spectacular refit in 2017, with a brand new contemporary interior offering accommodation for 12 in six staterooms. A sundeck Jacuzzi, alfresco gym and an incredible assortment of tenders and toys makes this the ultimate yacht
for charter for summer fun on the French or Italian Riviera.

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