After months of uncertainty, there is now clarity on cruise ship restrictions being implemented at French Riviera ports.
The prefect of the Ales-Maritimes, which has overall oversight of the region, has disclosed new region-wide rules for cruise ship traffic.
Earlier this year, the mayor of Nice unilaterally issued a ban on large cruise ships, while Cannes placed strict limits on cruise ship visits.
However, both were blocked by a French court as these municipalities lacked full jurisdiction over the port operations. The court ruled only the Alpes-Maritimes regional administration could issue a decree.
New Cruise Ship Limits for Nice, Cannes and Villefranche
The region including the ports of Cannes, Nice and tendering at Villefranche has a complex administrative setup of several municipal and maritime authorities as well as the provincial government.
The prefect of the Ales-Maritimes, Laurent Hottiaux, and the Maritime Prefect for the Mediterranean, Christophe Lucas have spent several months in talks with various local government officials and port authorities to agree on a region wide policy for cruise ship traffic.
Trade group Cruise Line International Association was also involved in the talks. A consensus has now been reached, they say.
The new rules proposed will set limits of 3,000 passengers per cruise ship at the ports and a limit of only one ship per day if guest capacity is more than 1,300.
During summer peak season in July and August only 15 ships per month will be permitted. Berthing facilities are very limited in Nice and Cannes with large ship anchoring in the bay of Villefranche or off the Cannes coast.
Although the new rules have been finalized by the regional body, no implementation date has been officially confirmed. Cannes’ unilateral cruise ship restrictions, which it announced in the summer, were set to take effect from the beginning of 2026.
