Searadar lists 247 yachts for charter across Greece, 242 of them available on the displayed dates, priced from €1,100 to €72,800 a week (as of 7 September 2026, refreshed on publish). The fleet covers sailing yachts, catamarans and motor yachts across Greece's five main sailing areas: the Ionian, the Cyclades, the Saronic Gulf, the Dodecanese and the Sporades. You can book bareboat (self-skippered), with a skipper, or fully crewed. The navigation season runs roughly from April or May to late September or October, with prices and crowds peaking in July and August; weekly charters run Saturday to Saturday. Lead prices vary by area and boat type and are shown on each listing.
TL;DR: how to choose a Greek sailing area
To charter a yacht in Greece, pick the sailing area before the boat. The Ionian is calm and sheltered, which suits beginners and families. The Cyclades are wind-exposed and suit experienced crews. The Saronic Gulf is a short, sheltered introduction close to Athens. The Dodecanese means longer distances between islands. The Sporades centre on a marine park. Book with a skipper and the licence question disappears, because the skipper's qualification covers the boat. Greece charges a cruising tax (TEPAI) and a banded charter VAT, both shown on your quote.
Choose your Greek sailing area
Most Greece charter pages hand you a single "from" price and a list of islands. The more useful question is which of the five sailing areas fits your crew's experience and how much wind you want to handle. The table below compares them and links to the place to book each one.
| Sailing area | Wind and difficulty | Best for | Where to book |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Ionian | Sheltered water, short hops, no meltemi | Beginners, families, a first bareboat week | Calm inner Ionian: yacht charter in Lefkada |
| The Cyclades | Wind-exposed; the meltemi blows hardest in July and August | Experienced crews comfortable in fresh wind | Weekly Lagoon-catamaran base at Vlychada: yacht charter in Santorini. Crewed Delos and Rhenia day cruise: yacht charter in Mykonos |
| The Saronic Gulf | Sheltered and gentle, close to Athens | A short first taste of Greek sailing | Covered on this page |
| The Dodecanese | Longer distances between islands; the meltemi is gentler than in the Cyclades | Crews happy to cover more miles between islands on a week | Longer distances, gentler meltemi: yacht charter in Rhodes |
| The Sporades | Sheltered cruising around a marine park | Quiet cruising away from the crowds | Covered on this page |
Across all five areas you can charter a sailing yacht, a catamaran, a motor yacht or, on some Aegean routes, a traditional gulet. A sailing yacht is the standard bareboat week. A catamaran gives more deck space and a level ride at anchor, which suits families and groups, and it usually costs more than a monohull of the same length. Because a catamaran is more stable, has a shallow draft and often has a skipper required as standard, it is worth reading up on the boat type on its own: see catamaran charter in Greece. A motor yacht is faster between islands but burns fuel you pay by consumption.
Crewed, skippered or bareboat, and the licence Greece asks for
The one question that decides whether you can bareboat in Greece is your licence and your sailing experience. Take a skipper or full crew and the question disappears, because their qualification covers the boat.
Bareboat (self-skippered)
Greece asks for more than Spain does. There are three things people miss: a recognised skipper certificate (an ICC, an RYA Coastal or Yachtmaster, an ASA 104, or an IPC), a sailing résumé (a "nautical CV") that shows real experience, and a second competent crew member, plus a VHF radio certificate held by someone aboard. Without them the base can refuse the handover or make you pay for a skipper on the spot.
Skippered
A skippered boat comes with a professional skipper only; you bring your own guests. You need no licence. This is the usual route for people who want to sail without holding a certificate.
Crewed
A crewed charter adds a skipper plus crew, such as a hostess or cook, and needs no licence from you. It is the standard setup for luxury weeks and for groups who want to be looked after rather than sail the boat.
| Requirement | What counts | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Skipper certificate | ICC, RYA Coastal or Yachtmaster, ASA 104, or IPC | The exact certificates are confirmed with your base when you book |
| Sailing résumé (nautical CV) | A short logbook of relevant sailing experience | Greece asks for this where Spain often does not |
| Second competent crew | One more capable person named on the crew list | Often recorded as a co-skipper declaration |
| Radio | A VHF radio operator's certificate held by someone aboard | Required alongside the skipper certificate |
How long to sail each Greek area
The base you sail from sets your sailing area, so choosing where to start is really choosing the region. How long you need on the water then depends on the area rather than the boat. The table below gives a typical trip length for each of the five.
| Area | Typical trip length |
|---|---|
| The Saronic Gulf | 4 to 5 days for a short first trip |
| The Ionian | About 7 days |
| The Cyclades | About 7 days |
| The Dodecanese | 10 to 14 days for the longer distances |
| The Sporades | About 7 days |
What a Greek charter really costs: TEPAI, VAT and the all-in
Booking a Greek charter through Searadar costs the client the same as booking the same boat direct with the owner: the owner pays the broker's commission, usually 15 to 20 percent of the base rate, not you, so the headline price is not marked up for using a broker (Searadar, as of 27 August 2026). For the full booking flow, see how Searadar works.
The base rate is still not the whole price you pay. On a Greek charter the total is the base rate plus fuel, a refundable security deposit, the Greek charter VAT, the TEPAI cruising tax and any base-paid extras. Two of those are specific to Greece and are missing from almost every "from" listing.
TEPAI is the Greek cruising tax. Every pleasure craft over 7 metres in Greek waters pays it, by the boat's length and by the month, in advance through the eTEPAI portal before it sails. On a crewed charter the company handles it. On a bareboat, confirm whether it is on you. The monthly bands:
| Boat length (LOA) | TEPAI per month |
|---|---|
| 7 to 8 m | €16 |
| 8 to 10 m | €25 |
| 10 to 12 m | €33 |
| Over 12 m | €8 per metre |
A yearly prepayment earns a 10 percent discount, paid through the eTEPAI app (verify against AADE before publishing).
Greek charter VAT is not one flat number, so it is not the same as Spain's flat 21 percent. The standard rate is 24 percent, which covers short charters of 48 hours or less, static charters and bareboat; a reduced 13 percent rate applies to a professional crewed charter running more than 48 hours that starts and operates in Greece (Law 5073/2023). The rate depends on the itinerary and the duration of the charter, and we show the one that applies on your quote.
Searadar's stance is to show the VAT, the TEPAI and the all-in figure before you pay rather than at checkout. Lead prices vary by area and boat type and are shown on each listing. The standard deposit is 20 percent of the total; the Free Deposit Pack covers that refundable security deposit for a non-refundable 20 percent of the deposit paid upfront, or 25 percent if you book within 30 days of the start, and any mandatory extras are listed per boat before you pay. For the deposit and payment schedule, see deposit and payment schedule.
When to sail Greece
The navigation season runs roughly from April or May to late September or October. Prices and crowds are a separate line: they peak in July and August, which is also when the meltemi blows hardest. Draw the two lines separately, because the cheapest weeks and the calmest sailing rarely line up.
Wind is regional. The Cyclades, and to a lesser degree the Dodecanese, carry the meltemi, the northerly summer wind that is strongest in July and August and can hold up departures on the worst days. The Ionian, the Saronic Gulf and the Sporades stay calmer through the same months. If your crew is new to sailing, that regional difference matters more than the calendar: a first-timer is better off in the sheltered areas than in a strong-meltemi Cyclades week.
Before you book: matching the area to your crew
These are the points where a Greek charter goes wrong. They are honest limits, not disclaimers.
The wrong area for your crew. The most common mistake is booking the area for the scenery, not the crew. A strong-meltemi Cyclades week will overwhelm a first-timer, while an experienced crew may find the Saronic Gulf too tame. Match the area to the least experienced person aboard, not the most.
The "from" price hides the rest. A low "from €X" headline usually leaves out fuel, the deposit, the Greek charter VAT, the TEPAI cruising tax and any base-paid extras. Read the total, not the headline. On a crewed charter, provisioning is paid on top as well, as an APA (Advance Provisioning Allowance).
Bareboat without the papers is a hard stop. No skipper certificate, no nautical CV, or no second competent crew member, and the base can refuse the handover or force a paid skipper on you. In Greece the paperwork is a gate, not a formality, and it is stricter than in Spain.
TEPAI can land on the bareboat charterer. On a bareboat the cruising tax may be yours to pay, and it must be paid before you sail. Confirm who pays it before you leave the dock.
One island figure, not a marketing range. The Greek National Tourism Organisation (Visit Greece) counts about 6,000 islands and islets, of which 227 are inhabited (Visit Greece, checked 7 September 2026). Academic totals vary with the minimum island size counted, so we cite the tourism-board pair rather than the wider marketing figures.
FAQ
How far ahead should I book a Greek charter?
The peak weeks in July and August sell out early, often 6 to 18 months ahead, especially for popular boats and catamarans. Shoulder months in spring and autumn can usually be found closer to the date.
Can I book a single cabin instead of the whole boat?
Yes. A by-the-cabin charter puts you on a shared boat with other guests, paying per berth rather than for the whole yacht. It is a way to sail for less if you do not need the boat to yourselves.
Can I start in one area and finish in another?
Some boats allow a one-way charter, picking up at one base and dropping off at another. It is not offered on every boat or route, and where it is available it carries a relocation fee, quoted on request.
Is a gulet a good choice in Greece?
A gulet is a traditional wooden two- or three-masted sailing boat, usually chartered fully crewed, by the cabin or as a whole boat. It is a slower, roomier option that appears mostly on Aegean and Turkish-coast routes rather than as a bareboat.
About this page
Searadar is a yacht charter broker that connects clients with charter companies across Greece and the wider Mediterranean. The company says it was founded in 2017, has assisted more than 500 clients, and sees more than 70% of clients return for another charter (all stated by Searadar, as of 27 August 2026). It names Dream Yacht Charter, Sunsail, UTH Sailing, Kiriacoulis and Angelina Yacht Charter among its partner charter companies (stated by Searadar). Its Trustpilot rating is 4.2 out of 5 from 1,054 reviews, and it replies to 98% of negative reviews, typically within 24 hours (confirmed by Trustpilot, as of 27 August 2026).
Operated by UAB SEARADAR (company code 305242131), Vilkpėdės g. 22, LT-03151, Vilnius, Lithuania. Contact: +44 20 4577 1577, hello@searadar.com. As a broker, Searadar has no charter office in Greece; it arranges boats at Greek bases and marinas.