YACHT TRAVEL GUIDE · THE WORLD’S GREAT CRUISING GROUNDS
The whole coast, from the best seat aboard.
Reviews of the finest yacht charters and sailing trips on earth, cruising ground by cruising ground. A sunset sail up the Bosphorus, the Blue Grotto off Capri, a catamaran under the Santorini caldera, the Dubai Marina lit up after dark. We read the reviews so you step aboard the right yacht.
Coastlines with a signature
Three coastlines made for a yacht.
A day charter looks much the same the world over. But tracing the Amalfi cliffs to the Blue Grotto, crossing between two continents on the Bosphorus, and anchoring under the cliffs of the Santorini caldera belong to those waters alone.
Campania, Italy
Capri and the Blue Grotto
Nowhere rewards a yacht like the Amalfi Coast. You cast off from Sorrento or Positano and trace the cliffs to Capri, where a tender slips you into the Blue Grotto and the sea glows from below. Swim stops under the Faraglioni stacks, a long lunch at anchor off Nerano, then back along the coast as the pastel towns climb the hills behind you. The road sees the coast; only the deck of a boat lets you swim it.
- 1 Capri Exclusive Premium Semi-Private Luxury Tour
- 2 A Classy Capri Tour: a day on a luxury private yacht
- 3 Capri Private Yacht Tour from Sorrento, Capri & Positano
The Bosphorus
A Sail Between Two Continents
Istanbul is the only charter where you cross from Europe to Asia and back before dinner. A private yacht slips out below the old city at dusk and runs the Bosphorus past the Dolmabahce Palace, the waterfront yali mansions and the floodlit fortresses, with the call to prayer drifting across the water from both shores. A glass of something cold, the skyline of a thousand years on either side, and the strait turning copper as the sun drops.
- 1 Istanbul Bosphorus Sunset Cruise on Luxury Yacht
- 2 Bosphorus Yacht Cruise Experience: Visit the Asian Side
- 3 Bosphorus Sunset Yacht Experience: Istanbul’s Best
The Cyclades, Greece
A Catamaran Under the Caldera
Santorini is a drowned volcano, and the only way to take in the full sweep of the caldera is from the water below it. A catamaran sails the cliff line to the red and white beaches, anchors over the warm springs by the volcanic islets, and serves dinner on deck as the sun sets behind Oia and the whole rim of the crater turns gold. Snorkel the lava reefs, then sail home under the lights of the cliff-top towns.
- 1 Private Motor Yacht Cruise with BBQ, Open Bar & Transfers
- 2 Private Full-Day Motor Yacht Cruise with Meal, Open Bar+Transfers
- 3 Santorini: Private Diamond 36 Motor Yacht Caldera Cruise
The one everyone boards
If you only charter one yacht.
More travellers step aboard this one than any other on the site. A safe first booking on a coastline you are still getting to know.
The most-booked charters
The World’s Most Popular Yacht Charters
Istanbul, Dubai, the Amalfi Coast, Tenerife, Miami. The yachts travellers step aboard first, on the coastlines they most want to see from the water.
Where to set sail
Pick a cruising ground.
Istanbul for a sunset run up the Bosphorus. The Amalfi Coast for Capri and the Blue Grotto. Dubai for the Marina skyline. Santorini for the caldera, Dubrovnik for the Elaphiti islands, Tenerife for the whales off Los Gigantes. The greatest cruising water on earth, each with the charters worth booking.
First time chartering
How do you want to spend a day aboard?
The same coastline sails three completely different ways. Pick the one that fits your group, your afternoon, and the kind of day on the water you came for.
The Amalfi Coast, Italy
A coast built to be sailed.
The Amalfi Coast makes more sense from the deck of a yacht than from the cliff road above it. You cast off from Sorrento or Positano and trace the cliffs to Capri, where a tender threads into the Blue Grotto and the sea lights up from below. Swim stops under the Faraglioni stacks, a long lunch at anchor off Nerano, then the pastel towns climbing the hills behind you as you turn for home in the late gold light.
See the best Amalfi Coast charters →The Bosphorus, Istanbul
Sail between two continents.
No other charter crosses from Europe to Asia and back before dinner. A private yacht slips out below the old city as the light drops and runs the Bosphorus past the Dolmabahce Palace, the waterfront yali mansions and the floodlit Ottoman fortresses, the call to prayer drifting across from both shores. A glass of something cold on the foredeck, a thousand years of skyline on either side, and the strait turning copper as the sun goes down.
See the best Istanbul yacht charters →The best part
The coast lets go of the dock.
The best moment of any charter is the first one: the lines come off, the engine settles, and the shoreline you have been walking all week starts to slide away. Suddenly the whole coast is a single picture, the water is the deepest blue you have seen all trip, the breeze has salt in it, and the shape of the place finally makes sense. You spend the day seeing it the way it was always meant to be seen.
Browse every yacht charter →The great marina cities
Some skylines are built to be seen from a yacht.
A few cities put their best face on the water and lit it for the evening. Slide out of Dubai Marina past the Palm and the Burj Al Arab, run the Miami waterfront by Star Island and the Art Deco shore, take in Manhattan from the harbour, or cruise the Barcelona seafront below Montjuic. Step aboard at golden hour and the whole skyline turns on for you.
- 1 Dubai Marina Yacht Tour with Optional Breakfast or BBQ
- 2 Manhattan Architecture Yacht Cruise
- 3 Miami: 2 Hour Private Yacht Cruise
By the clock
When do you want to be on the water?
The same coastline is three different places at midday, at golden hour, and after dark. Pick the time of day, and we will point you at the charter that owns it.
Full daylight
A day at anchor in the sun.A full-day private charter: swim stops in turquoise coves, a paddleboard off the swim platform, lunch laid out on deck as the coastline drifts past.
Golden hour
Cast off as the light turns gold.A sunset sail with a glass in hand: the water going amber, the shoreline lighting up, the best hour of the day watched from the foredeck.
After dark
Sail into the lit-up skyline.An evening cruise once the towers light up: the marina mirrored on black water, dinner served aboard, the city closer than any postcard.
Island by island
The best charters are made of a hundred islands.
The finest cruising water is rarely open sea. It is an archipelago: the Cyclades around Mykonos and Delos, the Pakleni islands off Hvar, Phang Nga’s hidden hongs, the Whitsundays on the reef. You weave between islands all day, drop anchor in a sheltered cove for a swim, slide a kayak into a cave the big boats cannot reach, and end the run somewhere the road never goes.
Browse the island-hopping charters →By cruising ground
Pick a coastline and set sail.
Istanbul for the Bosphorus between two continents. The Amalfi Coast for Capri and the Blue Grotto. Mykonos for the Cyclades and the swim bays. Phuket for the limestone towers of Phang Nga. Puerto Vallarta for Banderas Bay. Hvar and Split for the Pakleni islands and blue caves.
By country
Where in the world are you sailing?
From the Turkish coast and the Italian islands to the Greek Cyclades, the Spanish costas, the Dalmatian coast of Croatia and the Pacific shore of Mexico. Pick the part of the world you are headed for and see what is on the water.
Cast off to last light
A day aboard, start to finish.
First time chartering and not sure what a day aboard looks like? Here is how the best ones run, from stepping aboard at the marina to riding the golden hour back to the dock.
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