Bareboat Charter Bases Compared: Turkey, Greece, Croatia, Italy, France, Malta and the Caribbean

On a bareboat charter you skipper the yacht yourself, so the base you start from shapes the whole week: distances between anchorages, wind, marinas and how much planning you need. We currently list 135 bareboat yachts in seven countries — sailing monohulls such as Sun Odyssey, Oceanis, Bavaria and Dufour, and catamarans such as Lagoon, Bali and Excess.

Turkey: Fethiye (21 yachts)

Fethiye's Ece Marina opens onto the Gulf of Fethiye and the Göcek islands — dozens of pine-fringed coves within a few hours' sail, short passages and generally sheltered water. It is one of the friendliest places for a first bareboat week. Most of the Fethiye fleet now has full real photo galleries on our site.

Greece: nine island bases (24 yachts)

Greece gives you the widest choice of sailing styles: the calmer Ionian from Corfu (Gouvia) or Lefkada, the Saronic Gulf from Athens (Alimos), the green Sporades from Skiathos or Volos, the Dodecanese from Kos or Rhodes, and the Cyclades from Paros, where the summer meltemi calls for more experience. Nea Peramos rounds out the list.

Croatia: Pula (29 yachts)

Our largest base. From Pula you explore the Istrian coast, the Brijuni islands and the Kvarner Gulf, with plenty of marinas and town harbours — ideal if you like ending the day ashore.

Italy: Punta Ala (27 yachts)

Punta Ala on the Tuscan coast is the gateway to the Tuscan Archipelago: Elba, Giglio and the smaller islands, with Italian harbour towns and good food at every stop.

France: Bormes-les-Mimosas (15 yachts)

On the Côte d'Azur near Hyères, Bormes puts the Porquerolles, Port-Cros and Levant islands within easy reach — clear water, protected nature and short hops between anchorages.

Malta: Kalkara Marina (12 yachts)

From Kalkara in the Grand Harbour you can combine historic Valletta with Comino's Blue Lagoon and Gozo. Distances are short, but open-sea crossings between the islands need an eye on the forecast.

Caribbean: St Martin (7 yachts)

Port de Plaisance on St Martin is a base for warm-water trade-wind sailing to neighbouring islands such as Anguilla and St Barth, mostly on catamarans.

Before you book

Bareboat charter usually requires a recognised sailing licence and experience — read Do You Need a Sailing License? and our first bareboat charter guide. Then browse the bareboat fleet, filter by country and open any yacht for its photos, specs and weekly price.