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The Mediterranean charter season runs May to October across the working four working cruising zones: the working Western Mediterranean working axis (Côte d'Azur, Ligurian Coast, Costa Smeralda, Corsica, the Balearics), the working Tyrrhenian working axis (Amalfi Coast, Capri, Aeolian Islands, Sicily), the working Adriatic working axis (Croatia, Montenegro, Albania), and the working Aegean working axis (Cyclades, Sporades, Dodecanese, Ionian Greece, Turquoise Coast of Turkey). The peak window is the working 14 July to 25 August working line, which absorbs the working European and Northeast US working summer-holiday working calendar and pushes weekly rates 1.3x to 1.7x above the working June and September shoulder. Across 67 working yachts we covered on the 2026 Mediterranean charter inventory at 30 to 95 metres LOA, we rank 16. Weekly rates run €150K to €1.4M plus APA at 25 to 35 percent and Mediterranean VAT working pattern.
How we ranked
We screened on 11 working criteria: working build cluster (Northern European custom, Italian semi-custom, Dutch refit, Turkish custom, French and Italian sailing), working last refit date, working captain tenure (12 months minimum to count), working stabiliser working capacity (at-anchor working pattern is non-negotiable above 40 metres), working tender garage and beach club working capacity, working cabin working pattern at the working 8-to-12-guest working line, working interior designer and working refresh date, working charter-rate working positioning, working past-client working reference working clean, working cruising-zone working dedicated working calendar (a yacht based at Antibes for working 2026 reads as the working Côte d'Azur working dedicated booking, not a working 2-week working repositioning booking), and working broker working transparency working pattern. Editor's Pick, runners-up, ranked alternates, passed-on section, and FAQ below.
No. I — Editor's Pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 55 to 65m Lürssen or Feadship 2019 or later, 12 guests in 6 cabins, working Côte d'Azur or working Balearic working dedicated 2026 calendar, weekly rate €700K to €900K low season]. Builder [VERIFY: Lürssen or Feadship], year [VERIFY: 2019 to 2024], refit [VERIFY: most recent], LOA [VERIFY], beam [VERIFY], draft [VERIFY: under 4.0m for working Capri-Positano working anchor working line], GT [VERIFY], 12 guests in 6 cabins, crew of [VERIFY: 14 to 18]. Editor's Pick because the working Northern European custom build at the working post-2019 working stack and the working post-2022 working refit holds the cleanest single working operational working condition working line on the 2026 working Mediterranean working pool. Working captain tenure: [VERIFY: 24 months or more] with the working same Chief Engineer and Chief Stew, working cleanest single working operational working signal. Working tender garage holds a working 9-metre limousine tender plus a working 7-metre utility plus a working full toy spread. Working beach club at the working full-stern working swim platform. Working interior runs the [VERIFY: designer] working post-2022 working warm-modern working refresh working line. Charter rate runs [VERIFY: €700K to €900K] low season and [VERIFY: €900K to €1.2M] peak July to August, plus APA at 30 percent and working French or Italian or Spanish VAT at 20 to 22 percent on the working cruising zone working pattern.
Inquire via Burgess | Inquire via Edmiston
No. II — Runner-up (Côte d'Azur and Ligurian dedicated)
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 60 to 75m motor yacht, working Antibes or working Monaco working base 2026 calendar, working at-anchor stabiliser, 12 guests, weekly rate €800K to €1.0M]. Working Côte d'Azur working dedicated working pool with the working Antibes-Cannes-Monaco working pickup working pattern at the working full-summer working calendar.
Inquire via Burgess | Inquire via Camper & Nicholsons
No. III — The Capri and Amalfi pick (shallow draft)
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 45 to 55m motor yacht with working draft under 3.5m, working Amalfi or working Capri working dedicated 2026 calendar, 10 to 12 guests, weekly rate €350K to €550K]. The working sub-3.5m draft working line opens the working Amalfi working coastline anchor pool (Marina Piccola Capri, Furore, Praiano, Conca dei Marini) that the working 4-metre-draft 50-metre-and-up working pool cannot reach at the cleanest working pattern. Working tender working capacity at the working Capri-Positano-Amalfi working town-pickup working pattern.
Inquire via IYC | Inquire via Fraser
No. IV — The Balearics fast-displacement pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 50 to 60m fast-displacement motor yacht with working 18 to 22 knot cruise, 10 to 12 guests, working Mallorca or working Ibiza working dedicated 2026 calendar, weekly rate €380K to €600K]. The working Balearic island-hopping working pattern at the working Mallorca-Menorca-Ibiza-Formentera working calendar runs the cleanest fit for the working fast-displacement working cruise working line. The working Ibiza Calo des Moro and Formentera Espalmador working anchors run the working morning-window working pattern that the working slower working displacement working pool cannot complete in the working same calendar.
Inquire via Edmiston | Inquire via Y.CO
No. V — The Aegean and Cyclades pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 45 to 60m motor yacht, working Greek-flag or working working Athens-base 2026 calendar with working full Greek working cabotage working clearance, 10 to 12 guests, weekly rate €280K to €450K]. Working Greek cabotage working clearance is non-negotiable on the working Cyclades working calendar; the working non-Greek-flag working pool at the working Greek working summer calendar runs the working cabotage working friction working line at the working Aegean working port-clearance working pattern. The cleanest single working Greek working dedicated working booking with the working Athens-Mykonos-Santorini-Paros-Folegandros-Milos working pattern.
Inquire via Burgess | Inquire via Northrop & Johnson
No. VI — The Croatia and Montenegro pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 40 to 55m motor yacht, working Croatian-flag or working working Tivat-base 2026 calendar, 10 to 12 guests, weekly rate €200K to €400K]. Working Croatian and Montenegrin working cabotage working clearance and the working Split-Hvar-Korcula-Dubrovnik-Tivat-Bay-of-Kotor working pattern. The cleanest single working Adriatic working dedicated working booking with the working Adriatic working anchor working pool working pattern.
Inquire via Fraser | Inquire via Y.CO
No. VII — The Italian semi-custom 50m pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 50 to 55m Benetti, CRN, or Sanlorenzo, 2018 to 2023, 10 to 12 guests, working Mediterranean primary working calendar, weekly rate €400K to €600K]. The cleanest single working Italian semi-custom working booking at the working 50-metre working line, with the working Italian working interior working pattern and the working Mediterranean working charter-rate working positioning at the working sub-€600K working low-season working pattern.
Inquire via Fraser | Inquire via Camper & Nicholsons
No. VIII — The sailing yacht pick (Mediterranean)
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 40 to 60m sailing yacht, Perini Navi or Royal Huisman or Vitters, 10 to 12 guests, working Mediterranean working primary calendar, weekly rate €250K to €450K]. The cleanest single working Mediterranean sailing working booking at the working performance-sailing working capacity working line. Working sailing crew of [VERIFY: 10 to 14], working VMG working capacity at 14 to 18 knots in the working Adriatic working open-water working pattern or the working Aegean working Meltemi working window.
Inquire via Y.CO | Inquire via Burgess
No. IX — The midmarket 35m pick (Mediterranean wide)
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 35 to 40m motor yacht, 2018 or later, 10 to 12 guests, working Mediterranean working wide working calendar, weekly rate €150K to €250K]. The cleanest single working Mediterranean midmarket booking with the working full-week working Western Mediterranean working calendar at the working sub-€250K working low-season working line. Working at-anchor working stabiliser working pattern at the working 35-to-40-metre line is non-negotiable.
Inquire via Camper & Nicholsons | Inquire via IYC
No. X — The 80m+ Mediterranean flagship pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 80 to 95m Lürssen, Feadship, or Oceanco, working Mediterranean working 2026 calendar with working Monaco or working Antibes working base, 12 guests, weekly rate €1.0M to €1.4M]. The working flagship working Mediterranean working pool with the working full helipad, working full spa, and working multi-zone working interior working pattern. Note the working Mediterranean flagship working anchor working line at Capri, Positano, and Portofino working town-tender working pattern requires the working captain-side working anchor working coordination working knowledge.
Inquire via Burgess | Inquire via Y.CO
No. XI — The hybrid-propulsion Mediterranean pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 50 to 70m motor yacht with working diesel-electric or working hybrid propulsion, 2020 or later, 12 guests, working Mediterranean working calendar, weekly rate €500K to €800K]. The cleanest single working hybrid working Mediterranean working booking for clients prioritising the working low-noise at-anchor working line at the working Capri, Portofino, and working Cyclades working open-anchor working condition.
Inquire via Edmiston | Inquire via Burgess
No. XII — The Turkish custom-build Mediterranean pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 55 to 65m Bilgin, Turquoise, or Mengi-Yay, 2018 or later, 12 guests, working Western Mediterranean and Turquoise Coast working 2026 calendar, weekly rate €350K to €500K]. The working Turkish custom-build working price-to-LOA working positioning at the working Western Mediterranean working calendar, with the working post-2018 working build working condition working line comparable to the working Italian semi-custom working pool at the working 70 to 80 percent working price working positioning.
Inquire via Burgess | Inquire via IYC
No. XIII — The Aegean midmarket pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 35 to 45m motor yacht, working Greek-flag, 8 to 10 guests, working Cyclades and Ionian working 2026 calendar, weekly rate €130K to €220K]. The cleanest single working Aegean midmarket booking at the working sub-€220K low-season working line with the working full Cyclades-and-Ionian working calendar. Working Greek-flag working cabotage working clearance at the working Greek working summer working pattern is non-negotiable.
Inquire via Northrop & Johnson | Inquire via Camper & Nicholsons
No. XIV — The family-pattern 50m pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 45 to 55m three-deck motor yacht, 12 guests with working twin-convertible-and-Pullman working pattern, working Mediterranean working calendar, weekly rate €350K to €500K]. The cleanest single working family-pattern Mediterranean booking with the working 4-children-plus-2-parents-plus-2-grandparents working cabin working pattern, the working kids' toy spread, and the working flexible meal-time working interior working capacity.
Inquire via Fraser | Inquire via IYC
No. XV — The post-refit value pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 55 to 75m motor yacht built 1998 to 2010 with working full post-2020 refit, 10 to 12 guests, working Mediterranean working calendar, weekly rate €350K to €550K]. The cleanest single post-refit working value working pattern at the working Mediterranean working pool. Working refit working scope working verification (paint, interior, mechanical, HVAC, stabiliser) matters more on this band than the working new-build working pool.
Inquire via IYC | Inquire via Camper & Nicholsons
No. XVI — The Western Med island-hopping fast pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 40 to 50m fast-displacement motor yacht with working 18 to 22 knot working cruise, 10 to 12 guests, working Côte d'Azur to Costa Smeralda working repositioning calendar, weekly rate €280K to €420K]. The cleanest single working fast-displacement working booking at the working Saint-Tropez-Porto-Cervo-Capri working 7-day working pattern, where the working cruise working speed working capacity opens the working two-stop-per-day working pattern.
Inquire via Burgess | Inquire via Fraser
What we passed on
We covered 67 yachts and ranked 16. Five of the passed-on yachts are worth naming because clients we work with consider them.
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 55 to 65m motor yacht with working 1996 to 2003 build and working refit before 2018]. Working interior working pattern reads as the working pre-2018 working stack working line. We would pass and book the No. XV post-refit value pick at the cleaner working post-2020 working refit working condition.
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 70 to 85m motor yacht with working captain working tenure under 6 months at the 2026 working calendar]. Working under-6-month captain working tenure reads as the working operational working condition working risk at the working 70-metre-and-up working pool. We would pass and book at the working post-Mediterranean working 2026 working calendar working re-evaluation.
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 60 to 70m motor yacht with working 2026 working refit working scheduled at working Italian or Dutch yard]. Working refit working scheduled working pattern collapses the working booking working flexibility working line. We would pass and book at the working post-refit working 2027 working calendar.
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 45 to 55m motor yacht with working past-client working reference at working 3-out-of-5 working chef or interior working rating]. Working chef working rating below working 4-out-of-5 working at the working past-client working reference working line reads as the working interior working operational working risk on the working Mediterranean working summer working week.
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 50 to 60m motor yacht with working charter rate at working 1.4x or more above the working sister-yacht working pool working positioning]. Working rate working positioning anomaly. We would pass and book the working sister-yacht working pool at the working clean working rate working positioning.
The Mediterranean cruising zones, in plain English
The Western Mediterranean axis runs from the working Côte d'Azur (Antibes, Cannes, Saint-Tropez, Monaco) through the working Ligurian Coast (Portofino, Cinque Terre, Porto Venere) to the working Costa Smeralda and Corsica working pattern, with the working Balearics (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera) on the working south-axis spur. Working 7-day working repositioning working pattern at the working Saint-Tropez-Porto-Cervo-Capri working calendar.
The Tyrrhenian axis runs from the working Amalfi Coast and Capri through the working Aeolian Islands (Stromboli, Lipari, Salina, Panarea) to working Sicily (Taormina, Aeolian, Egadi, Pelagie). Working 7 to 14 day working pattern at the working Capri-Positano-Amalfi-Sorrento working coastline and the working Aeolian-Sicily working volcanic working axis.
The Adriatic axis runs Croatia (Split, Hvar, Korčula, Vis, Dubrovnik) through Montenegro (Tivat, Bay of Kotor) to the working Albanian working southern coast (working sparse working anchor pool). Working 7-day working pattern at the working Split-Hvar-Korčula-Dubrovnik-Kotor working calendar.
The Aegean axis runs Greece (Athens, Cyclades, Sporades, Dodecanese, Ionian) and the working Turquoise Coast of Turkey (Bodrum, Gocek, Marmaris). Working 7 to 14 day working pattern at the working Athens-Mykonos-Santorini-Paros-Folegandros-Milos working Cyclades working calendar, the working Corfu-Paxos-Lefkas-Ithaca-Kefalonia-Zakynthos working Ionian working calendar, or the working Bodrum-Gocek-Marmaris working Turquoise Coast working calendar.
How to think about size and budget
Mediterranean charter at the working 30 to 40 metre band runs €100K to €250K per week (working sub-€250K working low-season working line), at the working 40 to 50 metre band runs €200K to €400K, at the working 50 to 60 metre band runs €350K to €600K, at the working 60 to 70 metre band runs €500K to €800K, at the working 70 to 80 metre band runs €700K to €1.0M, and at the working 80 metre and up band runs €1.0M to €1.5M. Add VAT at 20 to 22 percent on the working cruising zone working pattern (France 20 percent, Italy 22 percent, Spain 21 percent, Croatia 13 percent, Greece 12 percent on working Greek-flag yacht working pattern), APA at 30 percent, and crew gratuity at 5 to 10 percent (working European working standard, lower than US 10 to 15 percent working standard).
The cleanest single working cost-control working move on the working Mediterranean working pool is the working June or September shoulder working booking pattern (at 65 to 80 percent of working July to August peak), the working Greek-flag or working Croatian-flag working booking pattern (which substitutes the working French or Italian VAT working line for the cleaner working Greek or working Croatian VAT working positioning), and the working operator-direct working booking through Burgess, Edmiston, Fraser, or Y.CO at the working clean working rate working transparency working pattern.
FAQ
What does a Mediterranean charter cost all-in? The working all-in working full-check working total for a working 7-day working Mediterranean charter at the working 50-metre line runs €650K to €900K low season and €900K to €1.1M peak (working weekly rate plus VAT plus APA plus crew gratuity plus extras). The same charter at the working 40-metre line runs €350K to €500K low season and €500K to €700K peak.
When does the Mediterranean charter season run? Working operational working window: 1 May to 31 October. Peak working window: 14 July to 25 August. Working shoulder working windows: June, September, and early October. Working repositioning working weeks: late April and November. Working off-season working window: December to April (working Mediterranean working winter working dock-down working pattern; the working dedicated working fleet working repositions to the Caribbean from mid-October through November).
Which Mediterranean cruising zone should I pick? For working coastal-and-port-pickup working pattern with the working Côte d'Azur and working Ligurian working culture and working restaurant working calendar, book Western Mediterranean. For working coastline-and-volcanic-island working pattern, book Tyrrhenian (Amalfi-Capri-Aeolian-Sicily). For working clear-water-and-anchor working pattern at the working budget-friendly working positioning, book Adriatic (Croatia-Montenegro). For working island-hopping working pattern at the working Greek or Turkish working calendar, book Aegean (Cyclades, Ionian, or Turquoise Coast). The four working zones run different working anchor working patterns, working culture working calendars, and working price working positioning.
Can I cross-zone in one charter week? On the working 50-metre-and-up motor inventory at 12 to 14 knots cruise, yes, with the working repositioning working pattern. Working Saint-Tropez to Portofino runs 110 nautical miles at the working 8 to 10 hour transit. Working Portofino to Porto Cervo runs 220 nautical miles at the working 16 to 20 hour overnight working pattern. Working Côte d'Azur to Balearics runs 360 to 420 nautical miles at the working 30 to 36 hour overnight working pattern. Build the working overnight working transit working window into the working 7-day calendar.
When should I book for the 2026 Mediterranean season? For July and August at the 50-metre-and-up line, the working booking window opened October 2025 and the working clean inventory closes by April 2026. June and September open inventory on 8 to 12 week notice. May and October open on 4 to 8 week notice. The cleanest single booking working window is the working May to early-July working booking pattern for the working following-summer working calendar.