Charter Destinations
Turkey, Greece, Croatia or Italy: Where to Charter a Gulet for Your Group
Start with group size and dates, then the wind. Turkey has the widest choice: 200 of the 288 gulets YachtCloud lists across these four countries, the longest season and the lowest starting rates [2][6]. The central and south Aegean, around the Cyclades, get the summer's strongest winds [10][11]. Italy's 13 gulets on YachtCloud are mostly 12-guest boats [1].
Who this is for: groups weighing Turkey, Greece, Croatia and Italy for a private crewed gulet week, who want each country's trade-offs side by side. If you have settled on Turkey, read where to start a gulet charter in Turkey.
By The Yacht Cloud team19 min read
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The Answer in 30 Seconds
Most choice: Turkey, with 200 of the gulets YachtCloud lists, 96 of them in Bodrum. Croatia has 52, Greece 23 and Italy 13.
Longest season: Turkey, April to October. Greece runs May to October; Croatia and Italy May to September.
Lowest starting rates: Turkey's typical band starts lowest, at €9,075 for the whole boat. Italy's narrower band, €13,010 to 17,400, sits inside Turkey's; Greece reaches €32,500.
Summer wind: Strongest in the central and south Aegean, where the Etesians (meltemi) blow from June to August.
Groups of 14 or more: YachtCloud lists 57 gulets for them in Turkey, 15 in Croatia, 8 in Greece and 1 in Italy.
The four countries at a glance, from YachtCloud's gulet pages and cost guide on 4 November 2026. Typical rates are the middle half of priced yachts by lowest weekly rate. Sources [2][3][4][5][6].
How do the four countries compare?
Turkey has the most listings and the lowest starting rates, and Greece the highest typical top end. Italy's band is the narrowest, inside Turkey's. The table sets out what YachtCloud's gulet pages and cost guide say for each country. Per-person figures assume every berth is taken [6].
Gulet charter by country: choice, bases, rates, season and routes
| Country | Main bases | Typical week, whole boat (per person) | Gulet season | Routes YachtCloud names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey: 200 gulets | Bodrum 96, Fethiye 42, Marmaris 39, Göcek 19 | €9,075 to 21,350 (€875 to 1,750) | April to October | Bodrum to the Gulf of Gökova; Göcek Twelve Islands; Marmaris to Datça; Fethiye to Kekova |
| Croatia: 52 | Split 39, Dubrovnik 5, Trogir 4, Zadar 2 | €15,255 to 22,000 (€1,306 to 1,883) | May to September | Central Dalmatia from Split; Trogir to Dubrovnik; Zadar archipelago and Kornati |
| Greece: 23 | Athens 12, Rhodes 4, Corfu 3 | €14,250 to 32,500 (€1,073 to 2,764) | May to October | Saronic loop from Athens; Athens to Mykonos; Corfu to Zakynthos |
| Italy: 13 | Lipari 3, Sicily 2, Palermo 2, six single bases | €13,010 to 17,400 (€1,084 to 1,375) | May to September | Amalfi Coast and Bay of Naples; Aeolian Islands; North Sardinia; Palermo and the Egadi Islands |
Sources: counts, bases, seasons and routes from each country's gulet page [2][3][4][5]; rates from the cost guide's country table [6], checked 4 November 2026. Rates are each listing's weekly starting ("from") fee, which the guide calls its lowest rate, before VAT and any APA; peak weeks cost more. Italy's band rests on 13 yachts. Two listings the Turkey page files under Fethiye give Göcek as their base.
Two cautions on the rates. The bands are built from each yacht's lowest weekly rate, and YachtCloud's cost guide says shoulder months run typically 15 to 25 percent below July and August [6]. And a band is a guide to the fleet, not a price for your week: the gulet you pick and its terms decide that.
Gul Sultan, a 30-metre gulet based in Bodrum, takes 12 guests in 6 cabins with 6 crew. Photo: Gul Sultan listing, YachtCloud.
Which country has gulets for your group size?
Twelve guests is the median capacity in all four countries, so a group of 12 or fewer has options everywhere. Above that, YachtCloud's choice narrows quickly outside Turkey. In Italy it lists one gulet for more than 12 guests, Kaptan Yilmaz II at 16 [1].
Gulets by stated maximum guest capacity, by country
| Country (all gulets) | 10 or more | 12 or more | 14 or more | 16 or more | 20 or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey (200) | 159 | 126 | 57 | 48 | 16 |
| Croatia (52) | 42 | 29 | 15 | 7 | 2 |
| Greece (23) | 18 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 5 |
| Italy (13) | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Source: YachtCloud listings snapshot, 4 November 2026 [1]. Each listing's stated maximum guests. A boat counts in every column it qualifies for.
Gulets that take 14 or more guests, out of each country's total, 4 November 2026. Source [1].
A maximum is not a promise that every bed suits your group. Ask how each cabin is bedded, whether children count towards the limit and how many guests the boat may sleep aboard. With children coming, compare a gulet and a sailing yacht for a family charter.
When can you go in each country?
Turkey has the longest gulet season, April to October, on both its gulet page and YachtCloud's season guide [2][7]. Greece runs May to October, and Croatia and Italy May to September [4][3][5]. The season guide names June and September as the best months in Greece, Croatia and Italy, and adds May and October for Turkey [7].
YachtCloud's all-yacht country pages give wider seasons, April to October for Greece and Croatia and May to October for Italy, and slightly higher gulet counts for Turkey, Croatia and Greece [8]. If your dates fall in April or October outside Turkey, ask whether the particular gulet takes them. The season guide says early May and late October typically carry the lowest rates, though availability may be limited [7].
How windy is each sea in summer?
The Aegean is the windiest of the four seas in summer. A National Observatory of Athens study of the whole Mediterranean puts the summer's strongest winds in the central and south Aegean, driven by the Etesians, in June, July and August [10]. Its text gives exact speeds that its own maps don't match, so we use only the pattern, which both agree on.
Greece. The cause is the Etesians, or meltemi. At one central Aegean point, a 1979 to 2009 study counted 465 Etesian days in July and 420 in August, about 15 and 14 a month [11]. YachtCloud's Greece page says the meltemi is strongest in the Cyclades in July and August [4].
Turkey. Bodrum, the biggest base, faces the south-east Aegean, which the study includes in its windiest area. Fethiye and Göcek are on the Mediterranean further east. The study maps sea-wide averages, not individual bays. YachtCloud's season guide calls the Turquoise Coast "generally well-sheltered" [7], but cites no measurements for it.
Croatia. The bora blows from the north-east on the eastern Adriatic coast, most often in winter [12]. Severe bora, studied mostly on the north-east coast, can bring hourly means above 20 m/s in the lee of the mountains [13]. The Croatia gulet page says it blows occasionally [3].
Italy. The Observatory study's text names no Italian sea. On its June to August maps, the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Adriatic show lower mean speeds than the Aegean [10]. That is a long-term average, not a forecast.
Averages hide windy days in every country. The study's text says the Etesians start to weaken in September [10]. As editorial judgement: if calm water matters and your dates are fixed in late July or August, a route that avoids the central Aegean is the safer bet.
Myra, a 27-metre gulet based in Athens, takes 12 guests in 6 cabins with 6 crew. Photo: Myra listing, YachtCloud.
How do gulet listings charge in each country?
The four countries' listings charge differently, so the same base fee can lead to different totals. YachtCloud's gulet pages quote every rate as "plus APA", but most Turkish listings don't add one [2][1].
What the gulet listings in each country add or include
| Country | VAT line in the estimate | APA in the estimate | Fuel for set hours a day | Per-guest meal price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey (200) | 20% on 177; 18% on 2; 13% on 1; none on 20 | 60 (20% or 30%) | 94: 3 h on 70, 4 h on 21, 3 to 4 h on 3 | 21 |
| Croatia (52) | 13% on 30; 25% on 1; none on 21 | 27 (20% to 30%) | 13 | 2 |
| Greece (23) | 12% on 9; 13% on 6; 7.8% on 1; none on 7 | 14 (20% to 40%) | 1 | 0 |
| Italy (13) | 22% on 12; none on 1 | 8 (15% to 35%) | 1 | 1 |
Source: YachtCloud listings snapshot, 4 November 2026 [1]. Estimator lines and listing terms as published; "none" means the estimate shows no line, not that no tax applies. A listing can count in several columns.
Treat the VAT line as the listing's figure, not a ruling on the law; the quotation confirms the rate. For Croatia, a 2017 Tax Administration opinion puts accommodation on nautical-tourism vessels at the reduced 13 percent rate [14]. An APA is an advance the captain spends on real running costs, such as food, fuel and port fees, and reconciles at the end [6]. Budget for most of it.
What does a week for 12 cost in each country?
One 12-guest, six-cabin listing from each country shows how the estimates build up. Each sits inside its country's typical band and adds both VAT and an APA. This is an illustrative sample of four boats, not a typical price for each country [9].
Illustrative: one 12-guest gulet listing per country, as published
| Gul Sultan (Bodrum) | Vivere (Split) | Myra (Athens) | Tersane IV (Palermo) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length, crew | 30 m, 6 crew | 26 m, 3 crew | 27 m, 6 crew | 24 m, 3 crew |
| Base fee (from) | €14,000 | €17,500 | €23,000 | €15,200 |
| VAT in the estimate | 20%: €2,800 | 13%: €2,275 | 13%: €2,990 | 22%: €3,344 |
| Base fee plus VAT | €16,800 | €19,775 | €25,990 | €18,544 |
| APA in the estimate | 20%: €2,800 | 20%: €3,500 | 30%: €6,900 | 15%: €2,280 |
| Listing's estimated total | €19,600 | €23,275 | €32,890 | €20,824 |
| Estimate per guest (our division by 12) | About €1,630 | About €1,940 | About €2,740 | About €1,740 |
Source: YachtCloud listings, re-checked 4 November 2026 [9]. Starting rates, not quotations. Indicative ranges: Gul Sultan €14,000 to 28,000; Vivere €17,500 to 25,900; Myra €23,000 to 28,000; Tersane IV none published. Not in any estimate: spending beyond the APA and the crew tip.
Compare the "base fee plus VAT" line first, because the APA percentages differ. Myra's 30 percent APA is twice Tersane IV's 15 percent, which widens the gap between their totals. Myra's listing says fuel, port fees and provisions come out of the APA [9]. Ask what each boat's APA is expected to cover, and what is left to pay on board.
Vivere, a 26-metre gulet based in Split, adds 13 percent VAT and a 20 percent APA in its estimate. Photo: Vivere listing, YachtCloud.
Want to compare gulets across the four countries?
Filter every gulet YachtCloud lists by country, size and starting rate, then ask for yacht-specific pricing for your dates.
Find a Yacht · Charter Costs Explained
A four-question test for choosing the country
This is our own way of narrowing the choice, not an industry standard. Answer the questions in order, because each one can rule a country out.
How many are you? For 14 or more guests, Turkey has by far the most listings. For 16 or more, Greece (8) edges Croatia (7); in Italy, YachtCloud lists a single gulet above 12.
When are you going? April narrows the gulet pages to Turkey, and October to Turkey or Greece.
How much wind will you accept? A July or August route through the Cyclades means the strongest summer winds of the four.
Which pricing model suits you? Compare base fee plus VAT, then the APA, fuel hours and meal terms on each shortlisted boat.
Mistakes to avoid when choosing a country
Choosing the country before counting heads. YachtCloud lists one gulet in Italy for more than 12 guests, and eight in Greece for 14 or more.
Reading "plus APA" as universal. 140 of Turkey's 200 gulet listings show no APA in the estimate.
Comparing totals with different APAs. Strip the APA out and compare base fee plus VAT first.
Planning the Cyclades in August without slack. The meltemi is strongest there in July and August.
Assuming a route means a nearby boat. Italy's gulet page describes the Amalfi Coast, but only one gulet lists Salerno.
Is a gulet, and YachtCloud, the right fit?
A gulet suits groups who want a crew, wide decks and an unhurried pace, with room for 12 or more in many cases. YachtCloud lists private charters of the whole boat; if you want a per-cabin cruise, its listings are not that. It doesn't quote transfer times, because they depend on the marina [8].
YachtCloud suits groups who want to compare gulets across countries on published specifications and starting rates, then request yacht-specific pricing. It acts as a charter intermediary: the owner or operator confirms availability and the final price, and booking runs through a hold and a signed agreement [15].
Before You Choose a Country
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can we start a gulet charter somewhere other than its base?
Sometimes, but plan around the boat. YachtCloud's Turkey page says each yacht departs from its own base, so the port follows the yacht you choose [8]. Italy shows why this matters: the gulet page describes an Amalfi Coast route, yet only one of its 13 gulets lists Salerno as a base [5]. Ask whether a start elsewhere carries a delivery fee.
How far ahead should we book a gulet for July or August?
YachtCloud's gulet pages for all four countries suggest booking peak weeks 6 to 12 months ahead [2][3][4][5]. Choice is thinnest where YachtCloud lists fewest boats. It lists 13 gulets in Italy and 23 in Greece, so a particular size or base can go early. In Turkey it lists 200, so there is more to choose from, though not always at your preferred port.
Why is our quote higher per person than the cost guide shows?
The cost guide's per-person band divides each yacht's lowest weekly rate by its full guest capacity, so it assumes every berth is taken [6]. A group smaller than the boat's capacity pays more per head. Peak weeks cost more than the lowest rate, and VAT, any APA and the crew tip come on top.
Does YachtCloud list gulets in Montenegro?
Yes, but only a few. On 4 November 2026 two gulet listings gave a base in Montenegro, and two more were in Spain [1]. That is too few for a fair comparison, so this guide covers the four main countries. YachtCloud's interactive Mediterranean map includes the Bay of Kotor.
Sources and methodology
Fleet figures come from a first-party count: every yacht page linked from YachtCloud's Yacht Finder (499 pages, taken from href links only) was read on 4 November 2026 between 03:30 and 03:32 UTC. 200 gulets are based in Turkey, 52 in Croatia, 23 in Greece and 13 in Italy, the same totals the four country gulet pages show; no canonical URL appears twice. Base splits are quoted from the gulet pages. Two listings the Turkey page files under Fethiye give Göcek as their base on their own pages, so our count reads Fethiye 40 and Göcek 21. Guest counts are each listing's stated maximum. VAT and APA lines come from each listing's price estimator. Fuel-hour terms were matched with tolerant patterns ('three hours', '3–4 hours', 'engine work', 'cruising') and every match was read by hand; per-guest meal prices were matched the same way. These are published listing terms, not contracts, and the count cannot tell whether a listing is bookable for your dates. Typical rates and per-person figures are quoted from YachtCloud's cost guide, which uses each yacht's lowest weekly rate; we did not recompute them. Wind statements come from a National Observatory of Athens study of the whole Mediterranean (our translation; we use its relative pattern, not its stated speeds, because its text and maps differ), a peer-reviewed Etesian climatology and two bora studies. The example table uses each listing's published figures; the per-guest line is our own division of the listing's estimate by 12. YachtCloud also lists 2 gulets in Montenegro and 2 in Spain, which this comparison leaves out.
YachtCloud listings snapshot: 288 gulet listings in Turkey, Croatia, Greece and Italy, YachtCloud (first-party count of its own listing pages). Every yacht page linked from the Yacht Finder (499) read on 4 November 2026, 03:30 to 03:32 UTC; 200 gulets are based in Turkey, 52 in Croatia, 23 in Greece and 13 in Italy, matching each country's gulet page. Fields read: base, length, guest capacity, cabins, crew, weekly base fee, price estimator lines (VAT, APA), fuel-hour and per-guest meal terms. Published listing terms, not contracts.
Private Gulet Charter in Turkey, YachtCloud. '200 gulets are based in Turkey, 15 to 56 m long and taking 4 to 36 guests'; Bodrum 96, Fethiye 42, Marmaris 39, Gocek 19; €9,075 to 21,350 typical, from €4,200, across 196 yachts; routes named; season April to October. Checked 4 November 2026, 04:08 UTC.
Private Gulet Charter in Croatia, YachtCloud. '52 gulets are based in Croatia, 14 to 56 m long and taking 6 to 36 guests'; Split 39, Dubrovnik 5, Trogir 4, Zadar 2; €15,255 to 22,000 typical, from €5,500, across 51 yachts; routes named; season May to September; 'The Bora, a north wind, blows occasionally'. Checked 4 November 2026.
Private Gulet Charter in Greece, YachtCloud. '23 gulets are based in Greece, 20 to 43 m long and taking 8 to 40 guests'; Athens 12, Rhodes 4, Kerkira (Corfu) 3; €14,250 to 32,500 typical, from €10,500; routes named; season May to October; 'The Meltemi wind blows strongest in the Cyclades in July and August'. Checked 4 November 2026.
Private Gulet Charter in Italy, YachtCloud. '13 gulets are based in Italy, 21 to 39 m long and taking 8 to 16 guests'; Lipari 3, Sicily 2, Palermo 2, and one each in Milazzo, Porto Cervo, Genoa, Sardinia, Salerno and Livorno; €13,010 to 17,400 typical, from €8,110; routes named; season May to September; book 6 to 12 months ahead for peak weeks. Checked 4 November 2026.
How Much Does a Gulet Charter Cost?, YachtCloud. Country rate table: 'typical' is the middle half of priced yachts, using each yacht's lowest weekly rate; per-person column divides each rate by full guest capacity; shoulder months 15 to 25% below July and August; how an APA is drawn on and reconciled. Checked 4 November 2026.
Best Time for a Gulet Charter, YachtCloud (updated October 2026). Season by destination: Greece May to October, Croatia and Italy May to September, Turkey April to October; 'Turkey's Turquoise Coast is generally well-sheltered' (no source given); early May and late October typically lowest rates. Checked 4 November 2026.
Turkey, Greece, Croatia and Italy yacht charter pages (all yacht types), YachtCloud. Seasons: Turkey, Greece and Croatia 'April through October', Italy May through October; gulet counts 202, 24, 54 and 13; Turkey page: 'Each yacht departs from its own base, so the port follows the yacht you choose' and 'We do not quote transfer times here'. Checked 4 November 2026.
YachtCloud listings: Gul Sultan, Vivere, Myra and Tersane IV, YachtCloud (Gul Sultan linked; the others are linked where cited). Specifications, weekly base fee, indicative range and price estimator lines (VAT, APA, estimated total) as published on each yacht's page. Re-checked 4 November 2026, 04:12 UTC.
Μελέτη για την Ένταση και τη Διεύθυνση των Ανέμων στη Θαλάσσια Περιοχή της Μεσογείου (Study of wind speed and direction over the Mediterranean), National Observatory of Athens, INTERREG IIIb WERMED programme (whole Mediterranean, data April 2003 to March 2006; no publication date stated). In summer the strongest winds are in the central and south Aegean because of the Etesians (text and maps agree); the Etesians weaken in September. The text gives means above 8 m/s in the Aegean and no more than 4 m/s elsewhere in June to August, but the monthly maps show lower Aegean peaks and some areas above 4 m/s elsewhere, so the article uses only the pattern. Not peer-reviewed. Our translation from Greek. Read 4 November 2026.
Present climate trend analysis of the Etesian winds in the Aegean Sea, Poupkou A., Zanis P., Nastos P. et al., Theoretical and Applied Climatology 106, 459-472 (2011), doi:10.1007/s00704-011-0443-7 (peer-reviewed). Etesians blow over the Aegean in summer and early autumn, with maximum speeds mainly over the south Aegean; 465 Etesian days in July and 420 in August over 1979 to 2009 at a central Aegean grid point. Read 4 November 2026.
Climatology of bora wind derived from high-frequency wind measurements, Večenaj Ž., Belušić D., Grisogono B., poster abstract, 14th AMS Conference on Mountain Meteorology, 2010 (CROSBI 565574). Bora 'blows at the Eastern Adriatic coast from the north-eastern quadrant', 'most often during the winter season'; measurements at Senj. Read 4 November 2026.
A review of recent advances in understanding the meso- and microscale properties of the severe Bora wind, Grisogono B., Belušić D., Tellus A 61(1), 1-16 (2009), doi:10.1111/j.1600-0870.2008.00369.x (peer-reviewed, CC BY 4.0). Severe bora: hourly mean speeds above 20 m/s, gusts up to 50 or even 70 m/s, common in the coastal mountain lee areas; focus on the north-east Adriatic coast. Read 4 November 2026.
Obračun PDV-a u nautičkom turizmu na APA-u (VAT on APA in nautical tourism), Porezna uprava (Croatian Tax Administration), opinion of 27 November 2017. Accommodation services on nautical-tourism vessels taxed at the reduced 13% VAT rate; goods and services paid from the advance taxed at the rate for each supply. The page warns older opinions may not reflect later amendments. Read 3 November 2026.
How to Book a Yacht Charter, YachtCloud. 'Yacht Cloud acts as a charter intermediary'; availability and final price confirmed by the owner or operator. Checked 4 November 2026.
