Croatia Yacht Charter Guide: Everything About Weekly Rentals, Costs, Skipper Services, Cabin Options and Budget Planning for Sailing Adventures on the Adriatic Sea
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Yacht charter in Croatia is simpler than it actually seems, and nowadays such a vacation is accessible not only to millionaires. If you have never chartered a yacht, but the spirit of romance and adventure doesn’t leave you, and you want to learn more about how to pull off the trip of your dreams – this article is for you.
I will try to answer in detail all the questions that arose for me when I started looking for a yacht.
Yacht charter in Croatia is simpler than it actually seems, and nowadays such a vacation is accessible not only to millionaires
I will tell you what charter options exist, the cost, additional expenses, where to look, what to do if there are only two of you, give life hacks if you have a whole group of 5-6 people, and what to do if no one has a yacht license – this is not a reason to give up on your dream.
After answering all these questions, you will understand what option you’re looking for and what the approximate budget for this venture is.
Yacht charter duration
There are three main options for yacht rental time periods:
- Yacht excursion for a couple of hours, usually 2-3 hours.
- One-day yacht excursion: from 8-9 am until sunset. Usually during this time, they will not only show you the city from the sea side but you’ll also have time to visit a number of small islands and completely secluded wild bays within a 10 km radius from the marina (the port from which you departed).
- Charter of an entire sailing yacht or a separate cabin for a week. Usually all such yachts are rented for 7-8 days; you can find them for longer periods, but the price rises sharply. This is the coolest option, and usually travelers come to Croatia for a standard 2-week vacation. Such an option might look as follows:
- 3 days relaxing on shore in apartments;
- one week on a yacht on the Adriatic Sea;
- another 3 days in apartments by the sea and, after that – back home.
The first and second options are only possible when renting with a skipper (captain). The third option is possible both with and without a skipper, in case you have a yacht license.
Yacht charter in Croatia with and without a skipper
Let’s start with the fact that modern sailing-diesel yachts for 4-10 people can be easily operated by one person, the captain, or in maritime terminology, the skipper.
You can rent a yacht in the marina of any city, both with a captain and without. Some rent out their yachts only with a skipper, and in large rental companies, the skipper is usually an additional option.
Next, about the pros and cons of both options.
Yacht charter in Croatia with a skipper
Pros:
- You don’t need to have an international yacht license, and in general your entire group can be without any navigation experience.
- The skipper knows the most interesting routes, the most secret places, and all the local life hacks.
- The uninhabited island of Daksa, teeming with ghosts, off the coast of Dubrovnik, can only be visited independently. Boats don’t go there, excursions don’t go there, there are no tourists. A skipper will show you such places.
- The skippers we met were extremely communicative guys with a bunch of amazing stories, communication with whom brought only pleasure, and they fit into our company within an hour.
Such wild and paradise-like places can only be found with a skipper
Cons:
- Skipper services cost money, more on this below in the section – Prices for yacht charter in Croatia.
- You need to feed the skipper at your own expense, but these are minimal expenses, they don’t affect the budget much.
- On the yacht, besides your company, there will be some random guy (a point for sociophobes).
- The skipper occupies a sleeping place, and sometimes even a cabin where two people could sleep.
Yacht charter in Croatia without a skipper
Pros:
- Yacht rental is significantly cheaper.
- Complete freedom of action, both on the yacht and in terms of route choice.
Cons:
- You need an international yacht license.
- Deposit of about 1500 euros in case of property damage.
- No one will help with route planning or show you wild beautiful places and closed paradise marinas.
Chartering an entire yacht or a separate cabin
This is great if you have a group of like-minded people, you all took vacations at the same time and were able to get away for a vacation. Then of course, renting an entire 6-10 person yacht is the ideal option for you.
But don’t be upset if there are only two of you and the budget doesn’t allow you to take the whole yacht. There are specialized internet resources where captains of such yachts organize weekly cruises and rent out individual cabins on their vessel.
Important to know: this option is only possible when booking online and, preferably, very far in advance.
The ideal option is, of course, the entire yacht at your disposal. You choose the route yourself: you can sail right on the yacht into the mouth of the Krka River, almost to Krka National Park itself, and take a one-day excursion here.
Or sail around the amazing island of Korčula with its famous spa resorts.
Where to look for a yacht to rent
There are three main ways, and each has its place; it’s up to you to decide what’s more convenient, comfortable, and cheaper.
Yacht rental at the port (marina)
In every, even small town in Croatia, there is a marina where dozens and hundreds of yachts of different classes and sizes are moored. In some cities, such as Split, Pula, Zadar, there can be thousands of them.
You come to this marina, to the main building (sometimes it’s just a booth, and sometimes a 1-2 story small building with a reception), and there you say that you want to rent a yacht with or without a skipper. They will gladly offer you available options.
If that doesn’t work out, just take a walk through the marina along the shore; on some yachts someone will be there, and they definitely know with whom, where, and when your question can be resolved.
Yacht rental from excursion sellers
They are in the center of almost every city and will definitely help you with yacht rental. Yes, it will be more expensive, but in fact they will take care of all organizational issues, and you will only need to arrive at the port on the appointed date and time, and purchase food on your own.
Yacht rental online (in advance on the internet)
Today there are quite a few websites providing such services. On such sites, you can choose the yacht itself, rental period, the whole thing or just a cabin, with or without a skipper. All you have to do is arrive at the port.
In my opinion, the option through online booking is the cheapest and most convenient, and pricing is as transparent as possible with the widest selection.
Previously, my friends and I rented a yacht several times through the convenient internet service Searadar.com (though in Montenegro). I highly recommend it:
- more than 1200 options for yachts and catamarans available for rent in Croatia;
- fast and responsive support (though in English);
- for yacht booking, a prepayment of only 30% of the rental amount is possible, the remaining amount can be paid just before departure;
- and many other useful services, including food delivery directly to the yacht while at sea.
Prices for yacht charter in Croatia
Here we’ll look at the price for vessel rental for 7-8 days, talk about additional expenses, what else the price consists of, and calculate the total budget. I note that I’m giving all prices based on rental through the internet, since this method is 20-30% cheaper than renting on-site at the marina.
Weekly rental of a 6-10 person yacht: about 1500 euros (this cost includes only the yacht itself). In case you will be visiting different cities for the night, or going on excursions, as we did – the port fee is about 25-50 euros/day.
Even if you sail under sail, all yachts have engines, and sometimes in case of calm or headwinds, you have to sail on diesel power. The engines are usually low-powered, about 10-70 horsepower with low consumption; we burned 70 euros worth of diesel fuel in a week.
If you need a skipper – it’s 100-160 euros per day and he will occupy a sleeping place.
Food and drinks: usually food is prepared for everyone, including the skipper. Along the way, you can visit oyster farms or meet fishermen and buy the freshest seafood from them. In total for 5 people + skipper, 300 euros were spent on food, alcohol, and drinks. And you can always catch fish yourself: about fishing in Croatia.
Tourist fees: the scheme is complicated here, it depends on the booking city and the cities along your route, but you pay them immediately and they are insignificant, something like 1-2 euros per day per person – ours amounted to 56 euros for the week.
Deposits: there are usually two main deposits that are returned after the rental period ends, subject to certain conditions:
Cleaning deposit – about 150 euros. If you clean up yourself, it is returned in full.
Property damage deposit – from 1500 to 3000 euros, also returned.
Important to know: if you take a yacht with a skipper, there may be no property damage deposit at all, or it will be much lower, about 500-1000 euros.
In total, your turnkey expenses for a week-long trip will be (in euros): 1500 yacht rental + 507 port fees + 70 fuel + 1607 skipper + 60 all insurance + 300 food, water = 3400 euros (or only 2300 euros if without a skipper).
Is this a lot or a little?
3400 euros, for example, for a group of 6-7 people who took a yacht with a skipper – this is expenses per person of about 500 euros. Flying to Egypt or Turkey for a week costs the same money – and these are the cheapest countries for beach holidays. And if you take a vessel without a skipper, then expenses will be 350 euros per person for a week of paradise vacation.
Croatia is simply made for yacht travel, especially since such a vacation will cost the same as a week-long beach vacation in Turkey or Egypt
I believe that today, yacht cruises have become very affordable; 500 euros for such a vacation is quite reasonable money. When renting only one cabin, your budget per person will be approximately the same, and sometimes even cheaper.
In conclusion: yacht charter in Croatia turned out to be easier for us than we had anticipated. In a week we sailed past several dozen islands, half of which are uninhabited, swam in all the wildest and most beautiful bays of the region, ate our fill of seafood, and felt like modern Robinsons. And where to find a yacht online for such a trip, see the links at the end of the article.
The price for yacht charter in Croatia is considered quite low. But there is a pronounced seasonality. And during periods of increased demand, for example on May holidays, there may be no available yachts at all.