BOAT-COMPARATOR Guide

Where to Rent a Boat in Greece? A Basin-by-Basin Tour

Saronic Gulf, Cyclades, Ionian, Dodecanese, Sporades, Halkidiki, Crete: a panorama of Greece's boat rental basins, with the bases tracked by Boat-Comparator and how to choose for your level.

Six thousand islands and islets, several seas with opposite temperaments, and one of the largest charter fleets in the world: you don't choose Greece as a whole, you choose it basin by basin. A panorama of the areas Boat-Comparator tracks live, with each one's sailing profile — because between an Ionian breeze and a meltemi blow in the Cyclades, it simply isn't the same sport.

Saronic Gulf: the engine room of Greek charter

South of Athens, Alimos marina concentrates the country's largest fleet of charter sailboats: it is the logical starting point for a week towards Aegina, Poros, Hydra — the island without cars — and Spetses, on relatively sheltered water that forgives first cruises. Lavrio, the second departure port at the tip of Attica, opens more directly onto the Cyclades. Our guides on Athens, Alimos or Lavrio and Hydra, Poros and Aegina cover this basin. The economic weight of this fleet is no footnote: maritime tourism has long been documented as a pillar of the Greek economy (Diakomihalis, M., Greek Maritime Tourism: Evolution, Structures and Prospects, Research in Transportation Economics, 2007, see the study on Google Scholar).

Cyclades: the deep blue, if you can handle the wind

Paros and Naxos at the centre of the board, Mykonos and Delos to the north, Santorini and its caldera to the south, Syros and Milos as free agents: the Cyclades are the postcard of Greece — and its most demanding basin in summer, when the meltemi blows for days at a stretch. The climatology of the Etesian winds shows a firmly established regime from July to early September over the Aegean (Founda, D. et al., Present climate trend analysis of the Etesian winds in the Aegean Sea, Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 2011, see the study on Google Scholar): an experienced crew in midsummer, or the shoulder seasons for everyone else. Our one-week Cyclades itinerary lays out the classic loop, our guides Paros-Naxos and Mykonos or Santorini help choose the stops, and license-free boating in the Cyclades remains possible on day trips.

Ionian: the sea of happy beginners

To the west, a complete change of scenery and temperament: emerald water, short distances, no meltemi — just the maistros, a moderate afternoon thermal breeze. Corfu, Lefkada, Kefalonia and Ithaca make up the ideal basin for a first cruise — our guide on the Ionian for beginners details it, and the comparison Corfu or Lefkada settles the choice between the two main bases. Preveza, on the mainland, rounds out the offer at the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf.

Dodecanese, Sporades, Halkidiki, Crete: the alternatives

The Dodecanese (Rhodes, Kos) combines Aegean wind with Turkish ports of call close by — our comparison Kos or Rhodes and our guide on the Dodecanese cover it. The Sporades (Skiathos) offer a greener, gentler Aegean popular with families (our guide). Halkidiki, in the north, remains the country's best-kept secret, and Crete plays its card on day trips from Chania.

How to choose

First cruise: Ionian or Saronic. A sporty week with iconic scenery: Cyclades. Family: Sporades or Halkidiki. Two countries in one trip: Dodecanese. Day trips from an island: Mykonos, Santorini or Crete. On the licence question — Greece generally requires a licence for bareboat charter, often with a second declared competent crew member — our guide chartering a sailboat in Greece covers it. All the bases are on our boat rental in Greece page, the comparison Greece or Croatia widens the question, and Boat-Comparator queries Boataround, SamBoat and Click&Boat live to rank each basin's real offers for your dates.

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