Sardinia yacht charter
A Sardinia yacht charter is the closest the Mediterranean gets to Caribbean water. Granite headlands, white sand and shallow turquoise bays, with short hops between anchorages and the option to add southern Corsica in the same week. It is the cruising ground we sell most in Italy.
Almost every week starts at Olbia, spends two nights on the Costa Smeralda for the restaurants and the berthing, then runs north into the Maddalena Archipelago where the swimming is. One thing to know up front: the boats here are better than the supply suggests, and the good ones get booked early.
Why Sardinia?
The water really is that clear
The northeast coast and the island groups, La Maddalena above all, are shallow sand over pale granite. The colour in the photographs is not a filter, and it is the single thing guests comment on most.
Short days, long lunches
Most legs are 60 to 120 minutes. That means more swimming, more time at anchor and fewer days lost to getting somewhere, which is the whole argument for chartering this coast over a bigger cruising ground.
Glamour and wilderness in the same week
One night stern-to in Porto Cervo for aperitivo, the next at anchor in a national park with nothing but cicadas. Very few destinations let you switch between those two registers in under two hours.
Corsica is right there
Bonifacio sits about 15 miles north of the Maddalena islands, so a Sardinian week can take in a second country and a completely different culture without a long passage. Weather permitting, and we are honest about that in the planning.
Who it suits, and who it doesn’t
Sardinia suits guests whose ideal day is in the water. Long swim stops, paddleboards off the back, lunch at anchor, then a short run to the next bay. If you have children or a group that wants to actually use the yacht rather than commute between towns on it, this is the best week in Italy.
It suits you less if you want culture and restaurants at the centre of the trip. Outside Porto Cervo the dining is good rather than exceptional, and there is nothing here like the Amalfi Coast for towns you walk into and sights you queue for. Sardinia is scenery and water. Amalfi is scenery and culture.
The other honest caveat is supply. The crewed fleet actually based in Sardinia is thin, and it is the single biggest constraint on a week here. That has a workable answer, covered below, but it is a reason to start early rather than browse.
Where you’ll go
A Sardinian week is built from two very different halves. Each has its own guide with anchorages, berthing and what is worth doing ashore.
Where to start
Olbia is the default and it is rarely worth fighting. The airport is 30 minutes from the main berths and it puts you on the Costa Smeralda the same afternoon.
- Olbia (OLB): direct summer flights from Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Madrid and most of Europe. Around 30 minutes to Porto Cervo or Porto Rotondo.
- Porto Cervo: the berth most guests want to start from, and the one to request when the yacht is booked rather than on the day.
- Cagliari (CAG): the southern option. Fine if the itinerary runs south, a long transfer if it does not.
- Nice or Monaco: worth considering when the yacht is relocating anyway. Starting in France can also carry a VAT advantage, which we cover in our ECPY guide.
For the country-wide comparison see our guide to where to start an Italy yacht charter.
Finding the right yacht
This is the part of a Sardinian charter that surprises people, and it is worth understanding before you fall for a particular yacht. The crewed fleet genuinely based in Sardinia is small. Our brokers spend real effort here every season tracking down good options rather than picking from a deep shelf, and it is a recurring conversation internally rather than a one-off bad year.
Two things follow. The first is that certain briefs are harder here than clients expect: monohulls, and eight-guest layouts in particular, are not easy to fill locally. The second is that the best yachts you will be shown are usually relocated in for the season or for your specific week, most often from Portofino, the Italian Riviera, the South of France or Monaco. Very few of them deliver for free, so a delivery or relocation fee belongs in the quote from the start.
None of this is a reason to go elsewhere. It is how good Sardinian weeks get done, and it is exactly the sort of thing a broker earns their place on. The practical version: come to us with dates, guest numbers and a budget range rather than a yacht name, and start three to six months out for July and August.
Broker insight
The key to Sardinia and Corsica is knowing the good boats are not sitting there waiting for you. You take a yacht from Portofino, the South of France or Monaco and cruise it down, or you pay to have it delivered. Very few include delivery for free. Clients who understand that early get a far better yacht than the ones who only look at what is already there.
Yanna Pristas
Senior Charter Broker, Active CYBA Member
An 8-day Sardinia route
This is the route we plan most often, running Olbia to Olbia and taking in southern Corsica in the middle of the week.
Day 1. Olbia to Porto Rotondo
Board in the afternoon and make the short hop round to Porto Rotondo, quieter than Porto Cervo and a gentle first evening.
Day 2. Porto Rotondo to Cala di Volpe
The most reliable overnight anchorage on this coast, wide and sheltered, with dinner ashore at the hotel if you want it.
Day 3. Cala di Volpe to Porto Cervo
The set piece. Berth in the marina, walk the Promenade du Port, and take aperitivo where the regatta crowd does.
Day 4. Porto Cervo to Bonifacio
North across the strait and into Corsica through the limestone cliffs. The most dramatic arrival of the week, and the one most dependent on the forecast.
Day 5. Bonifacio to Porto Vecchio
Up the Corsican east coast to a softer, greener stretch with good beaches and an easy town.
Day 6. Porto Vecchio to Santa Maria
Back south into the Maddalena Archipelago and the start of the best swimming of the week.
Day 7. The Maddalena Archipelago
A full day among Spargi, Budelli and Caprera. Cala Corsara for lunch, and the pink beach on Budelli viewed from the water since landing has been closed for years.
Day 8. Return to Olbia
A last swim on the way south and back into Olbia for disembarkation.
The full day-by-day version is in our 8-day Sardinia and Corsica itinerary. Seven-night versions work by dropping the Corsican leg and giving the archipelago more time.
What a Sardinia charter costs
Sardinia sits at the top of the Italian market. These are realistic weekly charter fees for a crewed motor yacht, before expenses.
| Yacht | Typical week, plus expenses |
|---|---|
| 24m to 30m motor yacht | from EUR 80,000 |
| 30m to 40m motor yacht | EUR 150,000 to EUR 300,000 |
| 40m and above | EUR 300,000 to EUR 500,000+ |
Sardinia is expensive in ways that do not show up in the charter fee, and we would rather flag them now.
Berthing
A night in Porto Cervo in August is among the most expensive in the Mediterranean. Alternating marina nights with anchoring is the biggest single lever on the running budget.
Toys and provisioning
Local pricing on extras is genuinely higher here. A watersports toy that costs around EUR 2,000 for the week in Greece has been quoted at closer to EUR 4,500 in Sardinia, and provisioning bills run well above what the same guests would spend elsewhere.
Delivery and agents
If your yacht is relocating in for the week, expect a delivery fee. Italian operators also lean on third-party agents for provisioning and berths, and those agents add a margin. Both are normal and both should be visible in the quote.
Read our full Italy yacht charter cost guide and our APA explainer for how running costs are handled.
Marinas and anchorages
Anchoring is easy in Sardinia. Berthing in the right place at the right time is not.
- Marina di Porto Cervo: takes yachts well over 100m and sells out for peak weeks and regatta dates. Request it when the yacht is booked.
- Porto Rotondo and Marina di Olbia: the practical alternatives, both a short run away and far easier to secure.
- Cala di Volpe: the most dependable overnight anchorage on the Costa Smeralda, sand at moderate depth, easy tender ride to dinner.
- Cala Corsara, Spargi: the anchorage most captains rate highest in the whole park. Shallow, sandy and sheltered from the north.
- Maddalena park zones: permits are charged per day by yacht length, some areas are buoy-only and the most protected are closed to anchoring. Rules change between seasons.
- The mistral: the prevailing northwesterly funnels hard through the Strait of Bonifacio. Your captain simply moves you to the lee side of a headland, which is the advantage of a coast this indented.
Sardinia or Amalfi?
Sardinia for water, beaches and space. Amalfi for culture, restaurants and famous towns. Sardinia gives you better swimming, quieter anchorages and a genuine wilderness half; Amalfi gives you more to do ashore and more recognisable names in a shorter distance.
We compare them properly in Sardinia vs Amalfi Coast, and if you are weighing the islands against each other, Sicily vs Sardinia covers that call.
People also ask
How much does a Sardinia yacht charter cost?
A crewed motor yacht in Sardinia starts around EUR 80,000 per week plus expenses, with most of our clients booking between EUR 150,000 and EUR 300,000. Sardinia runs expensive even by Italian standards: berthing in Porto Cervo is among the priciest in the Mediterranean and watersports hire can cost double what the same toy costs in Greece. See our full Italy cost guide.
Can you combine Sardinia and Corsica in one week?
Yes, and it is one of the best things about chartering here. Bonifacio in southern Corsica is about 15 miles from the northern Maddalena islands. The Strait of Bonifacio is the windiest stretch of water in the western Mediterranean, so we plan the crossing as an option rather than a fixed promise and your captain calls it on the forecast.
Do I need a permit for the Maddalena Archipelago?
The whole archipelago is a national park and access is charged per yacht per day on a scale that rises steeply with length. Some zones are buoy-only and the most protected areas are closed to anchoring entirely. A good captain buys the permits in advance and plans the week around which bays are legal and sheltered that particular week.
When is the best time for a Sardinia yacht charter?
May to October, with June and September the sweet spot for warm water and fewer boats. July and August bring the best weather, the highest prices and the worst berth availability in Porto Cervo. See our month-by-month Italy guide.
Is Sardinia or Sicily better for a yacht charter?
Sardinia for water, beaches and short hops. Sicily for volcanoes, history and a cruising ground that feels less polished. Sardinia has the clearer water and the easier days; Sicily is better value and more of an adventure. We compare them properly in Sicily vs Sardinia.
Are catamarans easy to find in Sardinia?
Less than you would expect. The crewed fleet based in Sardinia is thin across every yacht type, and monohulls and eight-guest layouts are particularly hard. Most good options are relocated in from the Riviera or the South of France, which is normal here but means booking early.
