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Most content about yacht charter is written by brokers who want you to book the most expensive option. This guide takes a different approach.
Crewed and bareboat charters are genuinely different products — not just different price points. Knowing which one suits your trip before you start searching is more useful than any broker's pitch.
The global yacht charter market is valued at over $12 billion and growing at more than 7% annually. That growth is not driven solely by the ultra-wealthy — it reflects a broadening group of travellers who have discovered that chartering a yacht, in the right configuration, is more accessible than most people assume.
The first decision every first-time charterer faces is also the most consequential: do you want a fully crewed yacht — captain, chef, and crew included — or a bareboat charter where you or someone in your group is at the helm? The answer depends on four things: sailing experience, group size, budget, and what kind of holiday you actually want.
A crewed charter requires nothing from you except showing up. The captain handles navigation, anchoring, passage planning, and all seamanship. The crew manages the vessel. You are a guest, not a sailor. If the idea of being responsible for a 50-foot vessel in open water is unfamiliar or unappealing, crewed charter is not a compromise — it is the correct product.
A fully crewed yacht comes with a chef who plans and prepares every meal, crew who manage the vessel around the clock, and a captain who handles every logistical decision. If your objective is to arrive, relax, and be looked after — this is exactly what crewed charter delivers. Bareboat involves provisioning, cooking, cleaning, and sailing. These things can be enjoyable, but they are work.
On a bareboat, non-sailors in your group will spend portions of the trip watching someone else do things they cannot contribute to. On a crewed yacht, every person aboard is equally a guest. If your group includes people who are there for the destination rather than the sailing, crewed charter is fairer to everyone.
The upper end of the charter fleet — motor yachts from 80 to 200+ feet, expedition vessels, large gulet-style sailing yachts — is exclusively available with crew. These vessels require professional operation. If the yacht itself is part of what you're paying for, the crewed market is the only place to find it. Boat Bookings has strong coverage at this end of the market.
Crewed charters command a meaningful premium — roughly 40–70% more than a comparable bareboat once crew costs and gratuity are factored in. If that premium is within range, the crewed product is almost always the better holiday. You are not paying for a luxury — you are paying for someone to do every difficult thing so you don't have to.
Bareboat charter is available to anyone with demonstrable sailing competency — typically an RYA Coastal Skipper or equivalent, with logged offshore miles. If you can sail, bareboat gives you the freedom to go where you want, when you want, at substantially lower cost. Click & Boat and SamBoat carry extensive bareboat inventories across Europe.
On a crewed charter, the captain has significant influence over routing — weather, sea conditions, vessel safety, and charter base requirements all play a role. On a bareboat, the decisions are entirely yours. Stay an extra night in a bay you love. Leave early. Eat ashore instead of onboard. The flexibility is real and substantial.
A one-week bareboat charter of a well-equipped 45-foot sailing yacht in Croatia during shoulder season can cost €3,000–€6,000. The equivalent crewed charter runs €7,000–€12,000 or more. For a group that can sail competently and is comfortable provisioning their own vessel, the saving is material without a meaningful reduction in the quality of the experience.
There is a category of traveller for whom the passage itself — the early departure, the working of sails, the navigational problem-solving — is a significant part of what makes the trip worthwhile. For this person, a crewed charter removes most of what they came for. Bareboat is the product that makes sense.
There is a third option that sits between the two — and it is often the most overlooked. A skippered charter means you charter a bareboat-style vessel but hire a professional skipper for the week. The skipper handles navigation and vessel operation; you and your group are otherwise running the boat day-to-day — provisioning, cooking, and making decisions together.
Skippered charters typically cost 15–25% more than a pure bareboat, but substantially less than a fully crewed yacht. They suit groups that want real flexibility and independence without the legal and safety responsibility of holding a skipper's licence. Many charter companies — including Boat Bookings and Click & Boat — can arrange a local skipper at the time of booking.
It is worth noting that even experienced sailors sometimes hire a skipper when chartering in unfamiliar waters. The Greek island network, Croatian archipelago, and Turkish coast each have local hazards, port protocols, and anchorage knowledge that a local professional skipper will navigate more efficiently than a visitor relying on charts alone.
If you are genuinely undecided, these four questions will usually resolve it. Answer honestly — the result is almost always clear.
The platform you use matters. Different booking sites have different fleet strengths, regional coverage, and pricing models.
Broker-style access to crewed yachts globally. Best for crewed motor yachts, sailing yachts, and catamarans across the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and further afield. Strong at the mid-to-upper end of the market with a personalised matching service.
Europe's largest peer-to-peer charter marketplace with over 50,000 boats across 60+ countries. Large bareboat inventory alongside skippered options. Strong across France, Spain, Italy, and Greece. Good for independent sailors looking for flexibility and competitive pricing.
Particularly deep catalogue across the western Mediterranean — France, Spain, Croatia, and Italy. A solid first port of call for bareboat searches in those regions, with competitive pricing and a clean booking process.
Specialises in the Turkish coast and Aegean islands — one of the world's best sailing regions and still underpriced relative to the western Mediterranean. Strong for traditional gulet charters and crewed sailing yachts in this area specifically.
Once you've identified which charter type suits your trip, the next step is a search — not a commitment. Getting indicative pricing costs nothing and frequently surprises people on the upside. A crewed week in Croatia or Greece can come in far closer to a luxury hotel stay than most first-time charterers expect.
Once you've decided which type of charter is right for you, these guides cover the next steps.
Ready to compare crewed and bareboat options for your trip?
Search Yachts via Boat Bookings →A crewed charter includes a professional captain, chef, and crew — you are a guest with no sailing responsibilities. A bareboat charter provides the vessel only; you or a designated skipper in your group is responsible for sailing and managing the boat. Crewed charters cost more but require no sailing experience. Bareboat charters are significantly cheaper but require a recognised qualification.
For a bareboat charter, yes. Most charter companies require a recognised qualification such as an RYA Coastal Skipper, ICC (International Certificate of Competence), or equivalent, along with a logbook showing relevant sea miles. For a crewed charter, no qualification is required. For a skippered charter, the hired skipper holds the required certification.
A crewed sailing yacht or catamaran in the Mediterranean typically starts from €5,000–€8,000 per week for smaller vessels, rising to €15,000–€40,000 for larger yachts with full crew. Superyachts begin at €50,000 per week and extend well beyond €200,000. These are base charter fees — additional costs include fuel, provisioning, port fees, and a crew gratuity of 10–15%.
APA stands for Advance Provisioning Allowance — a separate sum collected at the start of a crewed charter, typically 25–35% of the base fee. It covers running costs during the trip: fuel, provisioning, port fees, and harbour dues. Any unspent APA is returned at the end of the charter. It is standard on MYBA-contract charters and should be budgeted for separately from the headline price.
A skippered charter means hiring a professional skipper to operate a bareboat-style vessel. You get the flexibility of a bareboat without needing a sailing qualification. The skipper handles all navigation; you and your group manage provisioning, meals, and daily decisions. It typically adds 15–25% to the bareboat cost — substantially cheaper than a fully crewed charter and an excellent middle-ground option.
For families with young children or non-sailors, crewed charter is almost always the better choice. The crew handles all vessel management, meals are prepared onboard, and no adult needs to divide attention between sailing and supervising children. Bareboat with a family is feasible for experienced sailors with older children, but significantly increases the responsibility on the person at the helm.
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