Europe

Croatia Bareboat and Yacht Charter: Top 3 Companies

by Paul Joseph  |  Updated May 1, 2019

Featuring more than 5,000 kilometres of pristine Adriatic coastline, Croatia is a world class sailing charter destination, with a wealth of islands, ports, harbours and bays to enjoy, along with beautiful cities such as Split on the Dalmatian Coast. The country has somewhat exploded onto the world travel stage in recent years, with visitor numbers booming, and central to its burgeoning reputation is its vibrant nautical community, helping to spread the word about the exceptional yachting experiences on offer here.

The bow of a yacht cruising on the Croatian waters (Photo: Matthias Hohenhaus via Flickr)

With its delightful cosmopolitan towns interspersed with tranquil harbours, picturesque Venetian architecture and water so clear you could style your hair in it, there’s little wonder that so many yachting enthusiasts name Croatia among their favourite yacht hire cruising spots anywhere in the world.

While Croatia is home to more islands than you could visit in a year, its key sailing areas are concentrated around the Dalmatian Islands to the south and the Kornati Islands to the north, each offering a highly distinct yacht charter experience. For those considering yacht or bareboat charters in Croatia, we’ve done some research and picked out three of the best websites for booking a yacht charter, based on a number of factors including variety of boats available, pricing, company policies, additional services and previous customer reviews.

Sailo

Charter with sailo.com

Described by Conde Naste Traveller magazine as “the Airbnb of boats and yachts”, Sailo is a global boat rental and yacht charter marketplace that connects boat owners, charter companies, and renters on a secure and easy to use platform. Visitors can browse and compare thousands of verified boats based on date, location, price, size, and user reviews, and you can even customise the search by creating your preferred trip directly in the booking flow. When we searched for bareboat and other yacht charters in Croatia, we found a total of 300 vessels, all of which are available bareboat (i.e. not a crewed or skippered yacht). Impressively, 259 were also catamarans, which is usually the scarcest type of boat offered by charter companies. In summary, Sailo are a fine choice for your Adriatic private yacht charter adventure.

Plain Sailing

Charter with Plainsailing.com

Based in the UK, Plain Sailing offer real-time availability and pricing, meaning yachts that are normally beyond your budget can sometimes fall within your reach, if you’re searching at the optimum time. Also attractive is that the company run a price guarantee scheme, whereby they pledge to beat any like for like quote that you show them, while they also require just a 30% discount on charters, which is lower than many other charter companies around. As for their fleet, Plain Sailing has a huge range of vessels available for charter in Croatia, including sailing yachts and catamarans, with both skippered and bareboat options available. Their search function is also intuitive and easy to use, making it simple to find the perfect yacht by narrowing down the options by number of cabins / bathrooms / air-con /wifi, etc. Finally, they have a reviews and ratings system for each yacht listed, allowing website visitors to read about the experiences of previous charter guests to help them make their choice.

Skipper City

Charter with Skippercity.com

Also featuring a real time booking system, Skipper City offer bareboat, crewed and skippered yacht charters – mainly across Croatia – with unrivalled access to some 6,000 vessels. Among these are every type of boat you care to imagine, from catamarans and traditional wooden gullets through to sailboats, motorboats and state-of-the-art superyachts. Benefits include zero administrative or reservation costs, while the company also claims to guarantee the lowest yacht charter prices in Croatia. Other notable services include help to arrange airport transfers and client testimonials. Insurance for every charter is provided through renowned yacht insurance broker Pantaenius.