Contact with the sea, especially in summer, offers a powerful sense of freedom and renewal to anyone lucky enough to enjoy it, even for just a few days.

In recent years, holiday time has shrunk for most people, limited to brief escapes from daily pressures, whether on the islands or the mainland.

There are, however, those who take their escape a step further, aboard boats large and small. For a few days they become masters of the sea, setting their own itinerary and their own ports of call.

Depending on the type and size of the vessel, each such trip offers countless ways to turn this valuable contact with the sea into something extraordinary. Options range from postcard-perfect, secluded beaches, where guests can swim in complete privacy, away from prying eyes, to the most popular and crowded cosmopolitan destinations, without the stress or hassle of finding somewhere to stay.

The categories

Several categories of charterers exist, each choosing a vessel to match their means: from mythical luxury megayachts, with their many ultra-luxurious cabins, vast decks, swimming pools, spas, cinemas, helipads and large crews delivering five-star hotel-level service, down to smaller sailing boats, motor yachts and catamarans, crewed or otherwise.

For the largest vessels, those over 70 metres, weekly charter rates depend on size, build year and season, but can reach a dizzying €3.5m, not including fuel, provisions, taxes, port fees, tips and other costs. The final bill is typically 20% to 40% higher than the base charter rate.

These yachts, whose interiors rival luxury villas or the suites of the world’s most expensive hotels, are aimed at an extremely narrow client base of so-called ultra-high-net-worth individuals: billionaire businesspeople, oligarchs, members of royal families (mainly from oil-rich Arab states), and wealthy celebrities such as actors and singers.

The obvious question is why such clients prefer to charter megayachts rather than build their own, given that they could easily afford to. The answer varies case by case, but chartering appears to offer greater variety, letting owners switch between different vessels. At the same time, given the enormous cost of owning and maintaining a megayacht, chartering also makes better financial sense.

One tier down, yachts of 50 to 60 metres charter from €350,000 up to €800,000 a week.

Affordable luxury

As size and luxury decrease, so do prices. Crewless sailing yachts can be found from as little as €2,000 to €2,500 a week, while dozens of pricier, crewed options exist for groups of friends looking to split the cost.

Besides specialist international agencies, charters across every category are also offered by major Greek companies including Vernicos Yachts, Istion Yachting, Athenian Yachts and Emperio Yachting Alliance.

The most expensive

At the top of the market, the most expensive charter yacht in the world right now is the 119-metre superyacht Breakthrough (formerly Project 821), owned by Canadian billionaire Patrick Dovigi, founder of the waste management company GFL Environmental. The striking vessel was delivered only in 2025 by the Dutch shipyard Feadship and is the first superyacht in the world powered by green hydrogen fuel cells.

It is considered a landmark in marine engineering, setting new standards for the future of yachting while retaining every luxury expected of such a vessel. It has five decks above the waterline and two below, expansive balconies, an infinity pool with a glass floor, an underwater “Nemo lounge” where guests can watch the seabed, and virtually everything else imaginable.

For a while, reports suggested the yacht had originally been commissioned by Bill Gates, and this has since been confirmed. Dovigi is reported to have bought it for an eye-watering sum rumoured to have reached €675m. The weekly charter rate is similarly astronomical, at around €3.5m, and stays fixed year-round, in summer and winter alike.

Cruising at 14 knots, the yacht can carry up to 30 guests across 15 luxury suites and has a permanent crew of 46. It is chartered exclusively through the international yacht brokerage and real estate firm Edmiston. This summer it is touring the Mediterranean, including Greece and the French Riviera, before heading to the Bahamas in autumn.

Enduring value

The hydrogen-powered Breakthrough may be the newest and most expensive charter yacht, but none of the newer megayachts can match the style, uniqueness and enduring value of Christina O which, despite being 83 years old, remains among the most sought-after vessels in the upper-class category.

Christina O, which was present off Normandy on D-Day, measures 99.1 metres, has 17 cabins that can accommodate 34 guests, and carries a crew of 38, in spaces steeped in history and furnished with priceless antiques.

Decades of politicians and cultural figures have passed through those rooms, among them Maria Callas, Winston Churchill, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Greta Garbo, Eva Perón, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne, Prince Rainier of Monaco and Grace Kelly, and members of the Kennedy family.

The legendary vessel was built in 1943 by the Canadian shipbuilder Vickers as an anti-submarine River-class frigate named HMCS Stormont. Aristotle Onassis converted it into a private yacht; it was rebuilt between 1999 and 2001 and further refurbished in a full renovation in 2020.

It has extensive watersports equipment and amenities that rival modern megayachts. On the culinary side, guests are served by a professional chef producing Michelin-standard dishes, a pastry chef for desserts, a dedicated sushi chef and a sommelier for wine selection.

Christina O, chartered through agencies including Vernicos Yachts, costs from €700,000 a week in high season and from €620,000 in low season, giving those who can afford it the chance to live like an Onassis, if only for a week.

For tycoons only

This upper-class category preferred by tycoons includes some of the most striking yachts built in recent years, the product of fierce, creative rivalry among the world’s leading shipyards. Most of them cruise the Mediterranean in summer, with Greece firmly on the itinerary offered to their wealthy clients.

Among them is the multi-award-winning superyacht Kismet, whose summer schedule takes in Monaco, Cannes and Saint-Tropez, through to Amalfi, Capri and Mykonos.

The 122-metre Kismet, built by Lürssen in 2024, comfortably accommodates 12 guests across eight cabins and carries a crew of 36. Its interiors are extravagantly luxurious, spread across multiple decks, with a beauty salon, spa, beach club, gym, cinema, large pool and equipment for dozens of watersports. The weekly charter rate is €3m.

Renaissance, a 112-metre yacht built in 2023 by the Spanish shipyard Freire, starts at the same eye-watering €3m, rising to €4m in peak season, even surpassing Breakthrough at its highest rate.

It is one of the few megayachts able to host 36 guests across 19 suites, with a 45-strong crew catering to their every need. Its lavish facilities (helipad, beauty salon, cinema, spa, beach club, gym and more) combine with an enormous range of 8,600 nautical miles, making its summer voyages to hotspots from the French Riviera and Ibiza to Mykonos and Santorini all the more impressive.

The luxury explorer yacht Octopus offers something rather different, thanks to its history and capabilities. Built by Lürssen in 2003 for private research expeditions, it was refitted in 2021 and again in 2024, making it ready for charter.

It has travelled the world, hosting everyone from rock stars to scientific teams searching for shipwrecks, and is suited to round-the-world voyages as well as trips from Europe to Antarctica. With 13 cabins, a crew of 45, eight decks, two helipads and a range of 12,500 nautical miles, brokers describe it as capable of going almost anywhere and doing almost anything. Weekly charter rates start from €1.9m.

Project X

The megayacht category also includes several vessels from Golden Yachts, owned by the Dragnis family, such as O’Pari, O’Ptasia and O’Madeleine, among others.

Among them is the 87.6-metre motor yacht Project X, completed in 2022. With striking interior and exterior spaces, it sleeps up to 12 guests across nine suites (one master suite, one VIP cabin and seven double cabins), with a crew of 28 providing exceptional service.

On the luxury and amenities front, it offers everything from a fully equipped beauty institute to a sauna, jacuzzi, gym and beach club.

Project X cruises comfortably at 12 knots, with a top speed of 18 knots, and has a range of up to 5,500 nautical miles, able to take guests wherever they wish, provided they can cover the weekly charter rate of €1.2m.

O’Pari, a 95-metre yacht built in 2020 and fitted out with amenities befitting a five-star resort, promises guests a singular experience.

It can host 12 guests, has a 30-strong crew, and charters for €1.1m a week. Similarly, the 85-metre O’Ptasia, built in 2018 with exterior and interior design by Studio Vafiadis, also hosts 12 guests, carries 26 crew, and charters (through Vernicos Yachts) for €800,000 a week.

There are more affordable options too, for those without a spare few million to spend on a week’s charter. One is Zaliv III, a luxury motor yacht built in Italy in 2011. It measures 50.2 metres, sleeps 12 across six cabins, has a crew of 11 and comes with plenty of comforts.

Weekly rates (through Athenian Yachts and other agencies) for Mediterranean cruises start at €195,000 in low season, rising to €210,000 for June and September, and €235,000 for July and August. Lexsea, a 41-metre yacht built in 2022 by Benetti, has an elegant, light-filled interior sleeping 10 across five cabins, including a master suite with a private gym.

Designed for total relaxation and adventure, the yacht offers a spacious sundeck with an outdoor lounge and bar, among other features. Electric stabilisers ensure a smooth, high-quality ride. It is listed by Vernicos Yachts at €215,000 to €245,000 a week.

A distinctive 50-metre yacht built in 2012 and renovated in 2024, La Pellegrina 1 (through Istion Yachting) sleeps 12 across six cabins and carries a crew of 11.

Weekly rates start from €180,000. Summer Fun (from the same agency) was built in 2001 and renovated this year. It measures 30.8 metres and sleeps 12, with a seven-strong crew covering all their needs. Weekly rates start from €45,000.

Wind in the sails

For sailing enthusiasts, the ideal choice is Black Pearl (formerly Project Solar), a luxury 105-metre superyacht built by Oceanco in 2018. Its distinctive exterior and interiors were designed by Nuvolari Lenard. It is currently the third-largest sailing yacht in the world and can reach a top speed of 17.5 knots.

It has three rotating carbon-fibre masts, an evolution of the DynaRig system first developed for Maltese Falcon, owned by Elena Ambrosiadou. This allows it to harness wind power with remarkable efficiency while retaining the look of a traditional sailing yacht. Weekly charter rates start from €830,000.

More affordable options exist too, such as Matina (through Athenian Yachts), a traditional motor-sailer built in 2000 that offers luxury, comfort and generous space. It measures 38 metres, sleeps up to 20 guests across eight cabins and carries a crew of six. Its weekly rate is €56,000.

The 30.16-metre sailing yacht Aizu (through Istion Yachting) was built in 1990 and renovated in 2020. It has a crew of four and sleeps eight guests across four double cabins. Weekly rates start from €33,000.

At the same price point is the 19.7-metre catamaran P/Cat D2, which sleeps eight and has a 22-square-metre master suite.

Budget options

Most Greek charter agencies offer a range of vessels, from megayachts to far more modest boats, with or without crew. Catamarans are especially popular, such as Twin Pride (through Vernicos Yachts), a Lagoon 500-type vessel available with crew for trips around Greece. It sleeps eight guests across four luxury cabins with double beds. Weekly rates range from €11,480 to €15,400, depending on the season.

Shooting Star (from the same agency), a 20-metre sailing yacht built in 2008, sleeps up to eight guests across four cabins and has a crew of two. Weekly rates run from €11,600 to €15,100. Even at the height of summer, cheaper deals and offers can still be found.

Istion Yachting, for example, has a discount on Hobbit (a Beneteau Oceanis 35), measuring 9.99 metres, with three cabins, available with or without a skipper, departing from Kos: €2,437 (down from €3,750) for 15 to 22 August, and €1,982 (down from €3,050) for 29 August to 5 September.

Finally, Capriccio, built in 2017, measuring 11.4 metres with three cabins, departing from Lavrio, is on offer for 15 to 22 August at €2,430 (down from €4,050).