Sailnboat
Croatia

Kornati · Split · Istria / Kvarner

Yacht charter in Croatia

Choose from 2,136 yachts across Croatia. Spread over 6 sailing regions. Prices from €714 per week.

  • 2,136
    Yachts available
  • 1,482
    On campaign
  • €714
    From / week
  • 6
    Charter regions
  • 86
    Marinas

Why this country

Sailing in Croatia

Croatia is the Adriatic's charter centre, and it sails very differently from Greece. The coast runs more or less north to south with a long chain of islands sitting parallel to the mainland, which creates a protected channel almost the entire length of the country. You are rarely exposed to open sea, legs between harbours are short, and you can usually pick a route on either side of an island depending on what the wind is doing.

The summer wind here is the maestral, a thermal north-westerly that gets going through the morning, holds steady through the afternoon and dies away towards sunset. For a holiday crew it is close to ideal: enough pressure to sail properly, and calm nights at anchor. The winds worth knowing about are the other two. The bura is a cold, gusty north-easterly that arrives abruptly and blows mainly between October and April. The jugo is a warm southerly that builds slowly over a day or so and then settles in for several days, pushing a long swell ahead of it.

Where Croatia is stricter than most of the Mediterranean is documentation. A skipper's certificate alone is not enough: you also need a VHF radio operator's certificate, both as originals, and the handover will not go ahead without them. It is worth checking this before you book rather than at the dock.

On the water

Sailing conditions in Croatia

Summer wind
Maestral, NW thermal

Builds through the morning, steady in the afternoon, drops at sunset. The reason Croatia suits holiday crews.

Wind to watch
Bura (NE), gusty

Cold and sudden, blowing off the land. Mainly October to April, but a summer episode is possible — it arrives without much warning.

The slow one
Jugo (S), with swell

Warm southerly that develops over about a day and can then last five or six, raising long waves. More consistent than the bura but harder to sit out.

Shelter
Island channels

The island chain runs parallel to the mainland, so most of the cruising ground is protected water with a route on either side.

Worth the detour

Where to drop anchor in Croatia

  • 1

    Hvar town

    The busiest and best-known harbour on the coast, with a fortress above it and a Venetian square at the waterfront. Moorings go early in July and August; the Pakleni islands opposite are the overflow.

  • 2

    Vis

    The furthest inhabited island from the mainland and closed to visitors until 1989, which is why it still feels unlike the rest of the coast. Two harbours, Vis town and Komiža.

  • 3

    Korčula

    A walled town on a small peninsula, laid out as a herringbone so the streets break the wind. The channel between Korčula and the Pelješac peninsula funnels the breeze.

  • 4

    Kornati islands

    A national park of bare, uninhabited islands with marked bays. Entry is ticketed and there is almost nothing ashore — the point is the emptiness.

  • 5

    Mljet

    Forested island with two salt lakes in a national park at its western end. Pomena and Polače are the usual stops.

  • 6

    Dubrovnik and the Elaphiti islands

    The old city is the one unmissable stop in the south, but the small islands just north of it — Šipan, Lopud, Koločep — are where you would actually spend the night.

  • 7

    Rovinj, Istria

    Northern end of the coast, closer in feel to Venice than to Dalmatia. Good base if you want short passages and a shorter transfer from central Europe.

  • 8

    Šibenik and the Krka river

    The approach runs through a narrow channel into a sheltered basin, and you can carry on up the river. Unusual for a coast this exposed.

Suggested routes

Where a week in Croatia could take you

Split and the central Dalmatian islands

7 days

The standard Croatian week and the one the fleet is built around: short legs, a choice of island on most days, and protected water throughout.

  1. 1

    Split

    Handover in the afternoon; move across to Brač or the Split channel rather than staying in the marina.

  2. 2

    Milna, Brač

    A sheltered inlet on the west end of the island, an easy first full day.

  3. 3

    Hvar town or Pakleni islands

    Arrive early for the town quay; the islands opposite are the fallback.

  4. 4

    Vis

    The longest leg of the week, out to the furthest island.

  5. 5

    Komiža or Stiniva

    Round to the western side of Vis.

  6. 6

    Bol or Stari Grad

    Work back towards the mainland.

  7. 7

    Split

    Short final leg for the morning handover.

Find a boat for this route

Kornati national park out of Šibenik or Zadar

7 days

Quieter and emptier than the Hvar route. Bare islands, marked bays and very little ashore — plan provisioning accordingly.

  1. 1

    Šibenik or Zadar

    Provision properly here; the park has almost no shops.

  2. 2

    Žirje or Kaprije

    Work out through the inshore islands.

  3. 3

    Kornati — Levrnaka or Lavsa

    Into the park. Entry is ticketed; buoys in the main bays.

  4. 4

    Telašćica, Dugi Otok

    A deep bay with cliffs on the seaward side and a salt lake ashore.

  5. 5

    Sali or Božava

    Villages on Dugi Otok, back in reach of supplies.

  6. 6

    Zlarin or Prvić

    Small inhabited islands on the way back in.

  7. 7

    Šibenik or Zadar

    Back through the channel to base.

Find a boat for this route

Before you book

Local rules and paperwork in Croatia

Skipper certificate
A valid certificate of competence is required for bareboat. An ICC or a recognised national equivalent. The original document must be on board — photocopies and photos are refused at handover.
VHF certificate
Required separately, in addition to the skipper certificate. This is where most charters come unstuck. Croatian maritime law requires a VHF radio operator certificate such as the SRC or a national equivalent. Many Croatian-issued licences already include it; most foreign skipper certificates do not.
Crew list
A certified crew list is carried on board. Prepared at the base. Changing crew mid-charter means updating it.
National park fees
Kornati, Mljet and Krka charge separately. Tickets are per boat per day and are usually not in the charter price. Buy on entry or in advance; rangers do check.
Skippered option
A booked skipper removes both certificate requirements. If you do not hold a VHF certificate, this is the simpler route — and it is common enough here that availability is rarely a problem.

Checked October 2026. Rules change — confirm the detail that matters for your trip when you book.

What is here

The Croatia fleet at a glance

The fleet in Croatia is made up of 1,116 sailing yachts, 519 catamarans, 456 motor yachts and 37 gulets.

Most boats here are sailing yachts, averaging 13.5 metres.

Weekly prices start in the under €1,500 range, where 303 boats are listed.

Boats sleep between 2 and 40 guests, with cabins up to 20.

The most common size band is 13 – 16 m, with 885 boats.

386 boats can be chartered with a skipper; 1,797 are available bareboat.

The fullest month on the calendar right now is Oct 2026: 70% of the fleet already has at least one booking, while 644 boats are still completely open.

Budget

Charter prices in Croatia

Weekly rate, set by the operator. No booking fee.

Space on board

Boat sizes

Sleeping 2–40 guests

  • under 10 m 196
  • 10 – 13 m 751
  • 13 – 16 m 885
  • 16 – 20 m 157
  • over 20 m 145

Availability

How full is the calendar in Croatia?

Share of the Croatia fleet that already holds at least one reservation, for each of the next twelve months. Taken from the operators' own calendars and refreshed daily — a boat with one week booked can still be chartered in the others.

Months further out look emptier simply because they are further away — most charters are booked a few months ahead, not a year.

Most booked month

Oct 2026

70% of the fleet already booked

Most still open

Mar 2027

1,988 boats with no booking yet

The fleet

Yachts in Croatia

2,136 yachts available · from €102 / day

−10% Early booking New
6
sailboat

Just B!

Punat

3 cabins 6 guests 12.07 m 2026
From €295 / day €2.062 / week campaign week €1.573
View
−10% Early booking New
6
sailboat

Ship Happens

Punat

3 cabins 7 guests 12.07 m 2026
From €295 / day €2.062 / week campaign week €1.573
View
−30% Special offer New
6
catamaran

GURGUR

Sukošan

6 cabins 12 guests 13.85 m 2026
From €540 / day €3.779 / week campaign week €3.220
View
New
6
motoryacht

Gala

Šibenik

2 cabins 4 guests 11.56 m 2026
From €1.036 / day €7.249 / week
View
−25% Longer stay New
6
catamaran

SEAS THE DAY

Kaštel Gomilica

4 cabins 8 guests 18.38 m 2026
From €4.017 / day €28.119 / week campaign week €15.300
View
New
6
motoryacht

First Horizon

Šibenik

5 cabins 10 guests 23.95 m 2026
From €14.462 / day €101.234 / week
View
New
6
motoryacht

Balance Šibenik

Šibenik

4 cabins 8 guests 24.79 m 2026
From €9.392 / day €65.744 / week
View
−35% Longer stay New
6
catamaran

OCEAN PEARL

Split

7 cabins 13 guests 15.6 m 2026
From €1.480 / day €10.359 / week campaign week €5.850
View
−40% End of season New
6
sailboat

Nada

Šibenik

3 cabins 8 guests 15.29 m 2026
From €427 / day €2.989 / week campaign week €2.580
View
−10% Early booking New
6
catamaran

Sofija

Pula

6 cabins 12 guests 13.26 m 2026
From €667 / day €4.666 / week campaign week €4.455
View
−35% Longer stay New
6
catamaran

STAR LINK

Split

7 cabins 12 guests 18.38 m 2026
From €3.464 / day €24.249 / week campaign week €12.025
View
−15% Last minute New
6
catamaran

SEA DREAMS

Kaštel Gomilica

4 cabins 8 guests 18.3 m 2026
From €4.722 / day €33.052 / week campaign week €23.052
View

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Weekly prices in our catalogue break down as: under €1,500 (303), €1,500 – €3,000 (899), €3,000 – €6,000 (389), €6,000 – €12,000 (144). The lowest published weekly rate is €714. These are the operators' own prices — we add no booking fee.
Our Croatia catalogue currently lists 1,116 sailing yachts, 519 catamarans, 456 motor yachts, 37 gulets, 6 ribs.
Booking pressure is highest in Oct, when 70% of the fleet already holds at least one reservation. Mar is the quietest month in our calendar. Availability shown on this site is synchronised daily from the operators' own reservation systems.
1,797 of the 2,136 boats we list in Croatia are available bareboat, meaning you sail them yourself. A recognised licence is required; the listing states which. 386 boats can be chartered with a skipper.
Boats in Croatia sleep from 2 up to 40 guests, with the largest offering 20 cabins. Most groups book a boat in the 13 – 16 m size band.
Charters in Croatia depart from 86 bases in our network, including D-Marin Dalmacija Marina, ACI Marina Split, D-Marin Marina Mandalina, Marina Kaštela, Marina Kremik.

Ready to explore Croatia by sea?

2136 verified yachts across 6 regions.

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