Ionian Yacht Charter

George's Insider Picks

The anchorages we'd put you in.

• Lakka, Paxos

  First swim of every Ionian week. The water clarity is unmatched - 12 m of visibility from the bow at midday. Anchor on the south side of the bay, 6-8 m, sand.

• Voutoumi, Antipaxos

  Anchor only - no quay. White-pebble bottom in 3-6 m, the colour of the water reads as photoshop until you see it in person. One taverna at the top of the path.

• Sivota, Mainland

  Quietest mainland stop on the route. Three tavernas on the quay, harbour-master walks the line at 19:00 to assign berths. Charter-friendly.

• Papanikolis Cave, Meganisi

  12 nautical miles from Nydri. The second largest sea cave in Greece - 120 metres long, 60 metres wide - accessible only by tender or small boat. During World War II, the Greek submarine Papanikolis used this cave as a hidden base after raids on the Italian fleet in the Adriatic. The crew would kill the engines, drift inside in total silence, and wait. The cave still holds that quality of silence. Enter by tender at low speed. Bring a torch. At the far end, a small white-sand beach that exists only for those who come by sea.

• Atokos

  Uninhabited private island between Lefkada and Ithaca. Part of the Natura 2000 network. Two anchorages: One House Bay (white pebbles, 4-6 m, sand, one stone chapel) and Wild Boar Beach (steep cliffs, deeper holding, shaded by trees). A resident population of wild boars descends to the beach and into the water - families, piglets, the occasional solo animal swimming 50 metres offshore. A TikTok video of two swimmers being chased reached 4 million views in 72 hours. From a private yacht at anchor, with no one else in the bay, the experience is entirely different.

• Skorpios

  Private island between Lefkada and Meganisi. Aristotle Onassis bought it in 1963, imported over 200 species of trees from around the world, and built harbour facilities on the north side for his yacht Christina O. He married Jacqueline Kennedy here on 20 October 1968. Maria Callas and Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier, Winston Churchill - the guest list reads as a summary of the 20th century. The island is privately owned and landing is not permitted, but the anchorage off the southwest cove - where Jackie's beach-hut once stood - is one of the most charged pieces of water in the Ionian. Anchor in 6-8 m, sand. The history is free.

Yachts this house places for a Ionian week

Named from the fleet we represent. The rate card is on each yacht's page.

• P/CAT ARIVA

  Fountaine Pajot Power 67 based in Corfu, ten guests, four crew: the Ionian week that starts clean, with no positioning from Athens.

• P/CAT ELLY

  Fountaine Pajot Power 67 for eight with captain, chef and stewardess: quiet, shallow-draft, made for Vlicho and Fiskardo.

• S/CAT Serenissima

  Alegria 67 with five cabins for ten and a captain who guides the sea caves: the family catamaran for Meganisi and Ithaca.

• M/Y MANU

  Azimut 68 based at Zakynthos, four cabins for eight, two crew: the motor yacht already in the Ionian, with no positioning from Athens.

• S/Y Gigreca

  Admiral Sail Silent 76, 24 metres, four cabins for eight, captain, chef and stewardess: the sailing week on the Ionian thermal.

• S/Y MELITI

  Garcia 86, 26 metres, three cabins for six and a crew of four: the highest crew ratio on the sailing list, for a couple or two.

• S/Y Nadamas

  Y8 launched 2022, 24 metres of modern performance sailing, eight guests, three crew: Lefkada to Paxos on one long reach.

Questions we are asked about the Ionian

• Where does an Ionian yacht charter start?

  Corfu in the north or Lefkada in the middle, both with airports and both with the crewed fleet close by. From Corfu the week runs south: Paxos is 35 nautical miles, Lefkada 80, Ithaca 95. From Lefkada everything is a morning away: Ithaca 20 nm, Kefalonia 25, Paxos 50, and Kefalonia to Zakynthos 35. Athens-based yachts reach the Ionian on a delivery through the Corinth Canal, which lands on the delivery line rather than on your week.

• What does a seven-day Ionian itinerary look like?

  From Lefkada: Meganisi and the Papanikolis cave on the first day, Ithaca's Kioni or Vathy on the second and third, Fiskardo on Kefalonia on the fourth, Atokos or Kalamos on the fifth, Sivota on the mainland on the sixth and Lefkada on the seventh. Rarely more than 25 nautical miles in a day. From Corfu, add Paxos and Antipaxos at the top and give them two nights; Voutoumi deserves it.

• Is the Ionian good for families and first-time charterers?

  It is the region we recommend first. The summer wind is a gentle afternoon breeze rather than the meltemi, the water is the clearest in Greece, the distances are short and the bays are sandy and shallow, which is exactly what a catamaran and a family with children want. Most of our family charters and most of our first-time charterers sail here, and most of them come back.

• When is the best time for an Ionian yacht charter?

  June and September, when the water is warm, the harbours are calm and the tavernas still have a table. July and August are busier, with the Ionian's own light north-westerly filling in each afternoon and dying at dusk, and they remain the calmest peak-season weeks in Greek waters. May and October work well on a motor yacht.

• Catamaran or sailing yacht for the Ionian?

  Catamaran for a family or a group that wants the swim platform, the shallow bays of Antipaxos and Lefkada's east coast, and a table that stays set. Sailing yacht for guests who came for the sailing itself: the Ionian's afternoon breeze is the kindest teacher in Greece. A motor yacht turns the whole group into a long weekend and suits guests who count hours, though here, unlike the Cyclades, you rarely need to.

• What does a yacht charter in the Ionian cost for a week?

  The same rate card the yacht carries anywhere in Greece, with the smallest APA of the three grounds because the legs are short and most nights are at anchor. On the Greek Charter Index 2026 a crewed sailing catamaran runs EUR 17,000 to 22,000 net base at 12 to 16 metres and EUR 31,500 to 43,500 at 20 to 22 metres; a power catamaran EUR 33,000 to 69,000 at 20 to 22 metres; a motor yacht EUR 21,000 to 47,500 at 22 to 25 metres. Add APA of 20 to 30 per cent on a catamaran or 30 to 40 on a motor yacht, Greek VAT at the yacht's certified rate of 5.2 to 12 per cent, and a gratuity of 10 to 15 per cent of base. A yacht based in Athens adds a positioning line to reach Corfu or Lefkada; ARIVA at Corfu and MANU at Zakynthos start there.

• Is an Ionian boat charter better with a crew or bareboat?

  This house writes only fully crewed weeks, seven nights or longer, so the honest answer from this desk is crewed: a captain who knows the Meganisi channels and the Paxos anchorages, a chef who provisions at Gaios and Fiscardo, and a week in which nobody in your party is working. Bareboat weeks exist in the Ionian and it is the kindest ground in Greece for them, but they are a different product at a different price and are not offered here.