Sardinia Yacht Charter
About Sardinia
Sardinia has more than 7,000 nuraghi standing on the island. They are bronze-age stone towers, built in the Bronze Age, and the original count was over 10,000 before two thousand years of agriculture took some of them down. Nothing else like them exists in the Mediterranean, and they give the inland a different feel from the coast: a sense that this island has been worked, fortified and lived on for a very long time.
The coast is the Sardinia most charters know. The Costa Smeralda was founded in 1962 by a consortium led by the Aga Khan IV, who bought about 1,800 hectares of north-east coastline, and Porto Cervo, the harbour town the consortium built from scratch, is still where the boats you would expect to see dock through August. North of the Costa, the La Maddalena Archipelago is a national park: seven main islands and a scatter of smaller ones, with Caprera and Spargi for the swims, and Budelli, where the pink-quartz beach is now closed to landings for conservation but where you can still anchor offshore. The eastern Orosei coast then has the calas, the small narrow coves only a yacht reaches: Cala Goloritzé, Cala Mariolu and Cala Luna, all approached only by boat.
The season runs May to October, with August the busiest stretch by some distance and June and September the quietest of the working months. The Bouches de Bonifacio, the strait between Sardinia and Corsica, is short and sheltered, which is why a Sardinia charter and a Corsica charter often combine into a single week. Most Sardinian charters pick up in Olbia or Porto Cervo, both on the north-east coast and within easy reach of the Costa Smeralda.
Highlights
Destination Info
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Where to sail
The Costa Smeralda and Porto Cervo
The stretch of coast a consortium led by the Aga Khan IV founded in 1962 and built from open shore. Porto Cervo is still the marina where the largest yachts gather through August, with beach clubs and anchorages like Cala di Volpe and Liscia Ruja along the granite shore around it.
The La Maddalena archipelago
A national park off the north coast, seven main islands and a scatter of smaller ones. Caprera and Spargi have the clearest swimming water, and Budelli holds the pink-sand beach, closed to landings for conservation since the 1990s but still an anchorage you can lie off. Granite, low scrub and shallow turquoise channels throughout.
The Orosei coast and its calas
The east coast below Olbia, where the cliffs fall straight to the water and the coves open only from the sea. Cala Goloritze with its limestone pinnacle, Cala Mariolu and Cala Luna are reached by boat, not by road, which is what keeps them quiet even in August.
The nuraghi and the interior
The Sardinia behind the coast. More than seven thousand nuraghi still stand, Bronze-age towers built from dressed stone with no parallel anywhere else. Su Nuraxi di Barumini, the finest of them, is a UNESCO site. A short run inland from Olbia or Cagliari puts the oldest layer of the island within reach of a charter.
What it costs
- From
- From about EUR 20,000 per week for a crewed yacht
- Included
- The weekly fee covers the yacht and all its equipment, including the tenders and water toys, the full crew, and the yacht's insurance.
- Extras
- Your running costs are paid separately, through an advance provisioning allowance (APA): a sum of around 25 to 35 percent of the fee that you pay before the charter. The captain uses it to pay for fuel, berthing and harbour dues, provisioning, and the food and drink for your party, then gives you a full account at the end and refunds whatever is left. Italian charter VAT and a customary crew gratuity are the two other costs on top of the fee.
Prices rise with the size of the yacht and the time of year.
We explain the money side properly: What a crewed charter includes, APA explained, VAT on an Italian charter, and Tipping the crew.
Before you go
Getting there and where you start
Most Sardinia charters pick up at Olbia or Porto Cervo, both on the north-east coast and both within easy reach of the Costa Smeralda. Olbia has the island's main airport, with direct flights from across Europe in summer.
If you want to combine Sardinia with Corsica, boarding at Porto Cervo or Olbia and crossing the strait north is the natural way to do it. The Bouches de Bonifacio is a short, sheltered passage, so the two islands fit comfortably into one week.
When to go
The season runs May to October. August is the busiest stretch by a wide margin, when Porto Cervo and the Costa Smeralda are at their liveliest and the anchorages fill. June and September are the quieter working months, with warm water and settled weather but far fewer boats.
The mistral can push down from the north-west in spring and autumn and kicks up the sea between Sardinia and Corsica. A good captain simply times the crossing and works the sheltered eastern anchorages when it blows.
Explore Sardinia
Interactive map view of Sardinia • Click and drag to explore • Open in full screen
