Italy is four charter countries in one. The Aeolian islands north of Sicily, the Amalfi coast and the Pontine islands, Sardinia and the Maddalena archipelago, and the Ligurian coast around Portofino. They have different weather, different prices and different seasons, and the only thing they share is that berths rather than boats are the scarce resource in August.
What a week costs
Read on 11 September 2026, Nautilus Yachting prices a two to three cabin bareboat monohull in low season at around 1,200 GBP a week, which is the lowest weekly figure in this record and a fair floor for Italy out of season. By the day, Sailo lists 12 boats at Naples at an average of 2,498 EUR, 24 around Portofino at 1,161 and 312 around Sorrento at 1,808, which is the range the Italian day market actually occupies.
The four grounds
The Aeolians, from Milazzo or Portorosa, are volcanic, dramatic and exposed, with Stromboli erupting on schedule every evening. The Bay of Naples and the Pontine islands are the busiest and the most beautiful ashore. Sardinia's Maddalena archipelago has the clearest water in the Mediterranean and a national park with a permit fee. Liguria, around Portofino and the Cinque Terre, is the shortest season and the most expensive quay.
Catamaran or monohull in Italy
Italy is one of the few Mediterranean countries where the catamaran genuinely earns its keep, because so much of the cruising is anchoring off rather than mooring stern to: the Maddalena, the Pontine islands and the Aeolians are all anchorage grounds. Where it does not is in the harbours of Liguria and the Amalfi coast, where a berth for a wide boat in August is either unavailable or charged at double.
The permits and the fees
The Maddalena archipelago charges a daily park fee scaled to boat length and to whether you anchor or take a buoy, bought online before you enter. The Cinque Terre and Portofino marine areas restrict anchoring. Italian marina berths in August at Porto Cervo, Portofino or Capri run to several hundred euros a night for a forty five foot boat, which is the real cost of an Italian week and the one nobody publishes.
Questions people ask about catamaran cruise Italy
How much is a catamaran cruise in Italy?
Nautilus prices a low season two to three cabin monohull week at around 1,200 GBP, and Sailo's day market runs from an average of 1,161 EUR around Portofino to 2,498 at Naples, read on 11 September 2026.
Which part of Italy is best?
Sardinia's Maddalena archipelago for water and anchorages, the Aeolians for drama, the Bay of Naples for what is ashore, and Liguria for the shortest and most expensive season.
Is a catamaran the right boat?
In Sardinia, the Pontines and the Aeolians, yes, because those are anchoring grounds. In Liguria and on the Amalfi coast a wide boat struggles for an August berth and pays double when it finds one.
What fees should you expect?
A daily Maddalena park fee scaled to length, anchoring restrictions in the Cinque Terre and Portofino marine areas, and August berths at Porto Cervo, Portofino or Capri running to several hundred euros a night.