The Italian Riviera is a hundred and fifty miles of steep coast between the French border and Tuscany, and its charter market is concentrated into about ten miles of it: Portofino, Santa Margherita, Rapallo and the Cinque Terre beyond. It is one of the few Mediterranean coasts where the day market and the superyacht market sit in the same bay and never touch.
What a day costs
Read on 11 September 2026, Sailo lists 24 boats in reach of Portofino at an average of 1,161 EUR a day, from 300 to 2,200. The listings show the whole local ladder: a captained 38 foot Tornado flush deck for ten at 1,300 EUR for four hours, a captained 28 foot Cantieri Olivari muscun for eight at 854 EUR for four hours, and an 18 foot bareboat at Rapallo, no license required, at 174 EUR for two hours.
The muscun and the license free boat
The muscun is the Ligurian version of the gozzo, a small wooden hulled launch, and at 854 EUR for four hours with a captain it is the local way to see this coast. At the other end, the license free eighteen footer at 174 EUR for two hours is what Italian law allows anyone to drive: below a stated engine power no certificate is required, and the Rapallo and Santa Margherita quays rent dozens of them.
Where a day goes
Round the Portofino headland to San Fruttuoso, the abbey in a cove reachable only by sea or on foot, then east to Camogli, or south east along the coast to the Cinque Terre, which is about eighteen miles from Rapallo. The marine protected area around Portofino restricts anchoring in zones, and San Fruttuoso has a small number of buoys rather than open anchoring.
Questions people ask about italian riviera yacht charter
How much is a boat on the Italian Riviera?
Sailo lists 24 boats around Portofino averaging 1,161 EUR a day, from 300 to 2,200, read on 11 September 2026. A captained 28 foot muscun is 854 EUR for four hours.
Can you drive a boat here without a licence?
Yes, below a stated engine power under Italian law, and the Rapallo and Santa Margherita quays rent them: an 18 foot bareboat is listed at 174 EUR for two hours.
Can you reach the Cinque Terre?
About eighteen miles south east from Rapallo, which is a comfortable day. Anchoring is restricted in the marine protected areas along that coast and at Portofino itself, so plan around buoys rather than anchor.