A skipper in Greece is bought for two quite different reasons and the price is the same either way. Some crews want local knowledge on an unfamiliar coast. Others discover at the base that their certificates are not accepted and buy one on the spot at full rate. The second is much the more expensive way to arrive at the same boat.
Yacht charter Greece with skipper: what it costs
Istion Yachting offers its Greek catamarans bareboat or skippered on the same listing, starting at 3.510 EUR a week for a Bali Catspace out of Athens and 4.950 for an Excess 14 out of Lefkas. The skipper is charged as a separate weekly line on top. Nautilus Yachting puts a high season luxury catamaran with a skipper upwards of 10,000 pounds, which is the packaged end of the same arrangement.
Why Greece pushes crews into it
Greece requires a recognized skipper's certificate and a VHF operator's license for the person named on the contract, with originals checked at handover, and expects a second competent crew member declared on the crew list. That second requirement catches more groups than the first. A crew that cannot satisfy it hires a skipper at the dock, which is the same product bought badly.
Where the skipper sleeps
Usually a forward cabin or the saloon, which means a four cabin yacht sleeps your group in three. A few boats carry a dedicated skipper's cabin reached from the deck. This is the question groups forget and the one that changes which boat you need, so ask before you book rather than at handover when the alternative is a bigger boat at short notice.
What the money actually buys in the Aegean
Knowing where not to go. The meltemi makes some Cyclades anchorages untenable for days and the difference between a good week and a hard one is a skipper who moves you before the wind arrives rather than after. In the Ionian, where the wind is gentle and the shelter general, the case is weaker and a competent bareboat crew loses less by going alone.
Questions people ask about skippered yacht charter Greece
How much is a skippered charter in Greece?
The boat starts at 3.510 EUR a week for a catamaran on Istion Yachting's listing, offered bareboat or skippered, with the skipper charged as a separate weekly line. Read on 11 September 2026.
Does Greece require a skipper?
Not if your paperwork is in order: a recognized skipper's certificate and a VHF license for the named skipper, plus a declared second competent crew member. Crews who cannot satisfy that hire a skipper at the base.
Where does the skipper sleep on a Greek charter?
Usually a forward cabin or the saloon, so a four cabin yacht may sleep your group in three. Ask before booking, because it decides which boat you need.
Is a skipper worth it in the Ionian?
Less than in the Cyclades. The Ionian is sheltered with gentle wind and general shelter; the meltemi in the Aegean is where a skipper's judgement about when not to move earns its cost.