A Rhodes yacht charter is the private hire of a catamaran, motor yacht or sailing yacht with a skipper and crew, for a half-day, full-day, sunset or multi-day cruise from Rhodes. It is the finest way to reach Anthony Quinn Bay, the acropolis of Lindos and the island of Symi from the water. Plan the whole trip with Greece Tours.
This guide covers the Rhodes yacht charter in full: what a charter includes and costs, the catamaran, motor yacht and sailing yacht options, bareboat and crewed hire, the east-coast route past Kallithea, Anthony Quinn Bay and Lindos, the crossing to Symi, and how to book. Pair it with the Rhodes airport transfers and car rental in Rhodes.
What is a Rhodes yacht charter and what does it include?
A Rhodes yacht charter is the private hire of a catamaran, motor yacht or sailing yacht with a skipper and crew, for a half-day, full-day, sunset or multi-day cruise from Rhodes.
Every coast trip begins with a Rhodes yacht charter from a southern marina. Booking a Rhodes yacht charter ahead secures the boat and the sunset slot. The choice of Rhodes yacht charter comes down to the vessel, the hours and the group size. A Rhodes yacht charter carries the transfer from the hotel to the marina and back. A Rhodes yacht charter runs half-day, full-day or as a five-hour sunset cruise. A Rhodes yacht charter is booked before the trip for a fixed, agreed price for the whole boat. The charter puts a whole vessel and its crew at your disposal for the hours you book. You board at the harbour, the skipper plots the route to the coves and beaches you name, and the crew handle the sailing, the anchoring and the galley while you swim, sunbathe and eat on deck. The experience covers the east coast of Rhodes and, on the longer cruises, the neighbouring islands of Symi and Chalki.
The price of a private Rhodes yacht charter includes the skipper and crew, the fuel for the day, food and drinks served on board, snorkelling gear for every guest, and transfers to the marina from your hotel. A shared cruise sells the same boat by the seat, so the food, the drinks and the crew are folded into the per-person rate instead of a whole-boat figure. Nothing on the standard package sits behind an extra charge except tips left at your discretion.
The declared inclusions make the charter a fixed, known cost from the moment you confirm the date. The skipper carries the licences, the boat carries the safety equipment, and the operator arranges the pickup, so the guest arrives at the quay with a towel and a swimsuit and steps straight onto the deck.
How much does a Rhodes yacht charter cost?
A Rhodes yacht charter is priced two ways: a private charter is quoted for the whole boat and split among the group, and a shared cruise is sold per seat. The rate tracks the vessel type, the trip length and the season.
A private Rhodes yacht charter is exclusive to your group, with no other guests on board. A Rhodes yacht charter includes the skipper, the crew, the meal and the snorkelling gear. The motor yacht is the fast, luxurious option for a private Rhodes yacht charter. The coastal route on a Rhodes yacht charter passes Anthony Quinn Bay and Lindos. For couples and groups, a Rhodes yacht charter is the private way to see the coast. A private catamaran taken for a full-day cruise of 6 to 8 hours is the flagship product, and the whole-boat rate divides across up to 12 guests, which drops the cost for each person as the group grows. A half-day cruise of 3 to 4 hours sits below the full day, and a 3-hour sunset cruise sits below the half day. A motor yacht commands a higher rate than a catamaran for the same hours because of its speed and fuel burn; a sailing yacht sits at the lower end of the crewed range.
The whole-boat figure folds in the skipper, the crew, the fuel, the food, the open bar and the snorkelling gear, so the quote you accept is the quote you pay. A shared seat on a group catamaran is the entry price for a solo traveller or a couple who want the cruise without hiring the entire vessel. High-season dates on the sunset slot and the Symi day-cruise carry the firmest rates, and those dates sell out first.
A group that fills the deck gets the strongest value from a private charter, since 12 guests split one whole-boat rate. Two travellers get the strongest value from a shared seat. Both routes deliver the same coastline, the same crew service and the same swim stops; the difference is the boat to yourself against a boat you share.
Which yachts are available to charter in Rhodes?
Rhodes offers three vessel types: a catamaran, a stable twin-hull for up to 12 guests with a meal and an open bar; a motor yacht, fast and luxurious; and a sailing yacht or monohull for traditional sailing under canvas.
The catamaran is the steady choice for a Rhodes yacht charter with a meal and open bar. The sunset slot on a Rhodes yacht charter fills first in high season. Every coast trip begins with a Rhodes yacht charter from a southern marina. Booking a Rhodes yacht charter ahead secures the boat and the sunset slot. The choice of Rhodes yacht charter comes down to the vessel, the hours and the group size. The catamaran is the workhorse of the fleet. Its twin hulls sit flat on the water, so the deck stays level at anchor and the ride stays soft under way, which suits families, mixed-age groups and guests new to the sea. It carries up to 12 guests, spreads them across a wide trampoline foredeck and a shaded cockpit, and serves a cooked meal with an open bar as part of the day. The stability makes it the first choice for swimmers and for anyone who wants lunch on a flat table.
The motor yacht trades sail for speed. It reaches Symi, Chalki and the far coves faster than a sailing vessel, which stretches the swim time inside a fixed day and opens longer crossings on a full-day cruise. Its cabins and finish carry the luxury end of the fleet. The sailing yacht, a single-hull monohull, is the traditional choice: the crew raise the canvas, the boat heels to the wind, and the day becomes a sailing day as much as a swimming day for guests who want the feel of the rig and the quiet of an engine switched off.
Each vessel is offered crewed with a skipper, and each takes a defined guest count, a defined route and a defined menu. The choice among them turns on the group size, the appetite for speed against sail, and the balance a party wants between swimming, dining and the act of sailing itself.
What does the Rhodes cruise route cover?
The east-coast route covers Kallithea Springs, Anthony Quinn Bay, Ladiko, Tsampika beach and the acropolis of Lindos. The day-cruise route crosses to Symi for St George’s Bay and the Panormitis monastery, and to Chalki.
A Rhodes yacht charter drops anchor for swimming off Symi and Lindos. Families take a Rhodes yacht charter for the swimming stops and the meal on board. A Rhodes yacht charter is the cleanest way to reach Anthony Quinn Bay and Symi. A private Rhodes yacht charter is exclusive to your group, with no other guests on board. A Rhodes yacht charter includes the skipper, the crew, the meal and the snorkelling gear. The east-coast run is the classic half-day and full-day line. The boat leaves the harbour and tracks south down the sheltered shore. Kallithea Springs opens first, a restored spa cove with clear water over rock. Anthony Quinn Bay follows, a pine-fringed inlet of turquoise water named for the actor who fell for it, and Ladiko sits beside it as a second sheltered swim stop. Tsampika beach stretches its golden sand below the hilltop monastery, and the acropolis of Lindos crowns the day, its temple of Athena standing on the headland above the whitewashed village and the twin bays.
The full-day cruise reaches beyond Rhodes itself. The boat crosses open water to Symi, an island of a pastel-painted harbour town, and anchors at St George’s Bay under a sheer cliff, then calls at the Panormitis monastery on the southern shore. Chalki, a small quiet island west of Rhodes, is the alternative crossing for a calmer day of empty coves and a single harbour village.
Every stop on the route is a swim stop as much as a sight. The skipper anchors in the clear water off each cove, drops the ladder, and the crew hand out the snorkelling gear, so the coastline is read from the deck and from the sea in turn. The order of the stops flexes with the wind, and the crew set the day to keep the boat on the sheltered side of the island.
Private, shared or bareboat — which Rhodes charter is right for you?
A private charter hires the whole boat with a crew for your group. A shared cruise sells a single seat on a group boat. A bareboat charter hands you a self-skippered vessel by the week if you hold a sailing licence.
For the Symi crossing and the Lindos acropolis, a Rhodes yacht charter is the finest seat on the island. A Rhodes yacht charter departs from Mandraki harbour or the Rhodes marina. The set fare on a Rhodes yacht charter covers the food, the drinks and the fuel. The catamaran is the steady choice for a Rhodes yacht charter with a meal and open bar. The sunset slot on a Rhodes yacht charter fills first in high season. The private crewed charter is the pick for a family, a celebration or a party of friends who want the deck to themselves. The rate covers the whole vessel, the crew run the day, and the group sets the pace, the swim stops and the lunch. Up to 12 guests share one boat and one whole-boat price, so a full deck turns a premium product into a fair per-head figure while keeping the privacy of a boat hired outright.
The shared cruise is the pick for a solo traveller or a couple. You buy a seat, join a set departure, and get the crew, the meal, the open bar and the same coastline without the whole-boat outlay. The bareboat charter is the pick for a qualified sailor: the operator hands over a self-skippered yacht for the week, you hold the helm, and you plot your own line through the Dodecanese with no crew aboard. A bareboat runs by the week and demands a valid licence; a crewed charter carries the skipper for you.
The three routes answer three groups. Hire the whole boat for a group and a fixed day. Buy a seat for two people and a light budget. Take the bareboat for a licensed sailor and a full week at sea. The coastline is shared across all three; the difference is the crew, the privacy and the length of the hire.
Where do Rhodes yacht charters depart from?
Rhodes yacht charters depart from Mandraki harbour in Rhodes Town and from the Rhodes marina. The operator folds a transfer to the marina from your hotel into the private charter package.
The crew of a Rhodes yacht charter handle the sailing, the cooking and the anchoring. The price of a Rhodes yacht charter is set at booking, for the boat rather than per seat. Planning a Rhodes yacht charter ahead beats the scramble for a summer sunset slot. A Rhodes yacht charter drops anchor for swimming off Symi and Lindos. Families take a Rhodes yacht charter for the swimming stops and the meal on board. Mandraki harbour sits at the edge of the medieval old town, ringed by its three windmills and the two deer columns that mark the ancient harbour mouth. It is the walk-on point for guests staying inside Rhodes Town, a short stroll from the walls and the gates. The Rhodes marina, south of the commercial port, berths the larger crewed catamarans and motor yachts and gives them the space and the fuelling for the longer full-day and Symi crossings.
The private charter includes a transfer to the marina, so guests staying outside the town centre are collected and delivered to the correct quay without hunting for the berth. Travellers landing on the island line the sea day up against their arrival with Rhodes airport transfers, and those touring the island by road on the other days pair the charter with car rental in Rhodes to reach Lindos and the inland villages by land as well as by sea.
The two departure points cover the two ends of the fleet. Mandraki serves the town-based sailing yachts and the smaller boats within a walk of the old city. The marina serves the full-size catamarans and motor yachts that run the day cruises to Symi and Chalki. The confirmation names the exact quay and the boarding time, and the crew meet each party at the gangway.
Can you sail to Symi and Lindos on a Rhodes charter?
Yes. The full-day cruise crosses open water to Symi for St George’s Bay and the Panormitis monastery, and the east-coast route runs south to the acropolis of Lindos above its twin bays and whitewashed village.
A Rhodes yacht charter carries the transfer from the hotel to the marina and back. A Rhodes yacht charter runs half-day, full-day or as a five-hour sunset cruise. A Rhodes yacht charter is booked before the trip for a fixed, agreed price for the whole boat. For the Symi crossing and the Lindos acropolis, a Rhodes yacht charter is the finest seat on the island. A Rhodes yacht charter departs from Mandraki harbour or the Rhodes marina. Symi is the headline crossing of the full day. The boat leaves Rhodes early, tracks north-east across the strait, and enters the horseshoe harbour of Symi Town, where pastel neoclassical houses stack up the hillsides above the waterfront. The vessel anchors at St George’s Bay, a swim stop under a vertical cliff that plunges straight into deep clear water, and calls at Panormitis, the great monastery of the Archangel Michael on the island’s southern coast. The day allows time ashore and time in the sea before the return leg to Rhodes.
Lindos anchors the east-coast route. The boat rounds the headland below the acropolis, where the temple of Athena Lindia and the Hellenistic stoa stand on the rock above the village, and anchors off the twin bays where St Paul is held to have landed. Guests swim beneath the citadel, look up at the ramparts of the Knights, and take in the whitewashed houses and the captains’ mansions that fill the village below. The east coast delivers Lindos on the half-day and the full-day line alike, while Symi is reserved for the full day of 6 to 8 hours.
The two destinations answer two appetites. Symi is the day of open-water crossing, a painted harbour town and a cliff-side swim. Lindos is the day of ancient stone above the sea, read from the deck as the boat lies at anchor in the bays. Both sit inside the standard cruise routes out of Rhodes, and the crew set the crossing by the wind and the sea state on the day.
How do you book a Rhodes yacht charter?
To book a Rhodes yacht charter, pick the vessel and the trip length, choose a private charter or a shared seat, name the date and the group size, and confirm ahead in high season for the sunset and Symi slots.
The motor yacht is the fast, luxurious option for a private Rhodes yacht charter. The coastal route on a Rhodes yacht charter passes Anthony Quinn Bay and Lindos. For couples and groups, a Rhodes yacht charter is the private way to see the coast. The crew of a Rhodes yacht charter handle the sailing, the cooking and the anchoring. The price of a Rhodes yacht charter is set at booking, for the boat rather than per seat. The booking starts with the vessel and the format. Set the boat first: a catamaran for a stable family day, a motor yacht for speed and reach, a sailing yacht for a day under canvas. Set the length next: a half-day cruise of 3 to 4 hours, a full-day cruise of 6 to 8 hours, a 3-hour sunset cruise, or a bareboat by the week. Set the format last: the whole boat as a private charter for up to 12 guests, or a single seat on a shared group cruise.
The confirmation locks the departure point, the boarding time and the route, and the private package adds the marina transfer from your hotel. Give the operator the guest count, the date and any dietary notes for the galley, and the price returns as a whole-boat figure for a private charter or a per-seat figure for a shared cruise, with the skipper, crew, fuel, food, drinks and snorkelling gear already inside it.
Book ahead in high season. The sunset cruise and the Symi day-cruise are the two slots that fill first, and a group that leaves the booking to the day of travel loses the date it wants. Reserve the sea day early, hold the confirmation with the quay and the time on it, and arrive at the gangway with a towel, a swimsuit and nothing left to arrange.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a Rhodes yacht charter?
A private Rhodes yacht charter is priced for the whole boat, agreed at booking, and covers the skipper, crew, fuel, food, drinks and snorkelling gear. A shared catamaran cruise is priced per seat, and a bareboat charter is priced by the week plus a deposit.
Can you sail to Symi on a Rhodes yacht charter?
Yes. A full-day Rhodes yacht charter crosses to the island of Symi for St George”s Bay and the Panormitis monastery, and to Chalki. The east-coast day trip covers Kallithea Springs, Anthony Quinn Bay, Ladiko and the acropolis of Lindos.
Where do Rhodes yacht charters depart from?
Rhodes yacht charters depart from Mandraki harbour in Rhodes Town and from the Rhodes marina. A booked charter includes the transfer from your hotel to the marina and back.