The best time to charter a yacht in Türkiye and Greece, month by month

The charter season on the Aegean runs from late April to the end of October, and no two months of it are alike. This is the calendar we plan by, with the honest trade-offs.

April and May: green and empty

The coast is at its greenest, the almond and olive terraces of the Datça peninsula are in leaf, and you will have most bays to yourself. The sea is 18–21 °C, fine for a swim at noon and brisk at nine. Rates are at their lowest and most yachts are available at short notice. Best for walkers, photographers and guests who prefer cool nights.

June: the first of the two best months

Sea at 22–24 °C, long days, little wind and anchorages still uncrowded. June is the month we recommend for the Cyclades, before the meltemi arrives, and it is superb everywhere else. Rates are mid-season.

July and August: hot, busy and windy on the open sea

The sea reaches 26–28 °C and the days are hot. From mid-July the meltemi blows from the north on the open Aegean most afternoons, force four to six, which makes the Cyclades hard work and the Dodecanese crossings a morning job. The sheltered gulfs of Göcek and Gökova stay calm, which is why we steer midsummer charters there. Rates are at their highest and the best yachts are booked by the previous December.

September: the second best month, and many captains' first

The sea is at its warmest of the year, the wind has eased, the harbours have emptied and the rates step down after the first week. Perfect for the Dodecanese, the Lycian coast and the Cyclades alike. If we could choose one week for a guest who has never chartered, it would be the third week of September.

October: warm sea, quiet coast

Still 23 °C in the water, cooler at night, and the coast back to its own pace. The best month for Kaş diving without a thick suit and for guests who like a restaurant with a free table. Some yachts finish their season mid-month, so book early.

November to March

A few yachts stay in commission for winter charters out of Bodrum and Marmaris; the days are mild, the sea 17–19 °C, and the coast closed in the way a village closes. We arrange them, but they are a different holiday.

The two numbers that matter

Water temperature decides whether the children swim all day: 22 °C and above, from June to October. Wind decides where you go: inside the gulfs in July and August, anywhere you like in June and September. Everything else, including price, follows from those two. The destination guides carry the month-by-month chart for each coast.