Unusual charter destinations in the Mediterranean

Beyond the beaten path of the popular Mediterranean charter destinations lies a world of secret bays, picturesque villages and natural wonders to discover. 

A luxury yacht charter in the Mediterranean is an ideal way to visit out-of-the-way places, with your yacht being able to nose into quiet bays and cruise to lesser-visited stretches of coastline. You might drop anchor in harbours where you’re the only yacht in sight or tender ashore to visit historic towns unfettered by droves of tourists.  

Perhaps the best part of exploring unusual charter destinations in the Mediterranean is you don’t have to venture too far from the well-trodden spots to find them. Many of these locations are set within a short cruise of the usual Med hotspots but can feel a world away.  

Climbing up the more than 1,300 stone steps of the Kotor city walls is a sure way to get your heart pumping as you ascend 300m above sea level to take in sweeping views of the placid bay below. For those who prefer a less-intense hike, even walking 10 minutes up the path to the Church of Our Lady of Remedy provides a lovely vista and allows you to get an up-close glimpse of the mountainside church, which was built in 1518.  

Indulge in Montenegrin cuisine and wine, trying a glass of rich, red Varnac wine at the Old Winery in Kotor. The city also hosts a daily farmer’s market, but Saturdays — when sellers come from all around the area to offer up their bounty — is the best day to seek out locally made cheeses, fresh produce, and souvenirs.  

A stone’s throw away from Zadar on mainland Croatia, Dugi Otok is a nature lover’s dream.  On the long, slender island of Dugi Otok you’ll find an emerald lake sitting atop a clifftop overlooking the sapphire sea below, wide bays offering boats safe harbour and golden beaches framed by Mediterranean pine trees. Many beaches in Croatia are stony, making the wide stretch of soft sand on Sakuran Beach on Dugi Otok a must-visit, particularly for families. 

Indeed, Dugi Otok is ideal for a family yacht charter in Croatia, giving you a chance to disconnect from reality and enjoy time in nature with your loved ones. The kids can run wild on protected beaches, snorkel in the azure seas, look out for dolphins and hike up easy trails with whimsical names like Dragon’s Hideout and By the Fairytale. In Telascica Nature Park, pay a visit to the donkey sanctuary, where you can see the rescued donkeys who live peacefully in this natural haven.  

A yacht charter to Gozo will reveal an island of contrasts, where rocky shores meet red-sand beaches, rugged cliffs descend down to clear blue waters and small towns are overlooked by massive cathedrals. Dating back to the Bronze Age is the Cittadella, also known as the Gran Castello, an ancient, fortified city in Gozo’s capital of Victoria. Gozo is also home to UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as neolithic limestone structures of the Ġgantija Temples, which are older than the Egyptian pyramids.  

On Gozo’s western shore, the Dwerja area is full of natural wonders, including the Blue Hole, a vertical water-filled cavern that borders the sea. It’s one of the most popular dive sites in Gozo that’s equally popular among snorkellers and swimmers. The Blue Hole was once adjacent to a rock formation known as the Azure Window, which sadly crumbled during a storm in 2017.

Despite this, visitors still flock to Dwerja to swim in the Blue Hole as well as the Inland Sea, a teal-coloured  saltwater lagoon where brightly painted fishing huts straddle the shore. The Inland Sea is nearly landlocked except for a small crevice in the surrounding rock walls that connects it with the sea beyond.

More than 80 percent of the island is part of a national park, Parco Nazionale dell’Isola di Pantelleria, which was recently established in 2016. The park offers electric-bike rentals, so you can more easily explore the hilly terrain, where green scrub and twisty arbutus trees grow among red lava rocks. The island’s volcanic origins can also be seen in the Pantelleria Castle, a fortress set at the entrance to the island’s Old Port, which is built in lava stone. It now houses the Archaeological Museum of Pantelleria.  

Pantelleria was annexed by Italy in 1860, but the island was first conquered by the Greeks and Phoenicians, the latter of whom established a grapevine growing technique that’s still used today. The vines bear zibibbo grapes, which are dried to produce a sweet wine Passito di Pantelleria, also known as Muscat of Alexandria. You can taste this along with other wines at the Donnafugata winery. After your tasting experience, take an amble along the Khamma Trail, winding through the zibibbo vines, ancient olive trees and sweet-smelling wild honeysuckle.  

Though small in size, Telendos is surprisingly big on things to do. The island is criss-crossed with hiking trails, one of which leads up to the conical mountain peak that dominates the island’s landscape. Telendos is also a rock climber’s paradise with a range of challenging routes on offer. Bird watchers will also enjoy a visit to Telendos, with a chance to spot pelegrine falcons, audouin gulls and long-legged buzzards.  

On the northern shore of the island is the Castle of Agios Konstantinos, a byzantine fort where you can see remnants of a medieval village that once thrived here. Telendos is also ripe with archaeological sites, like the Ancient Theatre of Telendos. Winding steps lead down to a little seaside chapel of Agios Georgios in west Telendos, which is a perfect spot for watching the sunset. The island is ringed by secluded beaches touched by crystal-clear waters, such as Hohlakas beach, which is only accessible by a rocky path or from the water by tender, making it an ideal spot to enjoy total privacy.  

On the island’s western shore is its only inhabited hamlet, Hydra Town. At the heart of the town is the c-shaped Hydra Port, well protected by a sea wall. The port is lined with restaurants, boutiques and art galleries. Hills studded in whitewashed houses rise up around the port. At the end of the day, you can walk up the hillside to the Sunset Restaurant to take in views of the setting sun while dolphins jump in the water below. Outside the port of Hydra, you’ll find isolated beaches only reachable by boat and bays where the yacht can moor stern-to against the rocks while you enjoy sea, sun and watertoys.  

Hydra is known as a hub for creativity, with many artists moving here in the 1950s. It’s also served as a backdrop for Hollywood films. Author Henry Miller is said to have spent time on Hydra, and the singer-songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen made his home here in the 1960s, a time during which the island had a thriving bohemian community. Hydra has an artsy feel with both Greek and international artists still finding inspiration here. You can even see a modern sculpture by the famous artist Jeff Koons, dubbed Apollo, perched on a hillside.  

Multiple smaller bays are connected to the gulf. Call in at the wide, crescent shaped English Harbour, so named as it was used as a base for British torpedo boats during World War II. You might also drop anchor at the natural harbour of Kurfe Bay where you can swim or take the tender to shore to walk among pine woodlands, basking in the serene nature. On the southern shore of Gökova Bay, you’ll find Sedir Island, also known as Cleopatra Island. It garners its name from fables that say the island was once a meeting place for Cleopatra and Mark Anthony. The island has a beach of fine white sand — sand which is said to be brought here from Egypt by Cleopatra.  

In the afternoons, thermal winds tend to pick up in Gökova Bay, making it a prime spot for kite surfers. At the very end of the Gökova Bay is the town of Gökova itself, where you can find local seafood restaurants, scenic walking trails and places to rent kite surfing equipment.