Yacht Charter in Greece in August: What to Expect

August is the single busiest month to charter a yacht in Greece — not necessarily the most expensive week-for-week (July runs close, sometimes even slightly higher for the same boat), but the month where availability disappears first and the meltemi wind is at its strongest and most persistent.

The meltemi at its peak

August is when the meltemi is most likely to blow for several consecutive days rather than a single afternoon. In the central and southern Cyclades, sustained 25–30+ knots is genuinely common, with stronger gusts around headlands and straits. This has two direct, practical consequences:

1. Catamarans need to arrive at anchorages early — by 2–3pm, popular bays and marinas are full, and a wide multihull competing for space with monohulls in a crowded, gusty port is a real problem, not a theoretical one.
2. Route flexibility isn’t optional. A fixed day-by-day plan with no bailout options is the single biggest mistake first-time August charterers make in the Cyclades.

If high wind isn’t your idea of a relaxing week, the Ionian Sea (Lefkas, Corfu, Paxos) is sheltered from the meltemi almost entirely and is a genuinely better choice for August than fighting the Aegean.

The holiday nobody warns you about: August 15th

Dekapentavgoustos (the Assumption of Mary, August 15th) is one of the biggest holidays in the Greek calendar — effectively a second, smaller “August exodus” on top of the already-packed month. Expect:

• Ferries and domestic flights booked out well in advance around this date.
• Marinas and popular anchorages busier than any other week of the year.
• Some island businesses closed or reduced for the holiday itself.

If your dates are flexible at all, avoid the week either side of August 15th — the rest of August is already peak, but this specific week is peak-of-peak.

What an August charter costs

Monohull, 35–40 ft (bareboat)	€2,900–4,300
Monohull, 45 ft+ (bareboat)	€4,300–6,300
Catamaran, 42–46 ft (bareboat)	€6,800–10,500
Crewed sailing yacht	€8,000–15,000+

Interestingly, average weekly sailboat rates across Greece run marginally lower in August than in July in some fleet data — the gap is small and boat-dependent, so don’t assume August is automatically the pricier month. What August does guarantee is that the best boats are gone first: by May, strong August weeks are already thinning out.

Booking timeline

For an August charter, particularly around the 15th, book by December or January of the same year if you want a specific boat. Waiting until spring means choosing from what’s left, not what’s best.

Frequently asked questions

Is August the most expensive month to charter in Greece?

It’s one of the two most expensive months, alongside July, but not always the single most expensive week — the bigger risk in August is availability disappearing, not price spiking dramatically higher than July.

What is Dekapentavgoustos and does it affect chartering?

It’s the Greek Assumption of Mary holiday on August 15th, one of the busiest travel dates of the year in Greece. If avoiding crowds matters to you, plan your charter around this week rather than during it.

Is Greece too crowded to charter in August?

The Cyclades’ most famous anchorages are genuinely busy. The Ionian Sea and some of the Dodecanese see noticeably fewer boats for a similar quality of sailing.

Is a catamaran a bad choice for August in Greece?

Not a bad choice, but it requires planning — arrive at anchorages and marinas earlier in the day than a monohull would need to, since catamarans need more space and Greek ports weren’t built with wide multihulls in mind.