Best yacht and catamaran charter destinations for families
Where to charter a catamaran with kids: 10 destinations scored by calm wind, short hops, sea temperature and hurricane season, month by month. Our method.
Top for families
Greece
July to September, 100/100 (our method)
July–August pick
Greece
100 in July, 100 in August (our method)
Warm sea (≥24 °C) in best month
10 of 10
NOAA 1991–2020 means
Source: NOAA PSL (NOAA/NCEI OISST v2.1), checked
Checked
29 Oct 2026
10 destinations, our method
By our scoring method (calm mean wind, short hops between stops, warm sea and outside hurricane or wet seasons), the best yacht charter destinations for families are Greece in July to September (100/100), the Balearic Islands (97) and Turkey (96); in July and August, when many schools are on holiday, Greece (100 in July, 100 in August) and the Balearic Islands (97 in July, 97 in August) score highest. The Bahamas, Belize and the British Virgin Islands score lower in July and August than in their best months because those months fall in the Atlantic hurricane season (NOAA), and Thailand is not ranked because our score has no monsoon component yet; every score uses NASA POWER wind, NOAA sea temperature and our own 7-day routes, and is our method, not a source's rating.
Checked 29 Oct 2026. Scores are our method on NASA POWER wind, NOAA sea temperature and season, and our 7-day routes (how we score); facts are labelled official, secondary or not verified (labels).
Ranking: best destinations for a family charter
| # | Destination | Best months (our score) | Score | July | August | Sea in best month | Mean wind in best month | Average hop | Boats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greece | July to September | 100 | 100 | 100 | 24.5–25.9 °C | 5.5–6.1 kn | 10.1 nm | SamBoat |
| 2 | Balearic Islands | July and August | 97 | 97 | 97 | 24.7–26.2 °C | 6.9–7.1 kn | 9.7 nm | SamBoat |
| 3 | Turkey | August to October | 96 | 94 | 96 | 24.3–27.3 °C | 5.6–6.0 kn | 12.4 nm | SamBoat |
| 4 | Italy | August | 96 | 93 | 96 | 25.0 °C | 7.4 kn | 10.1 nm | SamBoat |
| 5 | Bahamas | May | 87 | 81 | 70 | 26.0 °C | 10.3 kn | 10.1 nm | SamBoat |
| 6 | Croatia | July and August | 80 | 80 | 80 | 24.0–24.6 °C | 6.4 kn | 21.4 nm | SamBoat |
| 7 | Belize | January | 80 | 66 | 60 | 26.6 °C | 9.3 kn | 16.2 nm | SamBoat |
| 8 | BVI | April | 80 | 62 | 57 | 26.7 °C | 11.8 kn | 11.7 nm | SamBoat |
| 9 | French Polynesia | May | 73 | 69 | 69 | 28.3 °C | 10.4 kn | 18.0 nm | SamBoat |
| – | Thailand | March to May and November | 83 (partial) | 76 | 75 | 28.8–30.0 °C | 5.2–6.0 kn | 18.4 nm | SamBoat |
Best-time's "families" months use wind only; this score adds the sea, hop length and season, so the months can differ (best time to charter). Average hop is our calculation from our editorial route (7-day itineraries); only the classic route of each destination is scored: Croatia's Dubrovnik route and Greece's Cyclades route are not.
Family score by month
| Destination | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | 69 | 69 | 71 | 73 | 79 | 93 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 94 | 79 | 70 |
| Balearic Islands | 59 | 63 | 58 | 64 | 70 | 87 | 97 | 97 | 94 | 84 | 62 | 61 |
| Turkey | 68 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 79 | 91 | 94 | 96 | 96 | 96 | 87 | 77 |
| Italy | 60 | 63 | 62 | 66 | 67 | 82 | 93 | 96 | 88 | 76 | 63 | 62 |
| Bahamas | 80 | 80 | 81 | 83 | 87 | 80 | 81 | 70 | 71 | 63 | 74 | 82 |
| Croatia | 47 | 47 | 48 | 51 | 53 | 72 | 80 | 80 | 73 | 64 | 50 | 49 |
| Belize | 80 | 78 | 78 | 79 | 79 | 68 | 66 | 60 | 63 | 64 | 72 | 79 |
| BVI | 77 | 75 | 79 | 80 | 78 | 66 | 62 | 57 | 63 | 65 | 71 | 76 |
| French Polynesia | 62 | 63 | 68 | 66 | 73 | 70 | 69 | 69 | 69 | 72 | 63 | 65 |
| Thailand | 81* | 81* | 83* | 83* | 83* | 78* | 76* | 75* | 76* | 82* | 83* | 81* |
Bold = the destination's best score. * = partial score (Thailand: no season source, so it is scaled over the components we have and not ranked).
What goes into the score
Points (out of 30 for wind, 25 for hops, 25 for sea, 20 for season) and the raw input, in each destination's first best month. Our calculation.
| Destination (month) | Wind (/30) | Hops (/25) | Sea (/25) | Season (/20) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greece (July) | 30.0 · 6.0 kn | 24.8 · 10.1 nm | 25.0 · 24.5 °C | 20.0 · no season risk in our data |
| Balearic Islands (July) | 27.3 · 6.9 kn | 25.0 · 9.7 nm | 25.0 · 24.7 °C | 20.0 · no season risk in our data |
| Turkey (August) | 30.0 · 6.0 kn | 21.1 · 12.4 nm | 25.0 · 27.3 °C | 20.0 · no season risk in our data |
| Italy (August) | 25.8 · 7.4 kn | 24.8 · 10.1 nm | 25.0 · 25.0 °C | 20.0 · no season risk in our data |
| Bahamas (May) | 17.1 · 10.3 kn | 24.8 · 10.1 nm | 25.0 · 26.0 °C | 20.0 · outside hurricane season |
| Croatia (July) | 28.8 · 6.4 kn | 6.1 · 21.4 nm | 25.0 · 24.0 °C | 20.0 · no season risk in our data |
| Belize (January) | 20.1 · 9.3 kn | 14.6 · 16.2 nm | 25.0 · 26.6 °C | 20.0 · outside hurricane season |
| BVI (April) | 12.6 · 11.8 kn | 22.2 · 11.7 nm | 25.0 · 26.7 °C | 20.0 · outside hurricane season |
| French Polynesia (May) | 16.8 · 10.4 kn | 11.6 · 18.0 nm | 25.0 · 28.3 °C | 20.0 · dry season |
| Thailand (March) | 30.0 · 5.5 kn | 11.0 · 18.4 nm | 25.0 · 29.3 °C | – (no source) |
Safety and help on the water
| Destination | Emergency (land) | Sea rescue | Health cover note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia | Emergency (ambulance, fire, police): 112, according to UK government travel advice. (UK FCDO (GOV.UK)) 112 is available everywhere in the EU, free of charge, from fixed and mobile phones (European Commission). (European Commission) | In case of an accident or incident at sea, call 195, the toll-free number of the National Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Rijeka (MRCC Rijeka), from a landline or mobile; marine VHF channel 16 can also be used to call for help (gov.hr). (gov.hr (Government of Croatia)) | If you are insured in an EU country, the European Health Insurance Card gives you the same rights to necessary state healthcare as people insured in the country you visit; it does not cover private healthcare, or rescue and repatriation (European Commission, Your Europe). (European Commission (Your Europe)) |
| Greece | Emergency (ambulance, fire, police): 112, according to UK government travel advice, which adds: "Calling 999 from a UK mobile in Greece will automatically transfer you to the Greek emergency services." (UK FCDO (GOV.UK)) 112 is available everywhere in the EU, free of charge, from fixed and mobile phones (European Commission). (European Commission) | [Not verified] Hellenic Coast Guard number: the official page returned an error to us, so we give no number. | If you are insured in an EU country, the European Health Insurance Card gives you the same rights to necessary state healthcare as people insured in the country you visit; it does not cover private healthcare, or rescue and repatriation (European Commission, Your Europe). (European Commission (Your Europe)) |
| BVI | Emergency (ambulance, fire, police): 911; police, if it is not an emergency: 311, according to UK government travel advice. (UK FCDO (GOV.UK)) | Emergencies at sea: Virgin Islands Search and Rescue (VISAR) on 767, according to UK government travel advice. (UK FCDO (GOV.UK)) | [Not verified] The EU health card does not apply here; check your travel insurance (our note). We found no official source on healthcare for charter guests. |
| Bahamas | Emergency (ambulance, fire, police): 911 or 919, according to UK government travel advice. (UK FCDO (GOV.UK)) | [Not verified] Sea-rescue number: we found no official page we could read, so we give no number. | [Not verified] The EU health card does not apply here; check your travel insurance (our note). We found no official source on healthcare for charter guests. |
| Turkey | Emergency (ambulance, fire, police): 112, according to UK government travel advice. (UK FCDO (GOV.UK)) | [Not verified] Turkish Coast Guard number: we opened no official page for it, so we give no number. | [Not verified] The EU health card does not apply here; check your travel insurance (our note). We found no official source on healthcare for charter guests. |
| Italy | Emergency: ambulance 118, fire 115, police 112, according to UK government travel advice. (UK FCDO (GOV.UK)) 112 is available everywhere in the EU, free of charge, from fixed and mobile phones (European Commission). (European Commission) | [Not verified] Guardia Costiera sea-emergency number: the official ministry page could not be opened, so we give no number. | If you are insured in an EU country, the European Health Insurance Card gives you the same rights to necessary state healthcare as people insured in the country you visit; it does not cover private healthcare, or rescue and repatriation (European Commission, Your Europe). (European Commission (Your Europe)) |
| Balearic Islands | Emergency (ambulance, fire, police): 112 (Spain), according to UK government travel advice. (UK FCDO (GOV.UK)) 112 is available everywhere in the EU, free of charge, from fixed and mobile phones (European Commission). (European Commission) | [Not verified] Salvamento Marítimo number: we opened no official page for it, so we give no number. | If you are insured in an EU country, the European Health Insurance Card gives you the same rights to necessary state healthcare as people insured in the country you visit; it does not cover private healthcare, or rescue and repatriation (European Commission, Your Europe). (European Commission (Your Europe)) |
| Thailand | Emergency: the page prints both "191 (ambulance, fire, police)" and separate numbers: ambulance 1669, fire 199, police 191, tourist police 1155. The two lines differ for ambulance and fire; we do not know which to prefer, according to UK government travel advice. (UK FCDO (GOV.UK)) | [Not verified] Sea-rescue number: we found no official page we could read, so we give no number. | [Not verified] The EU health card does not apply here; check your travel insurance (our note). We found no official source on healthcare for charter guests. |
| French Polynesia | Emergency: ambulance 15 (or 4048 5906 from a landline), fire 18, police 17, according to UK government travel advice. (UK FCDO (GOV.UK)) | [Not verified] Sea-rescue number: we found no official page we could read, so we give no number. | [Not verified] The EU health card does not apply here; check your travel insurance (our note). We found no official source on healthcare for charter guests. |
| Belize | Emergency (ambulance, fire, police): 911 or 90, according to UK government travel advice. (UK FCDO (GOV.UK)) | [Not verified] Sea-rescue number: we found no official page we could read, so we give no number. | [Not verified] The EU health card does not apply here; check your travel insurance (our note). We found no official source on healthcare for charter guests. |
Sheltered anchorages: we found no official source that rates or counts them, so they are not in our score; your charter base's briefing is the best guide. Marina counts: Croatia's statistics office counted 216 nautical tourism ports on the coast in 2025: 86 marinas (21 of them land marinas), 71 anchorages, 16 berths and 43 boat storages, with 18,850 moorings in total (situation on 31 August 2025). (Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS)) The release gives no breakdown by county or island, so it says nothing about density on our route; for every other destination we give no count (not verified).
Children's fees and discounts we found
- People who use overnight service on a nautical-tourism vessel (a charter boat) pay the tourist tax for each night, to the company they contracted with. Children under 12 are exempt, 12–18 year-olds pay 50%, and professional charter crew are exempt. The amount is set by ministerial regulation (Tourist Tax Act, arts. 4, 5, 6, 10 and 15; translation ours). (zakon.hr (legal database))
- Mljet National Park visitor ticket: €20 (1 Jan–31 May, 1 Oct–31 Dec) · €30 (1 Jun–30 Sep). Children 8–18: €5 · €8; under 7 free. Includes one return solar-boat trip to St Mary's islet. (Mljet National Park (JU NP Mljet))
- [Secondary source] Similan National Park entrance, foreign adult 500 THB. Tour operator blog; it says the rate has applied since 7 June 2022. Children: 250 THB. (Aster of Asia (tour operator))
Other parks and taxes: not verified for children; see each true-cost page. A week's total: true cost of a charter week, per person.
Catamaran or monohull with kids?
We answer boat type once, with data: catamaran or monohull for a family, and in detail in catamaran vs monohull.
See family-sized catamarans
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Check cabin layout, safety nets and child life jackets with the operator before you book; listings and prices on SamBoat are SamBoat's own. We may earn a commission if you book through our links, at no extra cost to you (disclosure).
How we score
This is our method, an editorial choice, not a source's rating. score = round(100 × Σ weight × fraction ÷ Σ weight), summed over the components that have a source for that destination. Weights for families: wind (30), short hops (25), warm sea (25), season (20).
- Wind: Calm wind = 1 at 6 kn or less and 0 at 16 kn or more, straight in between. 6 kn and 16 kn are the upper limits of Beaufort force 2 and force 4 (Met Office); using them is our choice. The input is our NASA POWER monthly mean wind at one reference point. The scale is the Met Office's (Met Office, checked 29 Oct 2026): force 2 (light breeze) is 4–6 kn and force 4 (moderate breeze) is 11–16 kn. The wind means are our calculation from NASA POWER data (NASA POWER, checked 28 Oct 2026).
- Short hops: Short hops = 1 at an average leg of 10 nm or less and 0 at 25 nm or more (our choice), where the average leg is the total straight-line distance of our classic 7-day route divided by its number of legs (our calculation). It is the same in every month. Distances are straight lines between OpenStreetMap coordinates (OpenStreetMap (Nominatim geocoder), checked 29 Oct 2026); see the itineraries.
- Warm sea: Warm sea = 0 at 18 °C or less (the edge of our 5 mm wetsuit band) and 1 at 24 °C or more (our warm-water mark), straight in between, from the NOAA OISST 1991–2020 monthly mean. Families only. Source: NOAA (NOAA PSL (NOAA/NCEI OISST v2.1), checked 28 Oct 2026).
- Season: Season = 1 outside any season risk; in hurricane areas 0.5 in June, July and November and 0 in August, September and October (NOAA hurricane season, peak mid-August to mid-October); in French Polynesia 0.5 in the November–April wet season (Tahiti Tourisme); 1 in the Mediterranean. Thailand has no season source: it is left out and its score is scaled over the other components (partial, not ranked). Sources: NOAA (NOAA National Hurricane Center, checked 29 Oct 2026) and Tahiti Tourisme (Tahiti Tourisme, checked 27 Oct 2026).
- Licence: Licence rules are a gate shown next to the beginner score (yes, no or unclear from our licence pages); they are never added to it. Without a certificate, take a skipper.
Constants: calm wind 6 kn, rough wind 16 kn, short leg 10 nm, long leg 25 nm, cold sea 18 °C, warm sea 24 °C. Only the classic route of each destination is scored: Croatia's Dubrovnik route and Greece's Cyclades route are not.
- Mean wind at one reference point is not gusts, sea state or local winds such as the meltemi or bora; a calm monthly mean can hide windy days.
- Leg length comes from our own editorial 7-day route (straight lines, not yet reviewed by a sailor); another route in the same area would score differently.
- The Croatia, Greece, Italy and Turkey weather points sit in grid cells that include land (grid-cell elevation in the NASA POWER data: Croatia 212 m, Greece 138 m, Turkey 546 m, Italy 187 m), so their means are indicative.
- The weights and thresholds are ours. Change them and the order changes: the JSON gives every component so you can reweight.
- Not in the score: sheltered anchorages, healthcare, marina density, price (no comparable official source for all ten; see each section).
What we could not verify
- Hospitals or clinics near the route: we have not checked official hospital lists; ask your charter base where the nearest clinic is.
- Marina or mooring counts for our route: the statistics release gives no breakdown by county or island.
- Coast Guard number from an official page.
- Marina count.
- Sea-rescue number from an official page.
- Monsoon dates from the Thai Meteorological Department's own page (it returned an error; we cite the Land Development Department).
- Sheltered anchorages: we found no official source that rates or counts them, so they are not in our score; your charter base's briefing is the best guide.
- Thailand's monsoon: we now cite official dates (mid-May to mid-October, Thai Land Development Department), but the score has no season component for Thailand yet, so it is not ranked; the Thai Meteorological Department's own page returned an error.
How to read the labels
- [Secondary source]: From a newspaper, NGO, guide or tour operator; not official.
- [Not verified]: We could not confirm it. We leave it open rather than guess.
- No label: Read in an official text: government, park authority, ministry or official tourism board.
Scores, averages and thresholds are our method or our calculation, and say so. They are not a rating by any source and not a safety rating.
Sources
- Met Office: Beaufort wind force scale (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- UK FCDO (GOV.UK): Croatia travel advice: getting help (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- European Commission: 112: the European emergency number (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- gov.hr (Government of Croatia): 195 – Maritime Search and Rescue Service (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- European Commission (Your Europe): Unplanned healthcare: temporary stays (European Health Insurance Card) (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS): Nautical tourism – capacity and turnover of ports, 2025 (First Release) (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- UK FCDO (GOV.UK): Greece travel advice: getting help (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- UK FCDO (GOV.UK): British Virgin Islands travel advice: getting help (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- UK FCDO (GOV.UK): Bahamas travel advice: getting help (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- UK FCDO (GOV.UK): Turkey travel advice: getting help (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- UK FCDO (GOV.UK): Italy travel advice: getting help (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- UK FCDO (GOV.UK): Spain travel advice: getting help (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- UK FCDO (GOV.UK): Thailand travel advice: getting help (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- UK FCDO (GOV.UK): French Polynesia travel advice: getting help (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- UK FCDO (GOV.UK): Belize travel advice: getting help (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- NASA POWER: Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources: Monthly API (T2M, WS10M) (secondary, not official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- NOAA PSL (NOAA/NCEI OISST v2.1): NOAA High-resolution Blended Analysis: OISST v2.1 long-term mean monthly sea surface temperature, 1991–2020 (sst.mon.ltm.1991-2020.nc) (official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical cyclone climatology (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- Tahiti Tourisme: Tahiti weather (secondary, not official), checked 27 Oct 2026.
- OpenStreetMap (Nominatim geocoder): Nominatim search API: coordinates of each itinerary stop (secondary, not official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- zakon.hr (legal database): Zakon o turističkoj pristojbi (Tourist Tax Act), NN 52/19, 32/20, 42/20, consolidated (official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- Mljet National Park (JU NP Mljet): Price list for visitors of Mljet National Park for 2026 (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- Aster of Asia (tour operator): Similan Islands 2026: opening on 15 October (secondary, not official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
Method: methodology. Data: JSON.
More
- Best destinations for a first charter (beginners)
- Best time to charter, by destination
- Weather risk by month: hurricanes, meltemi, bora, monsoon
- 7-day sailing itineraries
- Snorkelling, diving and sea temperature
- True cost of a charter week, per person
- Boat licence by country
- Fishing rules
- Catamaran Index home
- Per destination: Croatia · Greece · BVI · Bahamas · Turkey · Italy · Balearic Islands · Thailand · French Polynesia · Belize
Frequently asked questions
What is the best yacht charter destination for families?
By our scoring method (calm mean wind, short hops between stops, warm sea and outside hurricane or wet seasons), the best yacht charter destinations for families are Greece in July to September (100/100), the Balearic Islands (97) and Turkey (96); in July and August, when many schools are on holiday, Greece (100 in July, 100 in August) and the Balearic Islands (97 in July, 97 in August) score highest. The Bahamas, Belize and the British Virgin Islands score lower in July and August than in their best months because those months fall in the Atlantic hurricane season (NOAA), and Thailand is not ranked because our score has no monsoon component yet; every score uses NASA POWER wind, NOAA sea temperature and our own 7-day routes, and is our method, not a source's rating.
Where can we sail with kids in July or August?
By our method the highest July and August scores are Greece (100 in July, 100 in August) and the Balearic Islands (97 in July, 97 in August); Croatia scores 80 in July. In the hurricane areas (the Bahamas, Belize, the British Virgin Islands) the July score is 81, 66, 62 and the August score 70, 60, 57, against a best of 87, 80, 80, because July and August are in the Atlantic hurricane season (NOAA National Hurricane Center, checked 29 Oct 2026). Thailand is not ranked. Scores are ours, not a source's rating.
Is a catamaran better than a monohull for a family?
Our view: a catamaran usually suits a family better because it sails flat and has more shared space, but it costs more. In 2026 a catamaran averaged €6,258 per week against €2,753 for a sailboat in Croatia (Mali brodari, checked 28 Oct 2026), 2.3× as much (our arithmetic). Shared by 8 guests, that gap is €438 per person (our arithmetic).
How warm is the sea for children to swim?
By NOAA's 1991–2020 means (NOAA PSL (NOAA/NCEI OISST v2.1), checked 28 Oct 2026), in each destination's first best month the sea is 24.5 °C in Greece (July), 24.7 °C in Balearic Islands (July), 27.3 °C in Turkey (August), 25.0 °C in Italy (August), 26.0 °C in Bahamas (May), 24.0 °C in Croatia (July), 26.6 °C in Belize (January), 26.7 °C in BVI (April), 28.3 °C in French Polynesia (May), 29.3 °C in Thailand (March). Our warm-water mark is 24 °C; month-by-month values and a wetsuit guide are on snorkelling and diving.
What number do we call in an emergency on a charter?
According to UK government travel advice (not each destination's own page): 112 in Croatia, Greece and Turkey; 911; police, if it is not an emergency: 311 in the British Virgin Islands; 911 or 919 in the Bahamas; ambulance 118, fire 115, police 112 in Italy; 112 (Spain) in the Balearic Islands; ambulance 1669, fire 199, police 191, tourist police 1155 (the same page also prints "191 (ambulance, fire, police)") in Thailand; ambulance 15 (or 4048 5906 from a landline), fire 18, police 17 in French Polynesia; 911 or 90 in Belize. In Croatia the sea-rescue number is 195 (MRCC Rijeka, gov.hr), and marine VHF channel 16 can be used to call for help. Official sea-rescue numbers for the other destinations: not verified.