Yacht Charter in Ayia Napa: Renting the Whole Catamaran
A private boat charter in Ayia Napa generally runs from around €250 a day for a small boat to €3,000 and up for a large crewed catamaran, with the average daily charter across local listings sitting in the region of €1,100. Crewed boats charged by the hour typically start around €200, usually with a three-hour minimum. Self-drive motorboats, a different product, start at roughly €80–100 per hour.
Six things move that figure: boat size and capacity, how long you are out, the date and season, the time of day, whether crew sits inside the headline price, and whether food is catered or left to you.
Charters are quoted per boat while cruise tickets are quoted per person, which is why chartering looks more extravagant than it often is. Divide the charter total by your headcount before you compare the two.
This page breaks down each of those factors, sets out what an Ayia Napa charter usually includes and what it quietly does not, and gives you a four-step way to compare two quotes that look different but might not be.
The Short Answer: What Charters Around Ayia Napa Cost
Yacht charter prices in Ayia Napa and along the wider Famagusta coast, taken from public booking platforms and current at the time of writing in 2026. Treat them as a map, not a menu.
- Small self-drive motorboats: from roughly €80–100 per hour, plus fuel and a refundable deposit
- A skipper on a self-drive hire: typically another €100 for the day
- Larger crewed boats charged hourly: from around €200 per hour, usually with a three-hour minimum
- Full-day private charters, small boats: from around €250
- Full-day private catamarans carrying twenty or more: widely quoted around €3,000 and up
- Average daily charter across listings in this area: in the region of €1,100
The spread between the bottom and the top of that list is roughly fortyfold, which tells you that “private charter” covers products with almost nothing in common. A six-metre motorboat and a 60ft crewed catamaran are both technically charters.
What Drives Charter Prices in Ayia Napa
Boat size and capacity
The dominant factor by a distance. Capacity is expensive to build and expensive to run, and a boat that carries eighty people costs more to operate on an empty day than one that carries eight — which is also why the price gap between a twelve-person boat and a large catamaran is far wider than the gap in guest numbers suggests.
Duration
Half-day charters of around four hours are the standard unit in Ayia Napa, and they are not half the price of a full day. A large share of the cost — crew, fuel to reach the good bays, provisioning, harbour time — is incurred whether you are out for four hours or nine. Expect a full day to cost meaningfully more than a half day but well under double.
Date and season
July and August are the peak in Ayia Napa, and Saturdays in peak season are the peak of the peak. The same boat, the same route and the same group will cost less in May or October. If your date is flexible even by a couple of days, say so when you enquire — it is the single easiest way to move the number.
Time of day
Sunset slots carry a premium almost everywhere, for the straightforward reason that weddings, proposals and anniversaries all want the same two hours. Mornings are usually the better value, and on this coast they also have calmer water.
Crew
On some listings the crew is included in the headline figure. On others the boat is quoted bare, and the skipper is added afterwards, which is where two quotes that looked comparable stop being comparable. Always establish which you are reading.
Food and drink
This varies more than anything else. Some charters include a full meal cooked on board. Some offer catering at a per-head price on top. Some provide nothing and expect you to bring a coolbox. A charter with catering included and one without can differ by hundreds of euros for a large group, and the cheaper headline is frequently the more expensive day.
Extras
A DJ, a cake, flowers, a photographer, decorations — each has a real cost, each generally needs notice, and these are add-ons everywhere rather than bundled inclusions.
Per Boat or Per Person? The Arithmetic That Changes the Answer
Charter prices in Ayia Napa are quoted per boat, and cruise tickets are quoted per person. Comparing the two directly is the most common mistake people make when deciding, and it usually makes chartering look far more extravagant than it is.
The correction is simple: divide the charter figure by the number of people actually coming. Using the market averages above rather than our own pricing, a €1,100 day split between six people is around €183 each, which is a lot compared with a €45 cruise ticket. The same €1,100 split between forty people is €27.50 each, which is less than the cruise ticket, and you have the entire boat.
That crossover point is the whole economics of chartering. Below it, seats on a scheduled cruise win comfortably. Above it, a charter can be both the better experience and the cheaper one per head. Where exactly the line falls depends on the boat and the operator, but the arithmetic is worth doing before you decide a charter is out of reach.
What an Ayia Napa Charter Usually Includes — and What It Quietly Does Not
Before comparing any two quotes, establish which of these sit inside the number and which sit outside it:
- Crew — included, or added per day?
- Fuel — included, charged on consumption, or a surcharge for a longer route?
- Food — included, per head, or not offered?
- Soft drinks and water: included or bar-priced?
- Alcohol — bar-priced, corkage, or not permitted at all?
- Snorkelling equipment: provided, rented, or deposit-held?
- Facilities such as a shower, toilet, shade, life jackets, and Wi-Fi, which vary enormously between boats
- VAT: included in the figure shown, or added at invoicing?
- Cleaning, mooring or harbour fees: inside or outside?
- Security deposit: how much, and refunded when?
- Transfers to the departure point: offered, chargeable, or your own problem?
- Cancellation and weather policy: what happens if the day is called off?
That last one deserves more weight than it usually gets. A charter quoted slightly cheaper by an operator who keeps your money if the wind turns is not cheaper.
How to Compare Two Ayia Napa Charter Quotes
Four steps, and they take about ten minutes:
- Convert both quotes to a total for your real group size and your real hours. Not per hour, not per person, not “from” prices.
- Add every excluded item from the list above to each quote until both cover the same day.
- Check the real capacity, not the advertised one. A boat licensed for twelve is not comfortable for twelve if half of them want to sit down at the same time.
- Read what happens in bad weather before you read anything else.
Run that and quotes that look forty per cent apart often land within a few per cent of each other — or the cheap one turns out to be the expensive one.
What Our Charter Includes
Whatever the figure turns out to be for your group, this is what sits inside it:
- The whole 60ft double-deck catamaran, up to 80 guests, no other passengers
- Captain and full crew
- Cypriot BBQ cooked on board — chicken souvlaki to Captain Jimmy’s family recipe, grilled halloumi, tzatziki, salad and pourgouri, with halal and vegan options by arrangement
- Snorkelling equipment
- Shower and toilet on board, life jackets and Wi-Fi, all included
- A route through the Cape Greco Marine Reserve — Sea Caves, Love Bridge, Konnos Bay, Blue Lagoon — adjusted to your group
- Your choice of morning, midday or sunset
Drinks sit outside the price and are sold at the on-board bar. So do extras such as a DJ, cake, flowers, photography or decorations, which are arranged in advance. Bringing your own alcohol is not allowed on charters or scheduled sailings.
How to Get a Quote in One Message
Message us on WhatsApp at +357 99 165 450, or email book@turtlecruisecyprus.com, and include:
- Your date, and whether it can move
- Group size, and how many are children
- Morning, midday, or sunset
- Roughly how many hours
- The occasion, if there is one
- Dietary requirements
- Any extras you want
With those seven things, we can usually come back with a firm number and availability in one reply instead of a chain of five.
FAQs
How much does it cost to charter a private boat in Ayia Napa?
Across the local market, small boats start from a few hundred euros for the day and large crewed catamarans are widely quoted around €3,000 and up, with an average daily charter in the region of €1,100. The figure for any specific day depends on boat size, group size, duration, date, and time of day.
Is a private charter cheaper per person than a cruise ticket?
It can be, above a certain group size. Divide the charter total by your headcount and compare it with the per-person ticket. Small groups are better off on a scheduled cruise; large groups often pay less per head on a charter and get the whole boat.
Does the quote cover food?
On ours, yes. The BBQ is grilled on board during the trip, and halal, vegan, and vegetarian versions can be arranged if you tell us in advance. Elsewhere in the market, check carefully: catering is often quoted per head on top of the boat, or not offered at all.
Does a half-day charter cost half of a full day?
No. Crew, fuel, and provisioning are largely incurred either way, so a full day costs more than a half day but considerably less than double.
Is it cheaper to charter outside July and August?
Yes, generally. May, June, September and October are quieter in Ayia Napa and priced accordingly, and weekdays cost less than Saturdays. Flexible dates are the easiest way to reduce the figure.
What is included in a yacht charter, and what is not?
On ours: the boat, crew, BBQ, snorkelling gear, shower and toilet, life jackets and Wi-Fi. Outside the price: drinks from the bar, and extras such as a DJ, cake, flowers, photography or decorations. Across the market more broadly, watch for crew, fuel, catering, VAT, cleaning and deposits being quoted separately.
How far in advance should I request a quote?
For peak-season Saturdays and any sunset date, as early as possible. Add-ons like music or a cake need lead time, whatever the month.
