Ideal for Summer Season
The Northern Sporades offer a version of the Greek islands that feels genuinely unhurried. This seven-day charter route from Skiathos moves through an island group defined as much by what it protects as by what it displays, the National Marine Park of Alonissos, the largest protected marine area in Europe, shelters Mediterranean monk seals, loggerhead turtles, and an ancient merchant wreck that ranks among the most significant ever discovered in the classical world. Between the dramatic shores of Lalaria, the clifftop chapel of Skopelos, and the deserted anchorages of Kira Panagia, it is a route for those who want the Greek islands at their most unspoilt, and who understand that the best anchorages are the ones nobody else has found yet.
- Day 1
Embark in SkiathosDistance: 5 nm*
Gateway to the Northern Sporades
Skiathos sits at the western edge of the Sporades islands, and its international airport, one of the few in the island group capable of handling both commercial and private flights, makes it the natural embarkation point for any Skiathos yacht charter.
From the airport, a short transfer brings you directly to the marina, where your crew will be waiting with a warm welcome and a first look at your home for the week.
Take the afternoon to familiarize yourself with the island before setting sail. The Old Port and the town's winding backstreets are worth an hour's exploration, and the Evangelistria Monastery, a late 18th-century site with a significant role in the Greek war of independence, sits within easy reach if you want to stretch your legs before the week begins. Settle into the rhythm of life on board over dinner that evening, anchored in one of the bay's quieter corners.
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- Day 2
The Beaches of SkiathosDistance: 15 nm*
Pine forests, rock arches, and flour-fine sand
Spend your first full day at sea cruising the coastline of Skiathos and discovering why Greece yacht charters around Skiathos consistently rank among the most popular in the northern Aegean. The island has over 60 beaches, and several of the finest are only accessible by boat, which makes a yacht the ideal way to experience them.
Lalaria Beach is the headline stop, a dramatic stretch of smooth white pebbles framed by sheer limestone cliffs and a natural rock arch at one end, teeming with fish and ideal for snorkelling. Don your mask and explore the arch before drying off on deck as the captain sets course for Elia Beach on the island's south-facing coast, a long sweep of fine sand that catches the afternoon light at its best.
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Lalaria Beach
Beach
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Lalaria Beach
- Day 3
The Famous Sights of SkopelosDistance: 10 nm*
Mamma Mia locations, sea caves, and a hilltop chapel
Set course for Skopelos, an island of dense pine forests, whitewashed churches, and a handful of filming locations that have given it an international profile far beyond its modest size. Skopelos yacht charters offer access to the island's most celebrated spots from the water, which is by far the best way to approach them.
On the north-eastern coast, drop anchor opposite Agios Ioannis and take the tender across to the Chapel of St John, the clifftop location used for the wedding finale in Mamma Mia! Arriving early rewards you with the site largely to yourself; the 200 steps to the top are worth every one for the views across the strait below.
Cruise round to the south side of the island for lunch, passing Kastani Beach, another Mamma Mia! filming location, popular with both locals and visiting charter yachts. Just offshore, the tiny island of Dasia is riddled with sea caves ideal for swimming and underwater exploration by kayak before the overnight cruise to Alonissos.
- Day 4
Alonissos and the National Marine ParkDistance: 10 nm*
Dolphins, monk seals, and the largest protected marine reserve in the Mediterranean
The short cruise from Skopelos brings you to the charter routes of Alonissos and the National Marine Park of Alonissos, the largest protected marine area in Europe, established in 1992 to safeguard the breeding grounds of the endangered Mediterranean monk seal.
East Mediterranean yacht charters in Alonissos operate within strict environmental guidelines, so the tender becomes your primary means of exploration, a small price for access to some of the most biodiverse waters in the Aegean.
Snorkel in the crystal-clear shallows where dolphins, loggerhead turtles, and over 300 species of fish are regularly encountered. In the afternoon, head to the pretty fishing village of Steni Vala for a walk along the shoreline and a cold drink at one of the small waterfront cafes. The air here carries the distinctive scent of wild herbs from the hillsides above, one of those details that makes Alonissos feel genuinely removed from the more visited Greek island groups.
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- Day 5
Dive the Wrecks of PatitiriDistance: 8 nm*
Two shipwrecks, a network of sea caves, and some of the clearest water in the Sporades
Patitiri is a scuba diver's destination of genuine significance, and one of the most rewarding stops for underwater exploration on any luxury charter in the Sporades. The bay holds two shipwrecks of entirely different character and historical weight.
The Shipwreck of Peristera is the more visible of the two, a relatively modern ship whose rusted hull protrudes above the waterline in the shallows, its structure draped in marine growth and inhabited by a dense community of fish.
The second wreck, lying in the strait between Alonissos and the island of Peristera, is considerably older and considerably more significant: an ancient merchant ship from the classical period, believed to be the most important wreck ever discovered in the ancient world, its cargo of wine amphorae is still largely intact on the seabed. After a morning of diving, the afternoon is best spent on deck with the water toys deployed, or anchored in one of the sea caves that line the nearby coastline.
- Day 6
Kira PanagiaDistance: 20 nm*
Olive groves, hidden anchorages, and the most peaceful bay in the Sporades
A few miles north of Alonissos, Kira Panagia is one of the least visited islands in the Northern Sporades charter area, accessible only by sea, virtually uninhabited, and entirely free of tourist infrastructure. What it lacks in amenities it more than compensates for in natural beauty and sheer, uncomplicated quiet.
The island is covered in dense olive groves and punctuated by the red-domed buildings of a small working monastery, one of the most striking and unexpected sights in this part of the Aegean.
Drop anchor in the bay of Agios Petros, a calm natural inlet that serves as a popular mooring spot through the summer months, and spend the morning swimming in water that has been slowly warmed by the sun to near-perfect temperature. The island's trail network winds through the forested interior and up to viewpoints that take in the full sweep of the surrounding sea, rewarding for motor and sailing yacht charter guests willing to venture beyond the shoreline.
- Day 7
Return to Skiathos
A last morning on the water before the journey home
The final leg of your Sporades yacht charter brings you back to Skiathos, completing the circuit through one of the most naturally beautiful and ecologically significant island groups in Greece.
Opt for an overnight passage and spend the last few hours at anchor, with a morning coffee on deck and the unhurried pleasure of a week on the water still intact before disembarkation.
If time allows before your flight, the Skiathos waterfront offers a good final hour ashore, a string of cafes, a small daily market, and the particular satisfaction of watching other Greek yacht charters come and go from the harbor.
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*All distances are approximate
