The best places to sail in Europe

Approximately 71% of the globe is covered by water, which means that there’s plenty of space for people with boats to explore: in fact, there’s over 510 million square kilometres for sailors to get their hull over. With that much space, there should be more than enough room for manoeuvring a yacht or catamaran without hitting anyone or anything!

And of the 195 countries in the world right now, over 75% are accessible by sea, so there’s a whole world to go at: all sorts of different climates, cultures, cuisines, marinas and even types of boats to discover!

That said, there are some parts of the world that it’s not practical or safe to sail to, and there’s some seas which are covered with ice for the vast majority of the year – so it’s no surprise that there are some parts of the world which have better conditions, and are favoured by part-time sailors (who don’t have the time or inclination to schlepp through high seas).
So assuming you have one week off work, where are the most popular places to sail in Europe right now? Here’s our list of our favourite cruising grounds – you’ll note that they’re all in the Mediterranean, where waters are crystal clear and seldom too choppy:

Sailing in Greece

Greece has a perfect mixture of sunshine coupled with reliable winds and stunning scenery and outstanding places to moor up – either in secluded bays or in historic fishing villages. People have been sailing around Greece for centuries, if not millennia - there’s even Greek mythology which has chapter and verse about sailing around the islands, trying to avoid sirens, centaurs, cyclopses! - so every island has a port or marina, and the locals welcome you with open arms and smiles.

It has a vast and diverse range of islands, and plenty to explore – which is why it is still the most popular sail cruising ground in Europe.

Sailing in Croatia

Further up the coast from Greece, the second most popular cruising ground (and growing fast) is Croatia. Whilst Greece has it’s history, Croatia has it’s modern facilities – the country only gained independence in 1989, and was hitherto a largely unexplored set of islands. Over the last 30 years, they’ve invested massively in sailing infrastructure, with the building of over 30 brand new marina’s in strategic places around the coast which are ideally suited to sail-tourism.

Croatia is also a great place for island hopping, there’s castles galore, and there’s national marine conservation parks where the scenery is completely unspoilt. It’s also slightly cooler than Greece in peak season.

Sailing in Italy (& Sicily & Sardinia)

Italy, the home of some of the finest food and wine in the world, and also an exceptional place to sail. It enjoys the same climate and winds as Greece, but with less islands to hop around, you’re most likely to be heading up and down the coastline, and, with the exception of circumnavigating Sicily or Sardinia, sticking to the mainland. That doesn’t mean the sailing isn’t perfect – the Amalfi coast is on the mainland and literally millions of people a year head there (and it’s even better from the sea, by the way) – but it does lack some appeal for island hoppers.

But if you look more closely, it is possible to island-hop in the Aeolian islands (just north of Sicily), the islands near Napoli (Heard of Capri, anyone?), and a cluster of islands at the Tuscan archipelago, and you can even sail out to Sardinia or Corsica from there. All outstanding scenery, and you’ll enjoy a memorable holiday!

Sailing in France (& Corsica)

The South of France backs onto the Mediterranean sea, and Corsica is just a handful of nautical miles away. This are is so famous and so popular with the rich and famous that most of the ports are too full to be able to house many charter yachts!

And the rich and famous don’t come here for no reason – they enjoy the glitz and glamour of Monte Carlo, the champagne bars of Saint Tropez, and the decadence of Monaco, along with the beautiful wall-to-wall sunshine and outstanding scenery (best viewed from the deck of a luxury super-yacht). It’s one of the best and most prestigious places to sail in Europe.

Sailing in Montenegro

The new kid on the block. With a coastline which borders Croatia (and a similar history), it was only going to be a matter of time before some kind of developments were made in sailing infrastructure, and we’re starting to see that now. It has great scenery, climate and winds, so once the marinas are in place, we’re predicting that the boats will start flocking there.

There’s already a few intrepid innovators who have been sailing in Montenegro so far, and it is fast becoming a cool place to go.