THE MED · THE ATLANTIC ISLES · THE GULF · THE CARIBBEAN
Find your day on the water.
Catamaran lunches off Mallorca, sunset yachts on the Bosphorus, caldera cruises in Santorini, marina nights in Dubai. The best sailing trips in every great sailing destination, reviewed and gathered in one place.
Where everyone wants to sail
Three destinations to sail before any other.
Barcelona for the catamaran day off the Catalan coast, Santorini for the caldera cruise no other sea can match, Dubai for the warm-night yacht run past the towers. Three places that earn the trip on their own, with the boats travellers rate most in each.
Catalonia · Spain
Barcelona
The Catalan coast does the catamaran day better than almost anywhere: a wide flat deck off Port Olímpic, the city skyline falling away behind the wake, a swim stop in clear water and live music for the run back in. Most boats give you the choice of a daytime cruise or the sunset one, and the evening sail is the one travellers come back talking about.
- 1 Barcelona: Daytime or Sunset Catamaran Cruise with Music
- 2 Barcelona: Sunset Catamaran Cruise with Live Music
- 3 Barcelona: Sunset or Day Catamaran Cruise with Tapa & Drink
Cyclades · Greece
Santorini
No sail in the Med has a backdrop like the caldera. The catamarans loop the volcanic cliffs to the red and white beaches, anchor over the hot springs for a swim, then turn for the open water as a BBQ goes on the stern and the sun drops behind the rim. It is the trip people plan the whole Santorini visit around.
- 1 Santorini: Catamaran Tour with BBQ Dinner, Drinks, and Music
- 2 Premium Small-Group Catamaran Cruise with BBQ, Open Bar, Transfer
- 3 Santorini Classic Catamaran Cruise with BBQ, Drinks and Transfers
United Arab Emirates
Dubai
Dubai sails after the heat of the day. A yacht out of the Marina runs the canal of towers, past the Palm and the Burj Al Arab glowing offshore, with breakfast on the flybridge or a BBQ as the lights come on. Flat warm water, late evenings, and the kind of cruise that keeps going long after the Mediterranean season has shut down.
- 1 Dubai Marina: Luxury Yacht Tour with Breakfast or BBQ Option
- 2 Dubai: The Luxury Yacht Tour with Live BBQ Option
- 3 Dubai Marina Yacht Tour with Optional Breakfast or BBQ
Book this one first
The sail more travellers pick than any other.
If there is room on the trip for one day on the water, this is the one it usually goes to. A safe place to start.
The classics
The Most Popular Sails We Cover
Palma catamarans, Dubai marina yachts, Santorini caldera cruises, Funchal whale boats. The sails that fill most travellers’ days on the water.
Pick a sea, pick a season
Where are you sailing this year?
The Mediterranean in summer, the Atlantic islands all year, the Gulf when the Med turns cold. Three regions, three standout destinations, and the season that comes with each.
Istanbul
Two continents, one stretch of water.
No other sail puts a city like this on both banks. A Bosphorus cruise out of Istanbul runs the strait between Europe and Asia, past the palaces and the waterfront mansions, with the call to prayer carrying over the water as the light goes. Most boats give you the sunset slot or the daytime one, and a small-group yacht keeps the deck yours for the run up and back.
- 1 Istanbul Bosphorus Sunset Cruise on Luxury Yacht
- 2 Istanbul: Sunset or Day Small-Group Yacht Cruise with Snacks
- 3 Istanbul: Bosphorus Sunset Cruise on Yacht with Live Guide
Portugal · The southern coast
The Algarve sails into the cliffs.
The whole point of sailing the Algarve is the coastline itself: ochre cliffs cut into arches and sea caves, the boats nosing into the Benagil grotto where the light pours through the roof. A catamaran out of Albufeira or Lagos works the caves in the morning calm, drops anchor for a swim, and runs the cliffline home as the rock turns gold in the afternoon.
See the best Algarve sailing trips →Portugal · The Tagus
Lisbon looks best from the river.
The city was built to be seen from the water, and a sailboat on the Tagus gives you the whole front of it: the 25 de Abril bridge, the Belém tower, the low evening sun on the painted houses. Daytime, sunset or after dark with the lights coming on, with a glass of vinho verde going round and the skyline sliding by.
See the best Lisbon sailing trips →The Balearics
Mallorca is built for the long lunch at sea.
A catamaran out of Palma or the north coast runs the easiest day in the Med: out to a turquoise cove for a swim off the ladder, a buffet laid out on the flat deck, the sails up for the run home along the cliffs. Half a day or a full one, with the island’s clear water doing most of the work.
See the best Mallorca sailing trips →By destination
Browse sailing by destination.
Barcelona for the Catalan coast at sunset. Santorini for the caldera under sail. Dubai for the marina after dark. Istanbul for the Bosphorus, Mallorca for the long catamaran lunch, Lisbon for the Tagus at golden hour, the Algarve for the Benagil caves, Cancún for the run out to Isla Mujeres.
More destinations
More places to sail.
Whale waters off Madeira and Tenerife, the schooner harbour at Key West, the calm leeward coast of Aruba, the dunes of Fuerteventura, Málaga on the Costa del Sol, the Hawaiian swell off Oahu and the Pacific catamarans out of Cabo San Lucas.
Just added