Day Yacht Charter in Ibiza, Mallorca and the Riviera: Costs

The harder question is not the price but whether the yacht you like will accept a single day at all. Burgess is blunt about it: a week is the standard length of a yacht charter, and most yachts will not consider anything shorter. Very occasionally, Burgess says, a yacht offers fewer days, when it has last-minute availability or a low-season opening; and some yachts, such as the Leopard 27 m below, are advertised as day-charter yachts with a day rate. Knowing which kind of yacht you are dealing with explains almost everything about price, availability and what is included.

This guide covers crewed yachts only, not self-drive boat rental: how a day or weekend is priced, what is extra, how many people can come, when single days are available, and what a day looks like in Ibiza, Mallorca and the French Riviera.

What is a day yacht charter, and how is it different from a week?

A day charter is a crewed yacht for a few hours or a full day, with no night on board; you board in the morning and are back in port in the evening. A weekly charter is the standard product: seven days, the yacht as your home, the route spread over several coasts. Most large yachts are built and priced for the week.

The difference shows up in three places.

Length. Denison Yachting says day trips, such as catamaran charters, often last 4 to 8 hours.

Pricing. A large yacht is normally quoted per week under MYBA terms, and a short charter on it is worked out from that weekly rate (formula below). Yachts that specialise in day charters publish a day rate instead.

Guests. On a week, guests are limited by cabins and by the 12-guest rule for cruising. On a day out, some yachts may take more people than they can sleep.

A weekend with a night on board is, for pricing and guest numbers, a short version of a normal charter, not a long day trip.

How is the price of a day charter calculated?

A charter shorter than a week is usually priced from the weekly rate with a premium. Burgess says charters of fewer than seven days usually attract a premium, calculated as the weekly rate divided by six, multiplied by the number of days. So one day costs a sixth of a week, not a seventh. Expenses come on top.

IYC also says fees are quoted weekly and other durations are calculated pro-rata against the weekly rate, without mentioning a premium. It adds that during busy periods some yachts may require a minimum 10-day charter, which rules out a single day altogether.

Applying the Burgess formula to the typical advertised weekly rates that Ahoy Club publishes by size (for the yachts it lists in euros, across all destinations, not only these; consulted November 2026) gives a sense of scale. These are our calculations, not quotes, and they only apply if the yacht agrees to a short charter at all.

All figures are before VAT, APA and tip.

What do yachts that sell day charters actually ask?

Yachts that work as day boats publish a day rate. In the one example below it is lower than the pro-rata figure for a 30 m yacht (€5,900 against about €9,170). The published example for Ibiza, consulted in November 2026:

It is a listing price, not an offer. On the Leopard, a full high-season day for 12 people works out at €5,900 ÷ 12 = about €492 each before VAT, or about €595 each with 21% VAT (€7,139 ÷ 12), before fuel.

On a yacht that normally charters by the week, expect the pro-rata logic rather than a day-boat rate.

What is included in a day charter, and what is extra?

The rate pays for the yacht and its crew. Fuel, food and drink, berths and VAT are normally extra, as on a weekly charter, although some day boats include drinks, as the Leopard above does. The only reliable answer is the written quote, which should list every item.

What the published terms say:

• The charter fee. Under MYBA terms, according to Burgess, the rate covers the hire of the yacht and her crew; all other expenses are for the charterer’s account.
• Running costs. On longer charters these are paid through the APA. Burgess says it covers operating expenses on board such as food and drink, fuel and port fees, and IYC puts it at around 25-40% of the charter fee. On a short charter on a large yacht, expect the same principle. Our APA guide explains how it is accounted for.
• Fuel on day boats. The Leopard 27 m listing in Ibiza says fuel is paid according to consumption and usage, separately from the day rate.
• Drinks and toys. The same listing includes the crew, cava, wine, beer, soft drinks and a jet tender with watersports in the day rate.
• VAT. According to Ocean Independence (November 2025), charters starting in Spain pay 21% VAT, with no reduction for time in international waters, and charters starting in France or Monaco pay 20%, with a proportional reduction possible for time in international waters. On a €17,500 day, that is €3,675 in Spain or €3,500 in France before any reduction. More in yacht charter VAT by country.
• Tip. Denison says there is no specific guideline for day trips and that 10-20% of the day rate is customary; on a €5,900 day, that is €590-1,180. The same page notes that MYBA’s guideline of 5-15% of the total charter cost applies mainly to the European market. See the crew tipping guide.

Ask whether the price includes bringing the yacht to your boarding port: the Leopard listing mentions a possible transfer fee for departures away from Ibiza Port.

How many people can come on a day charter?

On most charter yachts, 12 guests is the limit while cruising, even if the yacht has more space. Some yachts may take more people for a day or an event than they can sleep, but only if the yacht’s paperwork allows it. Ask for the day-guest limit of the specific yacht before you invite anyone.

What the sources say:

• The 12-guest limit. Northrop & Johnson says most yacht charters are limited to a maximum of 12 guests while cruising, even on yachts with ten cabins, because of international maritime rules; yachts certified to the Passenger Yacht Code can carry more. Burgess says the majority of yachts can cruise with 8 to 12 guests, depending on their length, and that crew do not count.
• More by day than by night. Ahoy Club lists ACCAMA DELTA, a 30-metre Azimut on the French Riviera, as sleeping 10 guests in four cabins but able to take up to 36 guests for a day charter or event, in summer. The same listing also says “up to 36 guests cruising”, above the usual 12-guest cruising limit, so get the yacht’s figure in writing before you count on it. The Leopard 27 m in Ibiza has 8 berths and takes up to 12 people cruising.
• Static events. IYC notes that on a static charter, with the yacht staying docked, the guest list can be significantly higher, sometimes up to 200 people.

On a weekend with a night on board, the limit is the berths and the 12-guest rule, not the day figure.

When can you get a yacht for just a day or a weekend?

Single days are easiest outside high season and at short notice, when a yacht has a gap between two weekly charters. In July and August and around the big events, high-season rates usually apply (Burgess) and some yachts may require 10-day minimums (IYC).

The evidence:

• Burgess says yachts very occasionally offer charters for fewer days if they have last-minute availability or low-season openings, and that some yachts set a minimum number of days.
• Burgess lists July and August, Christmas and New Year, and major events such as the Monaco Grand Prix and the Cannes Film Festival as periods when high-season rates usually apply.
• IYC says some yachts may require a minimum of 10 days in busy periods.

Three things improve your chances: flexible dates, June or September rather than August, and a smaller yacht set up for day work. Our guide on when to book a yacht charter covers lead times and seasons, and how much a luxury yacht charter costs shows the full budget for a week if a day turns out to be poor value on the yacht you want.

What does a day on a yacht look like in Ibiza and Formentera?

A day from Ibiza Town can take in Formentera’s turquoise water and a beach-club lunch on Ibiza’s south coast, or a west-coast afternoon at Es Vedrà for the sunset. The distances are short, so a day can include two or three stops without long passages.

A typical shape, drawing on our Ibiza and Formentera guide:

1. Morning: Ses Illetes and Espalmador. The sandbar at the north of Formentera is the best-known stop. Arrive early: in high season it gets crowded with boats.
2. Lunch: Cala Jondal. On Ibiza’s south coast, where many of the island’s best-known beach clubs sit. Yachts anchor off and guests go in by tender. In August beach-club tables are in high demand, so give the crew your preference in advance.
3. Afternoon: Cala d’Hort and Es Vedrà. The classic sunset anchorage facing the rock, if the wind allows. Then back to port.

The one rule that shapes every stop is posidonia. The Balearic government has banned anchoring on posidonia seagrass since 2018, and SuperyachtNews notes that the rules affect all vessels, whatever their size. The captain will look for sand or a buoy, which is another reason to start early.

And in Mallorca?

From Palma, the closest day options are in the south-west: the bay, Portals Vells and the coast towards Andratx and Sa Dragonera. As a day trip, Cabrera works only for boats up to 15 m on the day buoys; a larger yacht needs a booked overnight buoy, and the largest buoys take yachts up to 35 m. The north-west coast is spectacular but exposed, so it depends on the weather on the day.

Options, based on our Mallorca guide:

• Palma Bay and Portals Vells. A short trip for a swim and lunch on board. Portals Vells lies in one of the mapped posidonia no-anchoring zones.
• Andratx and Sa Dragonera. West to the natural park off the south-west tip, with lunch in Port d’Andratx or on board.
• Cabrera, only for small boats. The Balearic government says the national park’s day buoys are for boats with a maximum length of 15 metres, with a navigation permit, between one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset. The permit is free and valid for one year, but it has to be requested in advance. A superyacht will not use these buoys.
• The Tramuntana coast. Sa Calobra and the north-west cliffs are exposed to northerly winds; in a northerly swell the captain will change the plan.

And on the French Riviera?

The Riviera has two events that shape the season: the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Prix. A normal day might link Monaco, Cap Ferrat and Villefranche, or Cannes and the Lérins islands. Around both, day use is less about swimming and more about hosting guests on board.

A normal summer day, based on our French Riviera and Monaco guide:

• Cannes and the Lérins islands. The Lérins islands, just off Cannes, for a swim and lunch on board.
• Monaco to Villefranche. Out of Port Hercule, west to Cap Ferrat and the Rade de Villefranche.
• Saint-Tropez. Pampelonne’s beach clubs from anchor, if you board nearby.

On anchoring: the orders of the French maritime prefecture for this coast let a yacht of 24 metres or more (20 metres or more between the Var and Monaco) anchor only seaward of a limit line; inside it, it may only lie on licensed buoys. A large yacht anchors further out, so the tender does more of the work. Our French Riviera guide says what that means at each stop.

Can you charter a yacht for one day at the Monaco Grand Prix or in Cannes?

Yes, but usually as a hospitality package or a short event charter, not as an ordinary day out, and at high-season rates. In 2027 the Monaco Grand Prix runs from 3 to 6 June and the Cannes Film Festival from 11 to 22 May. Yachts and berths for both go early.

Monaco Grand Prix. The Automobile Club de Monaco gives 3 to 6 June 2027 for the Grand Prix, with the sprint format for the first time. YachtCharterFleet (updated November 2025) separates two products. A hospitality package is unlikely to include accommodation, so guests leave the yacht during the day; the best include VIP tender transfers of around 15 minutes, which cannot run while cars are on the track. A full charter gives you your own accommodation on board. Burgess counts the Grand Prix as high season.

Cannes Film Festival. The 80th edition runs from 11 to 22 May 2027, according to the Palais des Festivals. Y.CO notes that berths, yachts, restaurants and hospitality opportunities are in particularly high demand during the festival, and that many of the most sought-after private events take place on board yachts. Burgess also lists the festival as a high-season period. For a reception on board, ask about the yacht’s guest limit for a static event, which can be much higher than the cruising limit, as IYC explains.

For both events, read the cancellation terms before signing; our guide to the MYBA charter agreement explains what to look for.

Ask for a day or a weekend with the full cost shown

Tell us the date (and whether it can move), the number of guests, whether anyone will sleep on board, where you want to board and what the day is for: swimming, a beach-club lunch, a celebration or an event. A charter specialist will tell you which yachts take day or weekend charters on those dates and send options with the rate, fuel, extras and VAT set out clearly. The charter is contracted with the yacht’s owner through a licensed charter agency, usually under the MYBA agreement, with the full price and VAT clear before you sign. Tell us your plan.