Mediterranean Yacht Show 2027

Every spring, the Venetian harbour of Nafplio — Greece’s historic first capital, on the Argolic Gulf in the Peloponnese — becomes, for one week, the working capital of the Eastern Mediterranean superyacht charter industry. The Mediterranean Yacht Show (MEDYS) — organised by the Greek Yachting Association in partnership with the Municipality of Nafplio — is the moment the world’s leading charter brokers and managers gather at the Port of Nafplion to view the Greek-flagged superyacht charter fleet ahead of the summer season. 100+ superyachts, all over 24 metres, open their hatches across the show days; the year’s new launches make their Aegean debuts; and the chef competition that closes the show has become a Greek charter institution in its own right.

The 2027 edition is scheduled for late April or early May 2027 (dates TBC). The 2026 edition (11th anniversary) ran 2-6 May at the Port of Nafplion; dates for subsequent years are confirmed annually by the Greek Yachting Association. The show traditionally runs Sunday-evening welcome through to a Thursday-or-Friday close, with the Concours de Chef and crew awards on the final days. MEDYS is trade-only: closed to public visitors, accredited brokers and crews only, and the 24-metre minimum entry makes it the most concentrated superyacht-only charter show in the Mediterranean — distinct from MYBA (which accepts a wider yacht size range) and from the multihull-only EMMYS the same week.

The page below is built around how a charter client should actually approach Nafplio and MEDYS week: where to base in and around Nafplio for the show-adjacent days (the Port of Nafplion itself is locked to the show fleet, but the wider Argolic-and-Saronic-Gulf cruising window is open), where to embark your Greek charter immediately post-show (Athens-area marinas, Saronic Gulf islands, or direct from Nafplio), and how the post-MEDYS charter season unfolds across the Saronic Gulf, the Cyclades, the Sporades, the Ionian and the Turkish coast. Nafplio itself is 180 km / 2 hours south-west of Athens by road — brokers stay locally in the Old Town for show week rather than commuting from Athens.

The Mediterranean Yacht Show is a trade event in the strict sense: closed to the public, accredited brokers and crews only, no consumer entry tickets, and a strict 24-metre minimum yacht size. That structure exists because MEDYS is fundamentally a working week — the world’s leading charter brokers walking through 100+ Greek-flagged superyachts across the show days, comparing crews, kitchens, layouts, and itineraries, and forming the working knowledge they’ll spend the next six months recommending from. The brokerage market for the entire Greek superyacht charter season — May through October — is calibrated on this one week in Nafplio.

For a client booking a Greek charter, this matters in three practical ways. First, the fleet you’ll have access to is the fleet seen at the show. Yachts that present at the Port of Nafplion are, by definition, available for Greek charter that season; yachts that don’t are usually committed to French or Italian itineraries, in refit, or operating in Turkey under a different flag arrangement. Your broker’s first-hand notes from Nafplio are the difference between matching you to the right yacht and matching you to whatever is closest to your dates.

Second, the show’s 24-metre-and-above filter means MEDYS specifically calibrates the superyacht segment of the Greek market — the headline 30-to-60-metre motor yachts and the larger sailing yachts that form the upper tier of Greek charter inventory. Smaller yachts (under 24m) are present in the wider Greek fleet but aren’t showcased at MEDYS; for those, alternative sources of inventory intelligence apply.

Third, the show is when Greek charter pricing for the coming summer effectively settles. Yachts that present strongly hold their rates; yachts that don’t may negotiate. The fortnight after MEDYS closes is the single most efficient brokerage period of the Greek superyacht charter year. Clients booking through brokers who attend the show benefit from that intelligence directly, even though they never set foot in Nafplio during the show itself.

Booking timing for a Greek superyacht charter follows the MEDYS rhythm. The headline 40+ metre motor yachts and the largest sailing yachts in the Greek fleet are committed twelve-to-fifteen months ahead of their charter season — if you want a specific superyacht for August 2027, the conversation should start by spring 2026. For the wider Greek superyacht fleet (24-40m motor yachts) the practical window opens nine months out, and the fortnight after MEDYS closes is when the trade community has the freshest yacht-by-yacht intelligence.

Practical timeline for a Greek superyacht charter in the 2027 season:

• Twelve to fifteen months out (Feb–May 2026): The window for any 40+ metre yacht on the Greek programme, plus the headline yachts at Onassis-class scale (60-100+ metres). The most-decorated Greek charter yachts (regular A-list charter returners) are committed in this window. Boatcrowd’s pre-allocated Greek superyacht inventory is typically committed by the previous spring.
• Six to nine months out (Aug 2026 – Feb 2027): The window for mid-tier superyachts (24-40m motor yachts, sailing yachts to 50m) across the Greek fleet. Yachts repositioning from the Caribbean winter season or from Turkish operations are fully negotiable in this window.
• Three to six months out (Feb – Apr 2027): Standard fleet inventory remains available; some last-minute Cyclades-and-Saronic-Gulf yachts surface. The brokerage community works MEDYS during early May; the immediate fortnight after is the single most efficient booking window of the Greek year.
• Inside three months: Last-minute by Greek superyacht charter standards. Specific yachts may be unavailable; alternatives include the wider sailing-yacht fleet (under 24m, outside MEDYS), catamaran charters via EMMYS-affiliated brokers, or yachts based at Göcek (Turkish coast) running across the Greek border under combined cruise permits.

Practical embarkation for a post-MEDYS Greek superyacht charter splits across the Athens-area marinas (the dominant charter base concentration) and the wider Argolic-and-Saronic-Gulf options. The Port of Nafplion itself is locked to the trade-show fleet across MEDYS week; post-show, the show yachts disperse across the Greek coast to start their summer programmes.

Port of Nafplion — the MEDYS venue

The historic Venetian harbour at Nafplio, opposite the Bourtzi castle in the Bay of Argolis. Handles superyachts to roughly 60 metres alongside on the show pontoons. During MEDYS week the port is closed to non-show vessels; outside show week the harbour operates as a small working port with limited yacht-charter berthing. Practical for post-show embarkation only if your specific charter yacht is already on station from the show — coordinate with your broker.

Alimos Marina — Athens (largest Greek charter base)

The Alimos Marina (also known as Kalamaki Marina) on the southern Athens coastline is the largest charter-yacht marina in Greece by berth count. Handles superyachts up to about 50 metres alongside on transient berths. About 20 minutes by road from Athens International Airport, and the standard embarkation port for clients running a Saronic-Gulf-into-Cyclades programme. Many post-MEDYS yachts reposition straight to Alimos to take on their first charter guests within days of the show closing.

Marina Zeas — Piraeus (deep-water alternative)

The historic Marina Zeas at Piraeus — handles superyachts up to about 60 metres alongside. Practical alternative for clients wanting a Piraeus-based embarkation (close to Athens city centre) and for the larger superyachts that don’t fit Alimos’s transient berths. About 30 minutes by road from Athens airport.

Olympic Marine — Lavrio (Cyclades-direct embarkation)

The Olympic Marine facility at Lavrio on the south-east tip of Attica — a deep-water full-service marina handling yachts up to about 80 metres alongside, with strong superyacht-services infrastructure. About 45 minutes by road from Athens International Airport. Natural embarkation port for clients prioritising direct Cyclades access (Kea is two hours from Lavrio; Mykonos six) without the longer transit from Alimos or Piraeus.

Saronic Gulf village quays — Hydra, Spetses, Poros, Aegina

The Saronic Gulf island village quays (Hydra, Spetses, Poros, Aegina) sit immediately east of Nafplio across the Argolic Gulf. Smaller transient mooring options for the wider charter fleet, practical for charter clients prioritising direct island-based embarkation. Quay-side berthing is on transient availability; coordinate with your broker.

Cyclades base embarkation — Mykonos & Paros

For clients wanting to embark directly in the Cyclades rather than transit from Athens, Mykonos Marina (Tourlos) and Paros Naoussa offer transient yacht charter embarkations. Practical for shorter charters that skip the Athens-to-Cyclades transit; less flexibility on yacht selection than the Athens-area marinas.

The natural pattern for a post-MEDYS Greek charter is a 7-to-14-day programme spanning one or two of the regional Greek charter regions, plus optionally onwards to the Turkish coast or back to Italy. Early May delivers the genuine opening of the Eastern Mediterranean charter window — daytime highs 22-25°C, water 18-20°C, the meltemi winds not yet at peak, and the wider region opening for the season. The May-June shoulder delivers materially softer rates than the July-August peak.

• Argolic Gulf & the Peloponnese coast. Nafplio sits at the head of the Argolic Gulf; the southern Peloponnese coast (Monemvasia, Kythira, the Mani Peninsula) opens up south. Quieter cruising than the Cyclades; the Venetian fortress towns of the Peloponnese are some of the most photogenic anchorages in Greece.
• Saronic Gulf islands — Hydra, Spetses, Poros, Aegina. Immediately north-east of Nafplio across the Argolic Gulf. The traditional first-week-of-charter cruise — Hydra (no cars, harbour-front tavernas, day-trip from Athens), Spetses (Venetian houses, anchorage off Old Harbour), Poros (recent EMMYS host, opposite Galatas on the Peloponnese mainland), and Aegina (closest to Athens, pistachio capital).
• Cyclades. East-south-east of the Saronic, the headline Greek charter cluster: Mykonos and Delos, Paros and Antiparos, Naxos, Santorini, Milos, Folegandros, Sifnos. Two-week Cyclades programmes deliver the strongest single Greek charter experience — though July-August meltemi winds reshape the itinerary day by day.
• Sporades. Northern Aegean, less-trafficked alternative: Skiathos (international airport on the island), Skopelos (Mamma Mia film location), Alonissos (and the Sporades National Marine Park, the largest in Europe, with Mediterranean monk seals). Quieter, greener, materially less wind than the Cyclades.
• Ionian Islands. Western Greek coast, accessible via the Corinth Canal (60 nm west of Nafplio through the canal cut). Corfu, Paxos, Lefkada, Kefalonia, Ithaca, Zakynthos. Materially calmer than the Aegean (no meltemi), with shorter inter-island distances. Practical as the alternative Greek charter region for clients prioritising gentler-water programmes.
• Turkish coast. South-east of the Dodecanese (Rhodes, Symi, Kos, Kalymnos, Patmos), the Turkish charter ports at Bodrum, Marmaris and Göcek sit 200-400 nm from Athens. TYBA Charter Show runs at Göcek the same week as MEDYS — many Greek charter clients also evaluate the Turkish fleet. Greek-Turkish cruising permits are well-established; combined Greek + Turkish charters are a routine Boatcrowd booking pattern.
• Italian Adriatic (Apulia, Puglia coast). West across the Ionian Sea, accessible from Corfu in a 12-hour overnight passage. Practical for longer 2-3 week charters combining Greek and Italian programmes.

Nafplio’s Old Town — a grid of centuries-old Venetian streets and neoclassical mansions — is one of the most concentrated dining destinations in mainland Greece. The Greek charter brokerage community converges on the rooms below across MEDYS week. Most are walking distance from the show venue at the Port of Nafplion. Reservations are essential during show week; book at the time of charter booking through your broker.

Nafplio’s bar scene is concentrated in two zones: the Akti Miaouli waterfront (overlooking the harbour and Bourtzi castle) and the Old Town lanes around Syntagma Square. Across MEDYS week, the venues below run at peak capacity from 17:00 onwards as brokers, captains, and crews migrate back from the show pontoons into the city. Reservations help on Tuesday and Wednesday nights; walk-in works most other evenings.

Nafplio’s nightlife is structurally different from Athens or the Cyclades islands. There is no Mykonos-style headline-DJ club scene; the town is small enough that the entire MEDYS brokerage population fits in a handful of venues across the four to five show nights. The defining evening format is a hosted dinner on a show yacht or at one of the headline Old Town rooms, followed by a multi-stop cocktail-and-wine circuit through the Old Town lanes and along the Akti Miaouli waterfront.

• Yacht-hosted dinners on the show pontoons. The defining MEDYS evening format for participating brokers and presenting captains — hosted dinners on the visiting show yachts themselves. Many of the visiting yachts compete in the Concours de Chef across the show days, so the on-board cooking is at peak performance. For non-trade clients planning a post-MEDYS hosted-supplier programme, the same chefs and crews are available on the same yachts immediately after the show.
• Akti Miaouli waterfront promenade. The waterfront strip running west from the Port of Nafplion past the Bourtzi castle anchor — bars, cafes and restaurants overlooking the bay. The standing post-dinner walking circuit for MEDYS week, particularly on warmer evenings.
• Syntagma Square & the Old Town lanes. The central square is the social heart of Nafplio Old Town. Bars and cafes around the square and on the narrow lanes radiating outward run late through MEDYS week. Quieter than the Athens late-night scene but at peak Nafplio capacity across the show days.
• Hotel bars at Amphitryon & Nafplia Palace. The two 5-star hotels on the Akronafplia headland operate hotel bars with bay-view terraces and indoor lounge spaces. Practical for senior-broker hosted-cocktail formats away from the busier Old Town circuit. The Nafplia Palace runs two bars across its property.
• Off-Old-Town option — Karathona Beach. Karathona, a short drive west of Nafplio, runs a handful of beach-bar venues active across late spring evenings. Practical only for clients running a beach-club-style late programme; most MEDYS hospitality stays in the Old Town.
• Athens as the post-MEDYS late-night option. For clients extending the trip post-show with an Athens stay, Athens consistently ranks in the world’s top ten cities for cocktail bars and holds multiple positions on the World’s 50 Best Bars list. The 2-hour drive between Nafplio and Athens makes this realistic only as a post-show extension, not as an in-week commute.

Because the Mediterranean Yacht Show is a trade event with no consumer attendance, there is no charter-rate premium attached to the show week itself. Charter pricing in Greece follows the standard summer-season rhythm — July and August are the headline premium weeks, June and September are the secondary peak, and May and October run at standard or below-standard rates. Greek charter is structurally more competitive than the French Riviera or Italian Coast, in part because the Greek catamaran market drives a substantial portion of inventory.

Greek charters include the yacht, full professional crew (captain, mate, chef on larger yachts, stewardesses, deckhands), comprehensive insurance, and use of all on-board equipment and tenders. Most charters include the marina berth at Alimos, Marina Zeas, or Olympic Marine Lavrio for the embarkation and disembarkation nights; longer charters operate on anchorage for most of the week.

Additional costs are APA (typically 30–35% of the charter rate, covering fuel, food, beverages, and dockage), Greek VAT (rates vary by yacht flag and itinerary — typically 13% on Greek-flagged charters in Greek waters), and a recommended crew gratuity of 10–15% paid at the end of the charter. Cross-border clearance for trips into Turkish waters or Albania is administered by the crew but typically itemised in APA.

Greece has the largest catamaran charter fleet in the Mediterranean. Catamarans suit Greek cruising particularly well — they handle the meltemi (the northerly summer wind) more comfortably than monohulls, have shallow drafts for anchoring in smaller bays, and offer the deck space that families and groups prioritise. Catamaran rates start at approximately €18,000 per week for a quality 14-metre boat and scale up to €55,000+ for a fully-crewed 24-metre option. Boatcrowd's Greek catamaran inventory is particularly strong; ask your charter team about specific routes that suit catamaran cruising.