Cheaper side of the Med. East or West.

[mocruising]

A question for all experienced Med. cruisers do Marinas get cheaper the further East you go or is it much of a muchness throughout. I had heard that Turkey/Cyprus was cheaper than the western area.

Any feedback welcome.

 

[adelecart]

I sailed from Spain through to Turkey over the past few years and I think marinas are definitly cheaper going east. There are a few expensive ones here and there in Greece and Turkey but generally they are good value. Spain is getting quite expensive as is France. I sailed to the south of Sardinia and Siciliy, most people go north so the marinas were much less expensive down there.

CG

 

[Sea Devil]

Italy is probably the most expensive area in the Med for marinas. The Greeks make you pay for a cruising permit and will demand money when you anchor anywhere near a port - Turkey is really beautiful with lots of free anchorages but the marinas are around Spanish prices. Best deal is probably Tunisia - excellent anchorages inexpensive marinas. Seem to remember that the Adriatic ports were more or less Spanish prices.

The point about the Eastern Med is that there are so many more good safe anchorages and much fewer marinas. The Brits seem to have a mind set that you need a marina because there are so few anchorages left but once you leave UK waters the 'pick' is the way to go..........

 

[MedMan]

[ QUOTE ]
The Greeks make you pay for a cruising permit and will demand money when you anchor anywhere near a port.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is amazing how different one's experience can be to others. I spent two years in Greek waters on my way though to Turkey and was never once asked to pay to anchor other than when actually moored within a harbour. I did have to pay for a cruising permit but that law was repealed last year for EU registered boats so it no longer applies. You still have to have a obtain a 'DEKPA' (Greek acronym for Private Pleasure Maritime Traffic Document) for which there is a flat charge of €30.00. It is a 6-page A3 booklet which, in theory, must be stamped by the port authority on entry to and exit from ports at which there are Port Police.

Having cleared up that little point, I agree with the others who have answered that, with a few notable exceptions, marinas are generally cheaper in the Eastern Med than the West. On top of that, throughout the Med, you find that marinas within easy reach of an airport or more expensive than those that are not, especially if the airport is served by many different charter companies and/or cheap carriers.

Since leaving the Western Med at the end of 2000 and excluding the periods of time when laying up and fitting out I doubt if we have averaged more than six nights a year in a marina or harbour. With so many anchorages, who would want to pay to be squeezed into a concrete cage?

 

[yachttequilla]

Regarding Greece, we spent Apr-Sept there last year Ionion and Aegean. Only in touristy harbours with Port Police did we get charged anything, outside of the one or two 'proper' marinas that exist. The port police charge is more of a nuisance paperwork 5-7 euros level than anything that breaks the bank in the W Med northern coastline.

No-one visited us at anchor at all for any sort of officialdom. And all this in a year when so many on here were pushing the need to steer well clear cos of the Olympics. OK, hotels in Athens overcharged initially but we found the islands off Athens to be perfectly pleasant.

 

[scarlett]

In five summers I have never been charged to anchor anywhere in Greece.

 

[prober6295]

Most times the Port Police dont even bother to charge as its more trouble than its worth
Never had to pay for anchoring and most times never in ports -stay away from Large private marinas.
West was most expensive. Alacante actually charged whole day for arrivining one hour before their day rate time.