Italy · Tuscan Archipelago
Yacht Charter Elba
The largest island in the archipelago, with two coasts that behave nothing alike and a fraction of the traffic further south.
Elba is the third-largest island in Italy and almost nobody charters it, which is the reason to. It sits an hour off the Tuscan coast inside a national marine park, has granite slabs on one side and iron mines on the other, and holds a fraction of the boats you would find off Capri on the same August afternoon.
Two coasts, and they are not alike
The north is granite and clear water — Sant'Andrea, Capo Sant'Andrea, Padulella — with slabs running into the sea and depths you can read the bottom through. Portoferraio, the main harbour, is a deep natural basin with a Medici fortress round it and both of Napoleon's houses inside.
The south-west corner has the sand: Cavoli, Fetovaia, Seccheto. The east is the working half, where the iron came from — Rio Marina still shows it, and the ore is the reason the island was fought over for three thousand years.
Inside a national park
The whole archipelago is a marine park. Anchoring is regulated in places and the crew hold the current detail. Montecristo and Pianosa are restricted: you sail past rather than land, which is what almost every week does.
Two yachts in this fleet are based at Cala de' Medici, an hour and a half east. Everything else is positioned for your dates, so this is a week to decide on earlier than a Campanian one.
Practical notes
- Two yachts are based at Cala de' Medici, an hour and a half east; the rest are positioned
- The whole archipelago is a national marine park and anchoring is regulated in places
- Montecristo and Pianosa are restricted — you pass rather than land
- Pisa airport is under an hour from the base, Florence about ninety minutes
Reached from: Cala de' Medici
Where to dine
A table by the water
Emanuel
EnfolaOn the water below the headland, doing fish that came in that morning and nothing that did not.
Publius
PoggioUp in the hills above Marciana, and the island's other cuisine: game, mushrooms and a cellar.
Capo Nord
Marciana MarinaOn the rocks at the end of the harbour wall, and the sunset that the whole north coast is angled for.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
Portoferraio
A deep natural basin behind a Medici fortress, with both of Napoleon's houses inside the walls and provisioning that works.
Sant'Andrea
Granite slabs running into water clear enough to read the bottom through, on the north-west corner.
Cavoli and Fetovaia
The sand is on the south-west corner, sheltered from the northerly and shallow a long way out.
Rio Marina
The mining half of the island, where the iron came from — and the reason the island was fought over for three thousand years.
The fleet
Yachts available for Elba
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Elba
- Why Elba instead of Sardinia?
- Fewer boats, shorter passages and a national park nobody thinks to charter. Sardinia has clearer water; Elba has the same August with a fraction of the traffic, and it is closer to a Tuscan airport.
- Can we land on Montecristo?
- No — access is strictly limited and booked far ahead by a quota that has nothing to do with charter. You sail past it, which is what almost every week here does.
- What does a yacht charter to Elba cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
Charter here
Enquire about a charter on Elba
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.