[Dany]

Hi,
We’re at the Italian border (Menton). Took a quick look at Navily, and… what a shock! The prices are outrageous! 57 euros for a 9-meter boat in Sanremo, and some ports are charging 100 euros! Ouch.

Of course, there’s anchoring, but with the “no anchoring within 300 meters” rule (and many of the recommended anchorages on Navily don’t respect this rule), plus the fact that we need to stop ashore to document the cities and villages along the way for our work, it’s really not an option

So, my question is: can we expect prices to go down now that the season is ending? If anyone here has experience with Italy out of season, I’d be happy to hear their thoughts.

[WPI]

Hello,

In San Remo, there’s a free quay, so I wouldn’t say the port is expensive… And the 300-meter rule isn’t everywhere; we’ve never had an issue anchoring wherever we’ve been in Italy. It’s true that in Liguria, there are fewer anchorages compared to other areas, but there are usually solutions.

[Mann]

In Italy, port fees range from expensive to very expensive, and like everywhere, there are high and low season rates. Starting July 1st, prices go up significantly, but they drop in September.

As for anchorages, you can generally anchor within 200 meters without any problems. What you need to avoid is anchoring too close to the beaches with umbrellas; it’s the beach managers who tend to call the coast guard in those cases.

 

[Sylvain]

Despite regularly dipping my keel in Northern Italy (Liguria, Gulf of Genoa, Tuscany, Rome, Sardinia, etc.), I haven’t frequented many ports, but those I have visited didn’t seem much more expensive than in France. I must say, Mediterranean ports in France are already quite pricey for my taste.

Of course, you shouldn’t compare it to the Old Port in Menton, which is probably one of the cheapest on our side; when I stopped there a few years ago, I paid 15 or 16€ for an 8.6-meter boat during high season.

Here are some examples from Italy (a bit outdated, so they should be updated):

• Imperia, new port: Less than 40€ for an 8.6-meter boat in July.
  For Imperia, the new port is ugly and really far from the city. The old port is much better, but there’s not much space. There might be an option to go to the small fishing port right after, with a bus that goes to the city, although this one is not meant for pleasure boats. I’ve seen a few sailboats there.
• San Remo: Free quay for a few days (otherwise, other pontoons are expensive).
• Lavagna/Chiavari: Few available spots and expensive in season (I don’t know about off-season).
• Civitavecchia (near Rome): About 45€ for a 10.6-meter boat during high season.
• La Caleta (North Sardinia, Maddalena), Santa Maria di Galura (charming, North Sardinia), Cagliari (Marina del Sol, South Sardinia): All these ports charge around 40-45€ for a 10.6-meter boat during high season.

I find it too expensive, but not more than in France, right?

That said, I’m far from being an expert. I much prefer anchoring, and it’s possible almost everywhere (a bit harder in Liguria, it’s true). In addition to being more enjoyable even when there are crowds, it saves money, which can be spent on something else, like a nice restaurant now and then. But hey, everyone has their own way of cruising, and there are no wrong ways in this domain 😉

 

[Dany]

Thank you for your advice! I’ll take note of all that!
So, I’m posting another question here to avoid cluttering the forum:
I’m still a bit confused between Zones A, B, and C. If I understand correctly, in Zone A, everything is forbidden: you can’t pass through, swim, nothing. But what about the other two? Can I pass through under sail? Under motor? Or, in doubt, should I take a detour every time my GPS indicates a protected zone, no matter the letter?
I must say, when I look at the GPS, the indications in Italy are like fireworks! There are signs absolutely everywhere! It’s easy to get lost!

[Author]

Posts