Below Deck in Greece: Sail the Filming Locations by Catamaran

Below Deck in Greece: Sail the Filming Locations by Catamaran

Updated May 2026.

Below Deck Mediterranean‘s most recent season set its yacht week across the Greek islands, and the show’s signature visual — a luxury superyacht swinging at anchor in a Cycladic bay — sent a fresh wave of charterers looking for the same week. The honest news for anyone watching: you can sail those exact same anchorages on a 45-foot catamaran for roughly a twentieth of the per-week rate the show’s megayachts command. This piece is the working catamaran-charterer’s guide to the Greek waters Below Deck has popularised, the locations a 45-50 ft cat actually reaches, and a 7-day Athens-Cyclades route inspired by that yacht-week aesthetic.

Below Deck Mediterranean’s Greek season — what to know

Below Deck Mediterranean’s most recent season filmed in Greece in 2024, with the show’s production crew, charter guests and yacht crew working from a luxury motor-superyacht through the Greek-island cruising ground. The exact filming itinerary isn’t published in detail, but the visual signature of the season — Cycladic light, whitewashed harbours, deep-blue Aegean anchorages, the trademark sunset deck dinners — points to the same circuit serious Greek charters have sailed for decades. The on-screen yacht is a 50+ metre motoryacht crewed by a captain, chef, chief stew and deckhands; the cost of that platform is roughly $250,000–400,000 a week before tip. The good news, repeated across the rest of this guide: every anchorage the show drops into, your own charter catamaran can reach.

8 Greek anchorages a Below Deck-style charter week sails to

The Cycladic islands deliver the show’s visual signature — bare granite, white-and-blue villages, electric-turquoise water, dramatic afternoon meltemi sailing. The Saronic Gulf and the Athenian fringe islands offer the calmer, mainland-Greek alternative. These eight stops cover the marquee scenery and the practical anchorage options for your own catamaran week.

1. Mykonos — Ornos, Psarou and Super Paradise

Mykonos is the daytime-party island that defines a Below Deck-style week — Nammos at Psarou, Scorpios at Paraga, the celebrity beach clubs along the south coast. Charter catamarans anchor at Ornos Bay (5-8 m sand, moderately sheltered) or Platis Gialos for an easier swim-and-lunch day. Super Paradise is iconic but exposed — day-use only in meltemi season. The new port handles charter handovers with stern-to berths and a 10-minute transfer to the chora for dinner.

2. Delos and Rineia — the UNESCO archaeology + the secret anchorage

Delos is the ancient sanctuary of Apollo and one of the most important archaeological sites in the Mediterranean; anchoring beside the ruins is forbidden, but a day visit by guided tour is permitted (pre-booked from Mykonos new port). The anchorage secret is Rineia, the uninhabited island immediately west — Cala Charos and Stenoporos Bay anchor in 6-10 m sand, fully sheltered. Most charter cats overnight at Rineia and tender to Delos for the morning tour.

3. Paros — Naoussa town and Kolymbithres

Paros offers two distinct Below Deck-style scenes: Naoussa town’s harbour-front dinner scene (Mario, Barbarossa, the late-night cocktail bars along the seafront) and Kolymbithres‘s wind-sculpted granite swim coves. Charter catamarans anchor in Naoussa Bay (8-12 m on sand, well-sheltered by granite headlands) and tender into town for the night, or anchor 1 NM west at Kolymbithres for a postcard-perfect lunch stop. See our dedicated Paros must-see guide for the full island stop-list.

4. Antiparos and Despotiko — the quiet alternative

Antiparos sits 1 NM south of Paros — a quieter, smaller-scale Cycladic chora favoured by charter weeks that want the Mykonos-Naoussa aesthetic without the Mykonos-Naoussa crowd. Despotiko, the uninhabited islet 1 NM further southwest, is the secret stop: an active Apollo-sanctuary archaeological dig, fully-sheltered anchorage in 6-10 m sand, zero light pollution, the kind of overnight repeat charterers schedule deliberately. Below Deck-style charters that prioritise the quiet-anchorage cinematics over the party-beach action gravitate to Antiparos and Despotiko.

5. Naxos — the largest island, the deepest harbour

Naxos’s chora has the most-protected natural harbour in the central Cyclades, with the famous Portara temple gate marking the entrance. Charter cats stern-to on the town quay (€40-80 in season) or anchor just outside the breakwater. Naxos is the best provisioning stop of the Cycladic circuit — fresh produce, fish from the morning market, the local kitron liqueur.

6. Ios — Manganari Beach and Mylopotas Bay

Ios divides charter weeks into two camps. Mylopotas Bay holds the famous beach club scene that fits the Below Deck-Med social rhythm. Manganari on the south coast is the postcard alternative — three sheltered bays, sand-bottom anchoring in 5-9 m, almost zero crowds outside high August. Most charters visit Mylopotas for an afternoon and Manganari for an overnight.

7. Santorini — Ammoudi Bay and the caldera

Santorini is the iconic Cycladic visual and the operationally hardest stop. The caldera is too deep to anchor (300+ m); the permitted mooring buoys at Athinios and Ammoudi book months ahead. Most charter cats anchor at Vlychada on the south coast and taxi 25 minutes to Oia for the sunset. The cinematic dinner at Ammoudi Bay’s tavernas (Sunset, Dimitri’s) is the standard charter highlight — pre-book; Ammoudi fills after 18:00.

8. Folegandros — the cliff-top cinematic stop

Folegandros is one of the quietest inhabited Cyclades and arguably the most cinematically composed — the chora sits on a 200-metre cliff above Karavostasi harbour. The small marina handles charter cats (€30-50 in season) or anchor in the bay in 8-12 m. Dinner at a chora terrace taverna at golden hour is the Below Deck-style highlight; most charter weeks include one Folegandros night specifically for this view.

Catamaran vs Below Deck superyacht — the honest comparison

The show’s yacht is a 50+ metre motor superyacht with a crew of 8-12 and a week-rate of €200,000-350,000 before food, fuel and tip. A 45-50 ft charter catamaran from Athens-Alimos, fully crewed with skipper + hostess, runs €15,000-22,000 for the same week and sleeps 8 in real comfort — roughly 1/15th to 1/20th the per-crew cost, same waters, same anchorages. The catamaran also enters bays the megayacht draft locks out (Rineia, Despotiko, Manganari, Folegandros’s inner harbour), tenders to shore-side tavernas the superyacht skips, and the smaller crew creates a more relaxed week. The case isn’t aesthetic — it’s logistical.

A 7-day “Below Deck-inspired” itinerary from Athens-Alimos

The standard route a Below Deck-style charter week takes through Greek waters, scaled for a 45-foot catamaran from Marina Alimos:

Day 1 (Sat eve): Alimos → Kea (50 NM) or Kythnos (40 NM). Light first-night sail across the Saronic into the Western Cyclades. Anchor at Vourkari (Kea) or Loutra (Kythnos).

Day 2: Kythnos → Mykonos new port (45 NM). The morning meltemi run. Arrive by 16:00 for the south-coast beach-club afternoon. Night in Mykonos chora.

Day 3: Mykonos → Rineia + Delos morning tour (10 NM). Anchor at Rineia. Afternoon swim, sunset on board.

Day 4: Rineia → Naoussa, Paros (15 NM). Lunch at Kolymbithres en route. Dinner in Naoussa town.

Day 5: Paros → Antiparos and Despotiko (12 NM total). Day at Despotiko archaeological site; overnight at Antiparos chora or the inner Despotiko anchorage.

Day 6: Antiparos → Folegandros (45 NM) or Naxos (25 NM). If the meltemi forecast is reasonable, push to Folegandros for the cinematic cliff-top dinner; otherwise overnight at Naxos for the easier return.

Day 7: Folegandros (or Naxos) → Alimos. Long return. The Day-7 leg is the main downside of a round-trip from Athens; the one-way Alimos-to-Mykonos format eliminates it. See our 7-day Athens-Santorini Cyclades itinerary for the one-way alternative.

Practical: best months, costs, what to pre-book

Best months: June and September are the high-quality windows. June water reaches 22-23°C with the meltemi just beginning; September water is at the summer peak (24-25°C) with the meltemi fading. July-August deliver peak meltemi (25-35 knots, days at a time) and peak prices. See best time of year to charter in Greece for the full picture.

Typical week cost: a 45-ft bareboat catamaran from Alimos runs €11,000-15,000 boat charter + €1,800-2,400 expenses for a crew of 8 — roughly €1,625-2,225 per person all-in. Adding a hostess (€1,300-1,500/week) and a skipper (€1,750-2,000/week) is the standard Below Deck-style upgrade. The complete cost picture is in cost of a week on a catamaran in Greece.

What to pre-book: Delos guided tour (2-3 weeks ahead); Naoussa dinner reservations (day before); Ammoudi sunset taverna (3-5 days ahead); Santorini mooring buoys (months ahead). For the broader Greek catamaran picture, see our Greek Islands by Catamaran.

Frequently asked questions

Where was Below Deck Mediterranean filmed in Greece?

The most recent season filmed across Greek waters in 2024, with the production working from a luxury motor-superyacht through the Cycladic and Saronic cruising grounds. The exact day-by-day itinerary isn’t published, but the visual signature of the season — Cycladic light, whitewashed harbours, deep-blue Aegean anchorages — points to the same circuit charter catamarans have sailed for decades.

Can you visit the same locations on a catamaran charter?

Yes — every Cycladic anchorage shown on the series is reachable by a 42-50 ft charter catamaran. A few stops (Delos guided-tour only, Santorini caldera) require pre-booked moorings, but the broader route is open. The catamaran’s shallow draft and smaller size actually reach bays the show’s superyacht has to skip — Rineia, Despotiko, Manganari, Folegandros’s inner harbour.

How much does a Below Deck-style yacht week cost in Greece?

The show’s superyacht charters at roughly €200,000-350,000 per week. A comparable charter catamaran with full crew (skipper + hostess on a 45-ft cat) runs €15,000-22,000 for the same waters and the same anchorages — roughly 1/15th the per-crew cost. The Greek season is fully accessible without the megayacht budget; see how much it costs to rent a catamaran in Greece for the breakdown.

What’s the best month to charter a catamaran in Greece?

Mid-June or mid-September. Water is at summer temperature, the meltemi is at its most predictable (and least extreme), and prices sit 15-25% under peak July-August rates. September is the single best month if your calendar permits.

Do I need a sailing licence to charter in Greece?

Yes — Greece requires the registered skipper to hold a recognised sailing licence (ICC, RYA Day Skipper, US Sailing Bareboat or equivalent) plus a VHF radio certificate. Greek law also requires a co-skipper qualification on bareboat. If no one on your crew is qualified, hire a professional skipper (€1,750-2,000 per week) — this is the standard Below Deck-style upgrade and removes the licensing burden entirely. See rent a catamaran with a skipper for the format details.