Genoa Boat Show Yacht Charter

Why Genoa International Boat Show belongs on the water

Genoa International Boat Show day-by-day

Indicative running order based on prior editions. Final times are released by the organisers closer to the date; your concierge will confirm the working schedule for your charter week.

1. Day –3 to –1

   Mon–Wed pre-week

   Yacht arrivals & rig

   Charter yachts arrive Genoa from Sardinia, Corsica, the Tuscan coast or repositioning west from the Adriatic through Monday and Tuesday. Marina Porto Antico, Marina Molo Vecchio and Marina Genova Aeroporto berths confirm; the Waterfront di Levante display footprint rigs through Wednesday.

2. Day 1 — Thu

   Show opens, opening reception

   Salone Nautico doors open Thursday morning. The first working day with calm walking density; broker schedules flexible; headline yard walk-throughs at full pace. Thursday-evening opening reception programmes at the major yards (Sanlorenzo Square, Benetti pavilion, Ferretti Group) and the principal-table opening dinner at Il Marin or Tre Merli.

3. Day 2 — Fri

   First full working day, German and Swiss buyer day

   Doors 10:00–19:30. Peak attendance for the German, Swiss and Austrian buying community travelling for the show. Yard-principal-led walk-throughs concentrate Friday morning; brokerage second-round meetings begin in the afternoon. Friday-evening dinners at The Cook, San Giorgio and the contested principal-table programme across Genoa's old town.

4. Day 3 — Sat

   Public peak

   Public peak attendance Saturday across the show. Buyer-side calendar generally pauses; Saturday is the day for the Portofino lunch escape (90-minute cruise east) or the on-board principal-table foredeck lunch. Saturday-evening receptions on the headline shipyard hospitality yachts.

5. Day 4 — Sun

   Quieter Sunday & shipyard visits

   Sunday morning is the calmest single show morning — the contested time for senior principal walk-throughs with yard founders. Sunday afternoon often programs a shipyard yard-visit excursion (Sestri Levante for Sanlorenzo, Viareggio further south for Benetti and Codecasa) by helicopter or car.

6. Day 5 — Mon

   Working close & Italian industry day

   Doors 10:00–19:30. Italian industry concentration; the broker-and-yard working close of the show. The Italian fashion-and-design community presence concentrates Monday evening; dinner programme at Il Marin, Tre Merli, San Giorgio, Le Cantine Squarciafico.

7. Day 6 — Tue

   Final day & decision wrap

   Final show day, doors 10:00–18:00. Light morning attendance for any remaining principal walk-throughs. Decision conversation Tuesday afternoon between principal and lead yard or brokerage. Quiet closing dinner on board or at San Giorgio.

8. Day 7 — Wed

   Departure or onward cruising

   Departure day. Charter yachts disembark in the morning, or slip lines for a 3–7 day onward cruise: Portofino, the Cinque Terre, Lerici and the Gulf of Poets, or further west to Monaco for the lead-in to Monaco Yacht Show two weeks later.

Where the week actually happens

The berths, terraces, lounges, and tables that define Genoa International Boat Show. Access varies: some require a host on the inside, others can be arranged through our concierge.

• Berth
  Marina Porto Antico — Genoa Old Port

  The historic Renzo Piano-redesigned Old Port marina at the heart of central Genoa. Side-on and stern-to positions for charter yachts to 50m; walking distance to the Waterfront di Levante show entrance and to the Genoa old town restaurant programme. The default working charter berth for the central Genoa attendance.

• Berth
  Marina Molo Vecchio — Genoa

  Adjacent to Porto Antico, with deeper-water capacity for the 50-to-70m bracket. The choice for the larger charter yachts and for shipyard host charters needing deep-water side-on positions across show week.

• Show venue
  Waterfront di Levante

  The renewed Renzo Piano-designed eastern harborside, home to the Salone Nautico's main display jetties and the pavilion footprint. Walking distance from both Porto Antico and Molo Vecchio.

• Restaurant
  Il Marin — Eataly Porto Antico

  Marco Visciola's contested Genoa restaurant, on the upper floor of Eataly with views over the Old Port. The principal-table dinner reservation across show week; book by July.

• Restaurant
  San Giorgio — Cervo

  Forty minutes' drive west along the Riviera; the contested principal-table coastal dinner alternative for the show-week table that wants distance from central Genoa. Beach-side terrace and a serious Ligurian-cuisine kitchen.

• Restaurant
  The Cook — Genoa Old Town

  Ivano Ricchebono's Genoa restaurant in the old town. Useful working principal-table dinner alternative; tighter and more intimate than Il Marin.

• Restaurant
  Tre Merli — Genoa Porto Antico

  The Old Port institution, walking distance from Porto Antico. Useful for the larger industry-introduction dinner of twenty to thirty in the upper-floor private room.

• Hotel & dining
  Splendido Mare — Portofino

  Belmond's Portofino harbourside hotel and restaurant, 90-minute cruise east of Genoa. The contested Saturday-lunch escape venue across show week; useful daytime principal-table excursion.

• Yard visit
  Sanlorenzo Sestri Levante yard

  Sanlorenzo's flagship Sestri Levante facility, 50 minutes east of Genoa by car. Programmed yard-visit excursion across show week for senior buying-side principals; coordinated through Sanlorenzo Square at the show.

• Restaurant
  Il Cigno — Lerici (Gulf of Poets)

  The Gulf of Poets coastal restaurant, two hours east of Genoa by car or an overnight cruise. Useful destination dinner for the post-show continuation week into the Cinque Terre.

What Genoa International Boat Show actually costs

Indicative all-in budgets for a seven-night charter timed to the event. Base rates are the yacht only; APA (advance provisioning, typically 30–35%), VAT where applicable, and event-week berth supplements sit on top.

A seven-day yacht itinerary around Genoa International Boat Show

1. Day 1 — Wed

   Genoa board, soft evening

   Board mid-afternoon at Marina Porto Antico. Walking orientation of the old town and the show footprint, early-evening aperitivo on the aft deck, quiet on-board dinner before the show opens Thursday.

2. Day 2 — Thu

   Show opens, opening reception

   Late-morning entry to the Salone Nautico via Porto Antico. Working walk-through of the headline Italian-yard displays through the afternoon. Thursday-evening opening reception on the Sanlorenzo Square or Benetti pavilion, then principal-table dinner at Il Marin.

3. Day 3 — Fri

   First full working day, German/Swiss buyer day

   Working day. Yard-principal-led walk-throughs of the principal's shortlist concentrated Friday morning; brokerage second-round meetings in the afternoon. Friday-evening principal-table dinner at The Cook or Tre Merli for the working table.

4. Day 4 — Sat

   Portofino lunch escape & evening reception

   Saturday morning: 90-minute cruise east to Portofino, lunch at Splendido Mare for the principal-and-advisor table, return mid-afternoon to Genoa. Saturday-evening hosted reception on the aft deck for fifty (the densest function of the week).

5. Day 5 — Sun

   Yard visit & quiet evening

   Sunday morning: programmed shipyard yard-visit excursion to Sanlorenzo Sestri Levante or Benetti Viareggio for the principal-and-broker table. Sunday-evening quiet dinner on board.

6. Day 6 — Mon

   Working close

   Working day at the show. Closing-conversation meetings in the sky lounge through the day. Monday-evening dinner at San Giorgio (Cervo) or on board.

7. Day 7 — Tue

   Decision day, show closes

   Final show day. Decision conversation with the lead yard or brokerage on the surviving shortlist. Quiet closing dinner on board; Wednesday morning departure or onward cruise to Portofino, the Cinque Terre and Lerici.

What life on board looks like

How Genoa International Boat Show actually gets booked

1. T–10 to T–12 months
   Yacht longlist & berth strategy

   Charter enquiries for the following September Salone open in October or November of the prior year. Marina Porto Antico and Molo Vecchio allocations firm up through spring; the better positions are taken by April.

2. T–6 months
   Yacht contracted

   Yacht contracted with 50% deposit by March for a September show. Berth contract confirmed in parallel.

3. T–4 months
   Yard programme drafted

   Yard-principal walk-through schedule confirmed with Italian-yard sales leadership for the principal's shortlist; restaurant reservations confirmed across Il Marin, The Cook, San Giorgio and the Portofino-lunch venue. Yard-visit excursions to Sestri Levante or Viareggio scheduled if relevant.

4. T–2 months
   Guest list & dietary lock

   Final guest list, arrival flights, dietary requirements, stateroom assignments to chief stewardess. Helicopter shuttles between Genoa airport and the chartered yacht coordinated for principal and senior guests.

5. T–4 weeks
   Rehearsal & supplier confirmation

   Captain, chief stewardess and chef walk through the daily flow with the broker. Suppliers confirmed; branded provisioning ordered if relevant.

6. Show week
   Live concierge

   On-site concierge from Wednesday through Tuesday close at Marina Porto Antico, holding the master schedule in real time.

Yachts suited to Genoa International Boat Show

Examples from our current fleet. Final yacht and berth are matched to your group and event week at proposal stage.

Genoa International Boat Show charter — questions answered in depth

• What does a Salone Nautico Genoa yacht charter cost, all-in?

  A 42-metre yacht for the show week (six nights, Wednesday arrival through Tuesday close) typically runs €295,000–€515,000 all-in. That comprises a base charter fee of €200,000–€350,000, APA of 30%, the Marina Porto Antico berth supplement of €22,000–€48,000, and concierge, restaurant, helicopter and on-shore coordination of €40,000–€85,000. A 52-metre yacht moves the all-in to €490,000–€900,000; 65m+ moves beyond €1.6m.

• How is Genoa different from Cannes Yachting Festival three weeks earlier?

  Two meaningful differences. Inventory orientation: Genoa is the home show of the Italian shipyard cluster — Sanlorenzo, Benetti, Azimut, Ferretti Group, Riva, Wally — with unusually deep access to yard founders and senior management. Cannes is the working autumn show with broader European inventory including French, Dutch, German and British yards. Buyer profile: Genoa attracts a more concentrated German, Swiss, Austrian and Italian buying community; Cannes is broader.

• Can I get a Marina Porto Antico berth?

  Yes — engagement by spring of the show year is recommended for the better positions. The marina offers transient charter berths across show week; Molo Vecchio is the secondary option when Porto Antico is full.

• Can I coordinate yard visits to Italian shipyards?

  Yes — and this is one of the most common single use-cases. Yard visits to Sanlorenzo Sestri Levante, Benetti Viareggio, Codecasa Viareggio, Tankoa Genoa, Baglietto La Spezia and others are coordinated across show week for senior buying-side principals; the chartered yacht acts as the calm base between the show floor and the yard excursions.

• What's the right yacht size for the show?

  For a principal-and-advisor buyer charter: 36–46m. For an Italian-shipyard host charter with meaningful hosted receptions: 47–58m. For a yard headline activation: 59m+. The 42–52m bracket is the sweet spot.

• Can I extend the charter into Monaco Yacht Show two weeks later?

  Yes — a popular continuation for the established European principal. Two-week continuation cruise via Portofino, the Cinque Terre, Lerici, Saint-Tropez and Cannes, with Monaco Yacht Show as the destination; charter pricing typically moves to a bridging rate across the intervening fortnight.

• What's the post-show cruising option?

  Genoa is the natural launchpad for the Ligurian coast and the Tuscan Archipelago. Portofino is 90 minutes east; the Cinque Terre and Lerici are a day's cruise further; Elba and the Tuscan Archipelago are an overnight further south. Late September on the Ligurian coast is one of the calmest cruising windows of the European year.

• What's the weather in late September?

  Reliably 22–25°C daytime, 16–19°C overnight, calm Ligurian sea conditions. The one operational risk is an autumn Mediterranean weather pattern from the south; we monitor through the week.

• How do guests get to Genoa?

  Genoa Cristoforo Colombo airport is the primary commercial gateway — 20 minutes from Marina Porto Antico. Milan Linate and Malpensa are useful alternatives (90 minutes and 120 minutes by car respectively) with deeper private-aviation infrastructure and direct intercontinental connections. Helicopter shuttle Milan-to-Genoa coordination is standard for senior principal arrivals.

• Can children come?

  Yes — the show is family-friendly and the post-show Ligurian continuation (Portofino, Camogli, the Cinque Terre) is one of the most beautiful family cruising windows of the Mediterranean year.

• Is the WiFi on board good enough for business use?

  Yes. European charter yachts at the relevant scale run Starlink with redundant cellular failover; bandwidth supports board calls and video conferencing. Genoa cellular coverage is excellent across both marinas.

• What's the cancellation policy?

  Yacht charter cancellation follows the MYBA agreement signed at contract — typically 50% deposit non-refundable from signing, balance at six months, full balance non-refundable inside ninety days. Berth contracts are non-refundable from allocation. Specialist charter cancellation insurance is recommended and we introduce a broker at contracting.

Plan a genoa boat show yacht charter from a private superyacht — front-quay berth, Michelin-level crew, helicopter and concierge handled end-to-end.