Turkish vs Croatian Gulet Charters: Which Is Right for You?

At a glance: the key differences

Both destinations deliver a crewed gulet, a fuel allowance for a normal cruising day (up to around four hours), a professional crew and a chef cooking on board. The differences are mostly structural — the contract, how VAT is shown, and the food and drink packages — rather than differences in standard.

The single most important thing to understand is how the price is presented. A Turkish quote shows the charter fee with 20% VAT added on top, so the headline looks lower until VAT is applied. A Croatian quote shows a VAT-inclusive rate, so the headline already contains the 13% — nothing is added afterwards. Once you compare the all-in figures, the two are far closer than the headlines suggest.

• Contract: Turkey uses Exclusive Gulets' own in-house agreement (not MYBA); Croatia uses the MYBA Charter Agreement.
• VAT: Turkey 20%, added on top of the quote; Croatia 13%, already included in the quoted rate.
• Food: Turkey Half Board EUR 595 / Full Board EUR 665 per person per week; Croatia Half Board EUR 550 / Full Board EUR 850 per person per week.
• Cruising: Turkey's Turquoise Coast (Bodrum, Gocek, Marmaris, Fethiye, Datca); Croatia's Dalmatian islands (Hvar, Vis, Korcula, Mljet, down to Dubrovnik).
• Fuel: both include fuel for a normal cruising itinerary of up to about four hours a day.

Cost structure compared

Neither destination is 'all-inclusive' in the loose sense the phrase is sometimes used. In both cases the charter fee covers the gulet, crew and a fuel allowance, and food and drink are added as transparent per-person packages. What differs is the contract framework and how tax appears.

A Turkish charter is quoted in three clear lines: the charter fee, the provisions package (per person, per week), and 20% Turkish VAT (KDV) applied to both. A Croatian charter is quoted on the MYBA model with a VAT-inclusive headline rate; you then add the food package and a drinks package, and budget separately for port fees, which are paid in cash on the spot. The full breakdown of what sits inside the rate, and how VAT works country by country, is covered in our dedicated guides on what's included and on gulet-charter VAT.

Because a gulet includes fuel for a normal cruising day, an Advance Provisioning Allowance (APA) is rarely needed — the gulet advantage over a standard MYBA motor-yacht charter, where an APA of 30–40% is the norm. In Turkey, the package model covers provisioning for groups of six or more adults, with an APA used only as a fallback for smaller parties. In Croatia, the MYBA contract carries an APA field, but our operators treat it as optional — you can settle extras in cash instead.

• Turkey: charter fee + provisions package + 20% VAT (shown separately).
• Croatia: VAT-inclusive charter fee + food package + a drinks package + cash for port fees.
• Croatian port and marina fees are paid in cash on the spot — budget roughly EUR 1,500–2,500 for a typical week, reduced by anchoring overnight in quieter bays.
• Croatia requires at least a minimum non-alcoholic drinks package (from EUR 160 per person per week); Turkey provides drinks at cost price with no markup, and welcomes your own with no corkage.
• An APA is rarely needed on a gulet in either country, thanks to the included fuel allowance.

Food and drink

Both destinations bill food as a transparent per-person, per-week package, with all meals prepared fresh on board by the gulet's chef.

In Turkey, food provisioning is managed in-house by Exclusive Gulets to guarantee fresh, locally sourced ingredients and consistent quality: Half Board (two meals a day) is EUR 595 per person per week, and Full Board (three meals a day) is EUR 665, both with unlimited snacks, bottled water, tea and coffee. Drinks are provided at our cost price with no markup, and you are welcome to bring your own with no corkage fee.

In Croatia, Half Board (breakfast and lunch) is EUR 550 per person per week and Full Board (adding dinner) is EUR 850. A drinks package is required: a non-alcoholic package starts at EUR 160 per person per week, with all-inclusive domestic and full international bar options above that, or you may bring your own for a fixed corkage of EUR 700 per week.

• Turkey food: Half Board EUR 595 / Full Board EUR 665 per person per week.
• Croatia food: Half Board EUR 550 / Full Board EUR 850 per person per week.
• Turkey drinks: at cost price, no markup; bring your own with no corkage.
• Croatia drinks: a package is mandatory (from EUR 160 per person per week); bring your own at EUR 700 per week corkage.
• Both run family-friendly children's pricing, with infants complimentary and reduced rates for younger children.

Crew and contract

In both destinations you sail with a professional crew — captain, deckhand, chef and hostess on a typical gulet — whose wages, uniforms and meals are included in the charter fee, along with the gulet's insurance.

The contracts differ, and that difference matters mainly for how your money is held and protected. Turkish gulets charter on Exclusive Gulets' own in-house agreement rather than MYBA, under which Exclusive Gulets acts as the stakeholder holding your funds. Croatian gulets charter on the MYBA Charter Agreement — the global luxury-yacht standard — which brings an independent stakeholder holding funds in escrow, an established cancellation scale and force-majeure provisions, with the operator's pricing inserted into the contract's Special Conditions. The booking sequence and payment schedule are the same in both cases and are set out in full in our dedicated guide on how a gulet charter works.

Customary crew gratuity is discretionary in both countries, with Croatian practice (10–20% of the charter fee) typically higher than Turkish (5–15%).

Scenery and cruising grounds

This is where the two genuinely diverge, and often where the decision is made.

Turkey is the home of the gulet and of the 'blue voyage' (mavi yolculuk) — the unhurried tradition of cruising the pine-clad bays of the Turquoise Coast. A typical week covers the Bodrum peninsula, the sheltered Gulf of Gokova, and the islet-strewn Gulf of Gocek around Fethiye, Marmaris and Datca: warm, calm, swimming-focused water with countless quiet anchorages. With the operations team handling transit-log paperwork, itineraries can also dip across to the Greek Dodecanese (Symi, Kos, Rhodes) on a transit basis, while starting and ending in a Turkish port.

Croatia offers a more dramatic, island-hopping character through central and southern Dalmatia — Hvar, Korcula, Vis, Mljet and the Pakleni islands, on down to the walled city of Dubrovnik, with the Kornati National Park reachable from the north. Expect striking scenery, historic towns and a livelier evening scene than the Turkish bays.

• Turkey: Bodrum, the Gulf of Gokova and the Gulf of Gocek (Fethiye, Marmaris, Datca) — sheltered, swimming-focused, the birthplace of the blue voyage.
• Croatia: Hvar, Korcula, Vis, Mljet and the Pakleni islands down to Dubrovnik, plus the Kornati islands — dramatic landscapes and historic towns.
• Turkey can add Greek Dodecanese day-calls on a transit basis; Croatian itineraries stay within the Adriatic.

Seasonality in brief

Both cruising grounds share the same broad Mediterranean season — roughly late April to October, peaking June to September — with May and October the quieter, better-value shoulder months. The Aegean side of Turkey can see the summer Meltemi wind, which an experienced captain plans around, while Croatia's island-lined Adriatic is generally more sheltered. For a month-by-month view of weather, crowds and value across both destinations, see our dedicated guide on the best time to charter a gulet.

Which should you choose?

There is no wrong answer — both are first-class. Choose based on the kind of week you want rather than on quality or value, which are comparable once you compare like-for-like.

Turkey tends to suit travellers drawn to calm, sheltered swimming bays and the original gulet tradition, families (children's pricing is generous, drinks are at cost and there is no corkage), and anyone who likes a transparent, itemised quote and the option of a Greek-island day. Croatia tends to suit travellers who want dramatic island scenery, walled medieval towns and a livelier shore scene, who prefer the familiarity of the MYBA contract with an independent escrow, and who are comfortable carrying cash for daily port fees.

If you are still undecided, our charter team will prepare a like-for-like all-in proposal for each, so you can compare the true total — VAT included on both sides — rather than the headline rate.

• Choose Turkey for sheltered swimming bays, the classic blue-voyage atmosphere, family-friendly pricing and an itemised quote.
• Choose Croatia for dramatic Dalmatian scenery, historic towns, a livelier evening scene and the MYBA contract framework.
• Either way, compare all-in totals (with VAT) rather than headline rates — the gap narrows considerably.