Boat hire in L'Estartit

L'Estartit is the harbour for the Medes islands, the most visited marine reserve in Catalonia, under a mile from the harbour mouth, and it has the biggest concentration of no-licence boats on the Costa Brava: eight of its 18 companies advertise them. There are also three with skippered hire, two with sailing boats and two with jet skis. From the harbour you head for the Medes, with their mooring buoys and snorkelling seabed, north to the Montgrí coves (Cala Pedrosa, Cala Ferriol) or south to Pals beach and Begur, all under 5 miles. L'Escala, 9 km away, adds 14 companies.

The season runs from May to September. The Medes have strict rules: mooring on buoys only, speed limits, zones closed to diving and to boats; the companies explain them at handover. In a tramontana, the Montgrí gives partial shelter. There are scheduled glass-bottom boats to the Medes for those who would rather not charter.

Indicative high-season prices from the directory's reference table, reviewed September 2026: a no-licence motorboat costs €120–250 a day; a RIB of 6–8 m, €250–650; a 10–12 m sailing yacht, €400–900 bareboat or €600–1,500 skippered; a catamaran, €1,000–2,500; a skippered motor yacht, from €900. Expect 20–40% less outside July and August. Deposits run from €300 to €2,000 and fuel is extra. Each company sets its own prices.