zarpeaPlanning · 6 min read
How much is a private boat trip in Vilanova i la Geltrú?
In short
Vilanova i la Geltrú is the marina for small groups: couples, families and a handful of friends who want the boat to themselves. Quieter than Sitges, coves less than 2 nautical miles away and sails at sunset.
Here's what each trip costs from the Port de Vilanova, what the price covers and what's good to know before you go. Every trip is on boat hire in Vilanova i la Geltrú.
What each trip costs from Vilanova
| Experience | 2 h | Half day (3–4 h) | Full day (5–8 h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skippered boat | €150 – €200up to 6 people€25 per person | €300 – €390up to 7 people€50 per person | €550up to 7 people€79 per person |
| Sailing boat | — | €420up to 6 people€70 per person | — |
| Sunset | €360up to 4 people€90 per person | — | — |
Price for the whole boat with skipper, from the most affordable to the priciest. Per person: the most affordable one, full. ‘—’: that duration doesn’t run from Vilanova i la Geltrú. Reviewed in October 2026.
These are ‘from’ prices: the most affordable boat for each trip, always the whole boat with a skipper on board. Your final price depends on the boat, the date and your group, and comes with your options.
- Skippered motorboat: 2 hours from €150, half a day from €300 and a full day from €550.
- Sailing boat: half a day under sail from €420, with a swim in open water.
- Sunset sail: 2 hours from €360 for the whole boat. Check what time the sun sets in Vilanova for your month.
Made for small groups: price per head
Boats here are small, and so is the bill: 2 hours for the whole boat starts from €150, against €243 in Sitges.
If there are only a few of you, look at the boat price. If you fill it, look at the price per head.
| Per person, boat full | 2 h | Half day (3–4 h) | Full day (5–8 h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skippered motorboat | €25 | €50 | €79 |
| Sailing boat | — | €70 | — |
| Sunset sail | €90 | — | — |
The sunset sail is a plan for two or four: a sailing boat all to yourselves, sails up and the sun dropping into the sea. It isn't the cheapest trip per head; it's the one you'll talk about.
What's included (and what might not be)
The skipper, always: they're part of the boat price. Fuel, food or snorkelling gear depend on the boat, and you get it in writing with your options, before you book.
Comparing with listings that charge the skipper separately? Add it up and compare the total: that's what you'll actually pay for a boat with someone at the helm.
Good to know before you go
With a skipper, all of this is taken care of for you. Still, it's nice to know.
No licence needed
With a skipper, nobody in your group needs a boating licence: the skipper drives. You'd only need one to take the helm yourselves, and since 1 October 2026 that applies even to small motorboats. More in do you need a licence to hire a boat in Spain?
Where you board
The Port de Vilanova, a Generalitat harbour with a life of its own, where fishing boats share the water with the marina. The exact pontoon and time come with your trip confirmation.
Small boats, by design
Boats here are small, each with its own maximum number of people, and the skipper sticks to it. Tell us how many of you there are and we'll find the one that fits; if you're a bigger crowd, read on.
Slow in the harbour
Inside the harbour, boats keep to 3 knots and nobody swims. Once you're past the harbour mouth, the sea is all yours.
Beaches belong to swimmers
Near the shore, the skipper keeps out of the buoyed swimming areas and uses the marked channels in and out. You swim at anchor, away from the bathers or in a quiet cove.
Sand, not seagrass
You're sailing in Costes del Garraf, a protected Natura 2000 marine area that runs from Cunit to Castelldefels, Vilanova included. The skipper drops anchor on sand, never on the posidonia seagrass meadows: you swim, and the seabed stays as it is.
The skipper has the final say
If the wind or the sea turns, the skipper decides the route, or when to head back. And you're covered: hire boats carry accident insurance for everyone on board.
Our pick from Vilanova
Two hours, cove to cove towards Sitges: a skippered motorboat and a swim at Platja dels Colls, 0.8 nautical miles from the harbour, or at Cala Xica, 1.3. Close, calm and the boat to yourselves.
Every cove between Vilanova and Sitges, with distances, is in our guide to the best beaches near Sitges by boat. And the other trips from the harbour are on boat hire in Vilanova i la Geltrú.
A bigger group? Try Sitges or Port Ginesta
If you won't all fit on a Vilanova boat, Sitges has skippered boats for bigger groups and Port Ginesta has full-day catamarans. Compare boat trip prices in Sitges and boat trip prices from Port Ginesta.
Frequently asked questions
Is Vilanova cheaper than Sitges?
On the boat price, a 2-hour skippered trip starts from €150 in Vilanova and from €243 in Sitges. Boats here are smaller, so for a big group compare the price per head too.
How much is a full day on a boat from Vilanova i la Geltrú?
A full day (5–8 h) with a skipper starts from €550 for the whole boat. Enough time to cruise down to Sitges, stop at the coves on the way and have lunch at anchor.
How much is a half-day sailing trip in Vilanova?
From €420 for the whole sailing boat, skipper included: you sail, drop anchor and swim in open water.
How much is a sunset sail for two?
A 2-hour sunset sail starts from €360 for the whole boat, skipper included, with room for up to 4. For two, that's a sailing boat to yourselves as the sun goes down; the departure time changes with the month.
Is the price per person or for the boat?
For the boat, skipper included. Boats in Vilanova are small, so the whole-boat price is the one to look at: divide it by the number of you on board for the price per head.
Can we hire a boat without a skipper?
Only with a boating licence: since 1 October 2026, Spain requires one to hire a boat and drive it yourself, however small. With a skipper, nobody in your group needs one.
Sources and method
The facts in this guide come from public, official sources. Each one is linked so you can check it.
- Real Decreto 1188/2025, of 26 December (BOE no. 314, 30 December 2025): on hire, «el arrendatario deberá estar en posesión del título correspondiente», so the person hiring a boat to drive it needs a licence; the new article 10 applies from 1 October 2026. Consulted 19 October 2026. boe.es
- Real Decreto 875/2014, third additional provision: boats are hired out without a skipper only to holders of «un título de recreo o un certificado habilitante en vigor», a valid boating licence or certificate. boe.es
- Real Decreto 1435/2010, article 8.5: owners and skippers must respect «el máximo número de personas embarcadas», the maximum number of people on board. boe.es
- Ley 14/2014 de Navegación Marítima, article 310: on a skippered charter, when safety is at stake, «prevalecerá el criterio profesional del patrón», the skipper's judgement prevails. boe.es
- Capitanía Marítima de Barcelona, Resolution of 9 April 2025 (BOPB, 10 April 2025): hire boats «con y sin tripulación» carry accident insurance for everyone on board (ch. I, 3.2); beach access channels 200 m long and 25 m wide, no anchoring in swimming areas and no more than 3 knots in and out of port (ch. II). bop.diba.cat
- Reglamento General de Costas (Real Decreto 876/2014), article 73: no leisure craft inside buoyed swimming areas; where there are no buoys, a strip of 200 m off beaches and 50 m off the rest of the coast, at no more than 3 knots. boe.es
- Decret 206/2001, Catalan port regulations, which apply in the Generalitat's harbours, article 20: speed in harbour waters «que en cap cas no pot ser superior a tres nusos», never above 3 knots (20.a), and port rules do not allow «el bany», swimming (20.g). ports.gencat.cat
- Real Decreto 191/2026, of 11 March (BOE, 13 March 2026, in force since 2 April 2026), article 5.1: anchoring on posidonia seagrass meadows is not allowed anywhere on Spain's Mediterranean coast («queda prohibido, con carácter general, el fondeo»). boe.es
- Costes del Garraf (ES5110020), Natura 2000 protected marine area: 26,474 hectares between Cunit and Castelldefels, from 0 to about 40 m deep (Sitges town council catalogue). seu.sitges.cat
- Port de Vilanova i la Geltrú, run by Ports de la Generalitat: marina with 998 berths for boats of 6 to 15 m. Consulted 19 October 2026. ports.gencat.cat
- Straight-line distances from the Port de Vilanova: Platja dels Colls 0.8 and Cala Xica 1.3 nautical miles, measured on OpenStreetMap on 13 October 2026. openstreetmap.org
Keep reading
Want a price for your trip from Vilanova?
Tell us the date, how long and how many of you. We'll find a skippered motorboat or sailing boat and send you the options with their price.
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