Dream a little bigger, darling

Not all yachts were created equal. Some, quite simply, dwarf even the most fantastic floating palaces by their sheer size and scale. They are less boats and more like small cities at sea, designed to the exacting and often eccentric specifications of their exceedingly deep-pocketed owners. But a select few of these motorised monuments to ambition and audacity can be accessed, albeit for the kind of weekly rates that would make a small nation’s finance minister reach for the smelling salts.

But let’s not worry about the bill right now. Summer is fast approaching and very soon, everywhere from the Mediterranean to the South Pacific will be awash with superyachts, so finding one that will create waves (quite literally) when anchoring off Positano is critical. Here’s the definitive guide to six largest superyachts for charter in 2026.

Designed for multiple guests, Renaissance is more a floating hotel than a bespoke personal yacht. Built at Freire in Spain to a Passenger Yacht Code, which enables her to carry 36 guests in 19 cabins, the five-deck megayacht also has an Ice Class hull, meaning she can explore colder waters. Owned by Gary Klesch, the Anglo-American metals, mining and industrials magnate must surely have a taste for entertaining.

Burgess

Renaissance

EUR 3,000,000 (per week)

Charter Now

At 107m, Mar is the smallest yacht on this list. Owned by Sheikh Suroor bin Mohammed Al Nahyan of the Abu Dhabi royal family, who purchased her in 2023 as Lana, the 16-guest megayacht was renamed Mar and is still one of the largest yachts delivered by Benetti. With large windows, a plumb bow and well-balanced proportions, she was the charter of choice for Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos.

Y.CO

Mar

EUR 1,800,000 per week

Charter Now

For the third iteration of Kismet, Pakistan-born US billionaire Shahid Khan didn’t hold back. The owner of Fulham football club commissioned polished marble, gilded ceilings, hand-painted de Gournay wallpaper and fresco ceilings inspired by the Sistine Chapel (“Louis XIV meets Interstellar,” as the interior design team put it). Outside, a touch of Ibiza-inspired boho chic completes the 16-guest gigayacht.

Cecil Wright

Kismet

EUR 3,000,000 per week

Charter Now

Commissioned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who used her to locate the sunken Japanese battleship Musashi and host Cannes Film Festival parties, Octopus is the largest private yacht for charter. She was sold in 2018 to Swedish pharma billionaire Roger Samuelsson. Built by Lürssen in 2003, Octopus can host 26 guests in 13 cabins. She has a dock with room for a 20m submarine and can navigate Arctic waters.

Burgess

Octopus

USD 2,200,000 per week

Charter Now

Named after the children of Australian billionaire James Packer (Indigo, Jackson and Emmanuelle), IJE can sleep 22 guests in 11 cabins. Her impressive architecture is the work of British yacht-design studio RWD, while inside a five-deck glass lift acts as a light conduit through the heart of the vessel, with a spiral staircase floating around it and a 16m-tall art piece running alongside.

Yacht

IJE

EUR 1,800,000 per week

Charter Now

Commissioned by Bill Gates, who never set foot on board, the Breakthrough was sold to Canadian waste-management billionaire Patrick Dovigi for a reported $650m. At the core of this yacht is a 3.2mW fuel cell system running on cryogenic liquid hydrogen stored at -253°C, making her the world’s first hydrogen-powered superyacht. She’s available for charter for a cool €3.5 million per week.

Edmiston

Breakthrough

EUR 3,500,000 per week

Charter Now