Rock the boat
Empuriabrava is an upmarket town situated on the Costa Brava, with a rich historical heritage and plenty of glittering blue water to splash around in. Reminiscent of Venice, it has 30 kilometres of sailable canals and 5,000 jetties, making it the largest residential marina in Europe. You can spend your time here at the beautiful beaches in the Gulf of Roses and the variety of waterfront bars and restaurants, or kick your trip up a notch and charter a boat.
Choose from a host of motorboats, rib boats, sailboats, catamarans and jet skis, then ride the small waves of Empuriabrava’s maze of waterways till the sun goes down. From this vantage point you can glimpse pristine gardens bursting with colour, Mediterranean houses and locals’ extravagant yachts.
When it opened in 1996, Eco Boats became the first company to start renting boats to people without a boating licence. Today, the company has more than 20 motorboats for hire, each of which is equipped with GPS. Its mission is to offer visitors an ecological way of touring Empuriabrava’s channels as well as a memorable experience. Its boats hold five to eight people and can be rented by the hour.
This is the Airbnb for boats. A peer-to-peer yacht charter platform, its French founders came up with the idea after observing that among the millions of boats in France, very few are used more than 10 days a year. Click&Boat allows boat owners to earn money to cover the expensive upkeep of their vessels, from maintenance and insurance to mooring, and renters to choose between hundreds of boats located in their preferred sailing area. In Empuriabrava there are currently 52 different types of boats available. Prices vary depending on the boat’s capacity, style and condition, but most fall between €200 and €600 per day.