September in the Med trades the DJ booths and queueing tenders for warm water, soft light and better value.
High summer grabs the headlines, but the connoisseur’s weeks are the ones just after. Harbours breathe again, the sea stays inviting, and the late-afternoon glow off limestone and terracotta flatters everything. If you want to see the West Med without spectator sport energy, now is the window. Burgess has flagged rare short-notice availability on a half-dozen notable yachts, with pricing that will make some August bookings feel a touch rash.
TALISMAN MAITON sets the tone. At 54.2m, with space for 12 in six cabins, she is open 13 September to 16 October across Italy, Spain and Croatia. Rates start from EUR 231,000 per week. That range matters. You can skirt Capri at breakfast, then find Dalmatian quiet by sundown, the hull carving a silver line through evening chop. West Med late season is about options, and this yacht gives you three first-rate coasts on one calendar.
FORTITUDE 1 is a South of France play from 16 September. At 44.1m for 10 guests in five cabins, from EUR 280,000 per week, it is the priciest here, which aligns with her Côte d’Azur brief. Think still mornings in Antibes, coffee rising with the steam on the aft deck, and clear runs to beach clubs without the August gridlock. If you prefer your Riviera with conversation-level sound rather than festival volume, this is the time.
WILLOW, also in the South of France from 16 September, comes in at 42m for 10 guests, from EUR 175,000 per week. She suits families or two couples who like to move, swim, repeat. The sensory shift is subtle but real in late September. Quieter anchorages, the clink of halyards ashore rather than subwoofers, and an easy golden hour for a simple lunch that does not need a playlist. We’ve written more about Willow here.
LAMMOUCHE, 44m for 10 guests from EUR 182,000 per week, points to the West Med and the Balearics from 23 September. Menorca coves and Ibiza’s calmer shoulder season both live here. Rock faces hold heat, water toys do not jostle for space, and the tender ride back from a deserted cala at dusk is the sort of small luxury that justifies the trip.
In Greece, MAESTRO is available now. At 40.5m for 12 guests across six cabins, from EUR 170,000 per week, she offers proper capacity for a multi-generational charter without the circus. Fewer ferries, fewer flotillas, and more room to hear cicadas on deck while the breeze carries thyme from the scrub. September in the Aegean is a civilised compromise between summer energy and winter calm.
Rounding out the list, INS LAND brings a 35.8m package for 10 guests to the West Med, available now, from EUR 126,000 per week. It is the most accessible entry here, which broadens the appeal for a long weekend that stretches into a week. Smaller marinas open up, and that matters if your idea of luxury is slipping into a quay in time for a simple grilled fish and a short walk back under sodium streetlights.
What does this say about the market? That the shoulder season has graduated from insider tip to informed choice. Owners and managers are clearly aligning to meet demand beyond August. The pricing here, starting from EUR 126,000 and peaking at EUR 280,000 per week, reflects that shift without pretending September is a discount bin. It is value through experience, not markdowns. The calm is the point.
Hot take: If your calendar is flexible, September and early October in the Med beat high season on everything that counts for grown-ups. Water is warm, staff ashore are less harried, and the light makes even a short tender ride feel cinematic. The absence of spectacle becomes the luxury.
Details matter. All availability, locations and rates are correct at publication on 8 September 2025. Yachts book quickly. If none of the above fits, Burgess will build an itinerary around your dates and your pace. The modern way to charter is not to chase the crowd but to step around it. In yachts as in life, timing counts more than volume.
Read more about yachts here.
