There are places in the world that only make sense from the water. These are cliffsides that vanish into the sea, caves accessible only by boat, or villages built on stilts above the waves. No road leads there, but also no hiking trail reveals the full picture. The only way to get to the place is by water. What is more, the view is always worth it.
Towns by the sea that are built to accommodate walkers have their most beautiful views hidden from those coming from the seaside. Dubrovnik appears majestic when viewed from the city’s ancient wall. However, from a small boat, the grandeur of the defenses facing the Adriatic Sea takes on a whole new meaning.
The availability of water shows the real geography of a destination. Seemingly narrow bays on a map lead to large natural harbors. What appear to be ordinary rock formations on a highway turn out to be cathedral-like arches when one is close to them. That is why seasoned travelers always consider water-based days as one of the most memorable of all the trip.
How to Rent a Boat at These Destinations
Planning a water day at any of these locations starts with the right platform, the decision to rent a boat exact location. Local operators know the best anchorages, safe routes, and hidden spots that no guidebook lists. Always prioritize operators based in the destination over international aggregators with no local knowledge.
The following are some vital questions that you need to ask before booking:
- Does the price come with a skipper, or is it self-drive alone?
- What is the maximum distance one can venture?
- Do they provide the snorkel gear and safety equipment?
- What measures have they put in place for bad weather on that particular day?
- Is the anchoring in selected bays included or an added fee?
These factors will affect your whole day, so you should get informed beforehand. One way of avoiding disappointments while on the water is to get straight answers right from the beginning. Here are the destinations you should consider for a boat trip when you are traveling the world in 2026:
1. The Dalmatian Coast, Croatia
- Why it demands a boat: With over 1,200 islands scattered across the sapphire waters of the Adriatic, exploring Croatia by land forces you into rigid ferry timetables and packed port terminals.
- The Boat Experience: A rental boat grants you the freedom to island-hop at your own pace. You can anchor in the hidden, pine-scented coves of Hvar, explore the dense green national forest lagoons of Mljet, and steer directly alongside the massive, medieval stone walls of Dubrovnik for an unmatched view from the sea.
2. The British Virgin Islands (BVI), Caribbean
- Why it demands a boat: BVI is indisputably the capital of island-hopping; an overseas British territory located in the Caribbean Sea. The distance between the islands is relatively short, and the crystal clear blue water is sheltered from strong waves by nearby coral reefs.
- The Boat Experience: Many of the best spots here have no land access or hotels. A boat allows you to drop anchor right outside The Baths on Virgin Gorda, a surreal geological formation of massive granite boulders creating secret sea pools, or sail directly up to the legendary beach bars of Jost Van Dyke.
3. The Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia
- Why it demands a boat: The island chain known as Raja Ampat sits off the northwestern coast of the Birds Head Peninsula in West Papua. It includes over 1,500 tiny islands, cays, and shoals surrounding four large islands. It boasts the reputation of having the greatest biological diversity of the ocean anywhere in the world. This makes land transport extremely difficult due to its remoteness and jungles.
- The Boat Experience: Only the boat will be your means of entry into this undiscovered paradise. By taking a boat, you will enjoy navigating the intricate chain of mushroom-shaped limestone islets, dive straight into the virgin coral reefs home to mantas and pygmy seahorses, and land at secret jungle coves to follow the birds of paradise in the early morning.
4. Phang Nga Bay & The Andaman Sea, Thailand
- Why it demands a boat: This region is famous for its dramatic, vertical limestone karsts that shoot straight out of the emerald-green water. Towering cliffs make building coastal roads physically impossible.
- The Boat Experience: Renting a boat allows you to navigate right up to the sheer rock faces, weave through secret mangrove forests, and slip into hongs, hidden inland lagoons accessible only via narrow sea caves during low tide. You can visit the iconic Phi Phi Islands early in the morning before the massive day-tourist speedboats arrive from the mainland.
5. The Exumas, Bahamas
- Why it demands a boat: The Exumas are made up of 365 uninhabited islands spread out over miles of extremely shallow and translucent turquoise waters. Most of these small strips of land do not have any runways or ferry docks.
- The Boat Experience: This destination is a paradise for a shallow-draft rental boat or catamaran. You can navigate directly to the isolated beaches to swim with the famous sapphire-water pigs at Big Major Cay, snorkel inside the hollowed-out Thunderball Grotto reef, or anchor on completely deserted sandbars that disappear into the ocean at high tide.
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6. The Norwegian Fjords, Norway
- Why it demands a boat: The glaciers created very deep and narrow valleys several thousands of feet below the earth’s surface, thus making huge cliffs. Going around them takes hours in boring mountain winding as well as dark tunnels.
- The Boat Experience: Cruising deep into the waters of Geirangerfjord or the narrow Nærøyfjord places you directly at the bottom of these massive natural cathedrals. From the deck of a boat, you can look straight up at towering cliffs and watch spectacular waterfalls, like the Seven Sisters, cascade down thousands of feet directly into the water right beside you.
7. The Amalfi Coast, Italy
- Why it demands a boat: The coastal road linking the townships perched on cliffs is infamous for being extremely narrow, overcrowded, and congested with vehicular movement during summertime. Parking is almost always difficult to locate, and this will always ruin your experience.
- The Boat Experience: The true beauty of towns like Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello is realized when looking back at them from the water, where the colorful houses appear stacked precariously on top of each other. A rental boat lets you bypass the gridlock entirely, stop for a swim in the deep blue emerald grottoes, and sail across the bay to the rugged shores of Capri.
8. The Whitsunday Islands, Australia
- Why it demands a boat: Situated within the Great Barrier Reef, the archipelago comprises 74 tropical islands, the overwhelming majority of which comprise national parks that are untouched by humans and inaccessible by land vehicles.
- The Boat Experience: Sailing your own vessel gives you front-row access to one of the world’s premier marine environments. You can drop anchor directly at Whitehaven Beach to walk on its world-famous, swirling silica sands, or dive right off the deck into crystal-clear lagoons to snorkel directly over vibrant coral reefs.
9. The French Riviera (Côte d’Azur), France
- Why it demands a boat: The glamorous coastal towns of the south of France are completely packed with travelers on foot, and private beach clubs claim almost every inch of the shoreline.
- The Boat Experience: Having your own boat completely changes the dynamic. You can cruise away from the glitz of Saint-Tropez or Cannes to drop anchor in the crystal-clear, protected waters of the Îles d’Hyères (like Porquerolles) or navigate into the stunning, narrow limestone inlets known as the Calanques near Marseille, where high cliffs frame secluded, bright blue swimming holes.
10. The Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
- Why it demands a boat: The volcano chain resides as an island chain alone in the Pacific Ocean. The fact that it is a national park that is well protected makes land-based tourism available only in certain towns. Therefore, if you stay on the shores, you will miss out on the endemic species of wildlife.
- The Boat Experience: A boat serves as a mobile base camp, allowing you to wake up in a completely different, remote corner of the archipelago every single morning. It gives you direct access to isolated volcanic shores where you can step off the boat to hike alongside giant tortoises, marine iguanas, and blue-footed boobies, or snorkel with sea lions right from the stern.
Overall, it is highly recommended that the boat ride be incorporated into a whole day’s tour experience. Normally, boats operate for a period of four to eight hours. This provides ample time for having lunch ashore, doing shopping at the markets, or touring the historic city. GetBoat and other similar companies will facilitate easy transport from one place to another through boats.
The most attractive coastal resorts in the world have one thing in common. They are rewarding to those who come to them by sea. Cliff tops, caves, and secret coves that cannot be seen by land-based visitors are fully revealed by the water. Arrange the boat day. Make the rest of the trip around it. Such a priority list is seldom disappointing.