How to book a berth? Summer is starting, and the boating season is actually already well underway. Italian boaters have already prepared their boats or are finalizing preparations to set sail in the true sense of the word, not just for a few hours, but to embark on small weekend cruises or real boat vacations, in that vast network of possibilities that is the Mediterranean Sea. Routes are being planned, at least broadly outlining the main stages of the journey, starting from the departure port; the next step is deciding whether to spend nights at anchorage, or if instead, they will always sleep within a marina. Here, of course, everything depends on the comfort and safety desires of the entire crew, knowing that, moreover, in these cases, it is always better to be flexible: it is not always possible to sleep at anchorage, sometimes the weather simply does not cooperate. Finally, it becomes necessary to book the berth, choosing the tourist ports where to stop during your vacation. That will be the opportunity to sleep peacefully, to refuel, to take a nice shower, to have the bathroom just a few meters from your gangway, and of course to comfortably explore a city or a piece of coast.

Today we will see concretely how to book a berth without errors and without stress, to facilitate the planning of boat vacations and the cruise itself.

The importance of booking in advance, especially between June and September

The commandment is one: when it comes to booking a berth in summer at a tourist port, acting in advance is absolutely essential. Why? First of all, because, quite simply, the risk is facing completely full tourist ports, unable to accept even one more boat. The advice is to always book the mooring in advance, from July to September, especially for weekends and, above all, for all the days from July 15 to August 15: on these dates, the Mediterranean tourist ports are simply under siege. Those planning to include some “hot” spots of our coasts in their itinerary should therefore immediately check the availability of berths.

It is not only about the need to book the berth in the desired marina before the available moorings run out; booking the berth in advance also allows you to take advantage of better prices, as many marinas offer discounts or lower prices for early bookings. Moreover, those who arrive first tend to secure the best berths, leaving the less desirable accommodations to the last.

Is the destination you have in mind hosting special events on the dates you plan to moor in one of its tourist ports, such as regattas, festivals, concerts, or similar? Then it is advisable to act even more in advance!

How to book a berth? Better to gather information

Never book a berth blindly: before choosing a mooring, it is much better to gather information. Of course, sometimes you aim for a marina that you already know, and therefore cannot present any particular surprises. Other times, the route is set towards a particularly famous and renowned tourist port, so much so that it needs no introduction. In all other cases, however, it is necessary to pause and do a little research.

We have already written a guide on what to check before choosing a boat mooring, so we will go quickly here. Certainly, it is good to check that the location of the marina is good, and therefore it is not far from everything, a sort of cathedral in the desert that can be nothing more than a parking lot for the boat. Our tourist port of Genoa, for example, is located in the city center: just a few steps from our berths to find yourself at the Aquarium, or among the caruggi and the Palazzi dei Rolli.

Certainly, it is necessary to check that the mooring is suitable for your boat, in terms of available space and the height of the seabed, based on the size and draft of your hull. It is also good to verify that there are the services we need, that the port has good reviews, and that the price is fair, i.e., reasonable compared to the services actually present, the location, the available staff, and so on.

How to book a berth? The app option

Once the marina where to moor has been chosen, it is possible to proceed with booking the berth, thus ensuring that you do not find yourself without a place to moor, perhaps after a long day of sailing. How to book a berth? The most convenient options are two: either through a dedicated app or directly on the tourist port’s website.

In the first case, it should be noted that nowadays there are many different apps for booking moorings in marinas. Think of the famous Navily, which offers users thousands of ports, reviewed in detail by boaters: our tourist port Marina Porto Antico, for example, has a rating of 5 stars out of 5, with 42 reviews. Other useful apps, although less famous and less used than Navily, are Ormeggio Online, PortBooker, and Dock Booking. In most cases, to book a berth on these applications, it is necessary to be registered and have a credit card at hand.

Book the berth on the tourist port’s website

Of course, marinas that keep up with the times also offer the possibility to book a berth online, directly from their website. Our Marina Porto Antico in Genoa, for example, allows you to book the mooring online simply by entering your details, those of your boat (type of propulsion, dimensions), and the mooring dates in the appropriate form: our staff responds in less than 24 hours, to quickly secure the berth.

Are you spending this summer in Liguria with your boat? Book your berth today in our marina in Genoa, and let yourself be enchanted by this beautiful seaside city!