Evening trips in Venice
Paddling in the dark down the Canal Grande, under the illuminated Rialto Bridge, past the Salute church and through the narrow, unlit canals behind St. Mark’s is an experience beyond the normal.
The city of Venice is even more magical after dark. The Canal Grande is often eerily quiet and calm in the evening, lying almost dark between the illuminated palaces on the sides, disturbed only the occasional evening gondola and a vaporetto every twenty minutes, yet at times it can be as busy and tumultuous as in the day.
Most of the smaller canals are without any kind of illumination, only lit by the light from windows on the upper floors, or street lights from adjacent streets.
All Venice Kayak trips start from the Certosa island. Click here for instructions on how to find us.
An evening trip with Venice Kayak starts in the afternoon, about two hours before sunset, so we can prepare and launch before nightfall. We’ll then paddle around Venice, past the cemetery on the island of San Michele, to the Cannaregio area where we’ll arrive as it’ll be getting dark. We’ll paddle down most of the Canal Grande, from San Marcuolo to San Marco, passing the Rialto Bridge, to the Salute Church and St. Mark’s where we’ll enter the smaller canals through the sestieri S.Marco and Castello on our way back to the Lido. We’re usually back on the Certosa island around three hours after sunset.
The actual times of meeting, launch and return changes with the season, as the hour of sunset changes.
An evening trip in the city is around 15km.
Groups can be up to 6 persons. Larger groups can be arranged, but must be agreed upon well in advance, as we have to hire an assistant guide with larger groups.
Required skills
We expect our guests to have basic paddling and rescue skills, to feel safe close to water and to know how to swim. Additional proficiency is need for paddling in the dark, as the experience can be scary for people who don’t feel at ease in a kayak.
If you haven’t paddled a sea kayak before, but still want to do an evening trip, book two days at least, so you have the first day to get accustomed to the feeling of kayaking in Venice.
Planned evening tours in Venice
If you’d like to go for an evening paddle in Venice on another date, contact us and we’ll add a tour for you, if possible.
Practical information
Venice Kayak supplies kayaks, paddles, spraydecks, life vest (PFD), paddling jackets and drybags for change of clothes and valuables. The price also includes maps, use of toilets and showers on the Certosa island, and insurance.
All tours are guided by experienced Italian and English speaking kayak coaches.
Guests should bring sports clothes and shoes suitable for paddling, a change of clothes for afterwards, and protective items for outdoor activities, such as sunscreen, a hat and sun glasses. Water and snacks can be bought on the camp site.
Don't bring cameras that aren't waterproof. It only takes a few drops of salt water to ruin a camera or other electronics. Venice Kayak has one or more waterproof cameras suitable for taking pictures while kayaking. We will send you the photos we take afterwards.
