Three days paddling
A kayaking holiday in Venice don’t have to exclude ‘normal’ tourist activities. Venice Kayak can make a half kayaking holiday, where we paddle together three days during a week’s stay in Venice. The three days don’t have to be consecutive, as long as they’re agreed upon in advance.
Exploring Venice only on land will only reach a fraction of the city and almost nothing of the lagoon. By adding several kayaking days to a stay in Venice you can get a much more complete experience of this unique city on water and its environment.
Often the three days are one day paddling in Venice city, one day paddling to Burano and Torcello, and an evening paddle through the city.
All Venice Kayak trips start from the Certosa island. Click here for instructions on how to find us.
A day trip with Venice Kayak is normally a full day's paddling. We meet at 10 AM in the bar of the Certosa hotel, so we're ready in our kayaks before 11 AM. We'll paddle through the day, in a relaxed pace with a good lunch break and pauses as needed. Lunch is either sandwiches or we'll eat in a café or bar along the way. We typically start turning back at 3-4 PM with the intent of being back on the Certosa island around 5 PM and in any case before sunset.
Most paddling trips in the city are around 12-15km, but the tours in the lagoon can be up to 25km.
The route is agreed with you before we start, based on your wishes, desires and skills and on external factors such as traffic, weather and tide. A planned route isn't immutable, and if necessary we'll change or adjust it along the way.
Groups can be up to 6 persons. Larger groups can be arranged, but must be agreed upon well in advance, as we have to find an assistant guide for larger groups.
As you need to be on the Certosa island several days during the week, it makes sense to chose accommodation at or near the island, or on the route of the vaporettos 4.1/4.2.
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. You should at the very least have tried kayaking or canoeing before a few times.
If you haven’t paddled a sea kayak before, but still want to try, we’ll start with a short tour in the calm waters close to our base, before we set out in earnest.
Planned Three Day Paddling Programmes
If you’d like to go paddling for several days in Venice and in the lagoon, but on other dates, 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 at the camp site, 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.
