No, Venice Kayak supplies all basic kayaking equipment.
This includes kayaks, paddles, spray decks, life vest (PFD), paddling jackets and dry bags for the things you want to bring along, and insurance.
Find Answers to your most Frequently Asked Questions:
Kayak & The Adventure
Yes, children from 8 years are welcome on our tours. All minors must paddle in a double kayak together with a parent or guardian.
Venice Kayak offers tours for a minimum of two persons. Single travellers can, however, join already confirmed tours, that is, tours where others have already signed up, so the group size is two or more.
The price per person is the same for single travellers as for everybody else. The only change is the limited choice of tours.
Single travellers are welcome to send in requests for all tours, however, our acceptance of the booking depends on others signing up for the tours too, so the minimum group size of two is reached.
You 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.
Clothing should be synthetic or woollen. Do not use cotton garments while paddling, as cotton will feel very cold when wet.
Food and drink is not included in the tours, but can be purchased before or during the tour.
We recommend that you always bring a bottle of water on the tours. Water and snacks can be bought in the bar on the Certosa island.
Full day tours in Venice and the lagoon have a lunch break included. We usually have lunch somewhere economic, where a meal is €10-15 per person. You can also bring your own lunch.
All Venice Kayak trips start from the Certosa island where we meet in the hotel bar. If you come early, that is a nice place for a cup of coffee.
There is a restaurant on the Certosa island which serves both lunch and dinner. You can reserve a table in the bar before the kayaking tour, and have your lunch or dinner there immediately after the tour.
Prior paddling or rowing experience is a must on our tours.
We expect you to have basic paddling skills. This can be in a kayak, canoe or other small paddled or rowed boat. You should at the very least have tried kayaking or canoeing before a few times.
Those who lack this experience can still go in a double kayak with somebody more experienced.
Our tours start in a sheltered marina where we’ll give you a bit of instructions in how to turn sharp corners, stop the boat, go backwards and the like.
During the tours we’ll usually encounter waves of one foot (30cm) and a good deal of other boating traffic.
In a kayak you’re sitting at waters edge, so it is essential that you all feel safe close to water and to know how to swim. It is almost impossible not to get at least your hands wet.
While capsizes aren’t common on our tours, they can happen, and in that case it is important not to panic, and either hold on to the kayak or swim to the nearest shore.
You should all be reasonably fit for the tour you want to do.
Yes, we have both single and double kayaks.
Booking & Confirmation
Prices
All prices are given in Euro (€) as quoted on our website and via our booking office. All prices are VAT inclusive.
Discounts are offered based on group size, for minors and by special agreements with our business partners. All such offers are published on our web site.
The guides are not authorized to offer further discounts, and all such requests will be refused.
Bookings
Venice Kayak tours must be booked in advance, and all participation must be agreed upon when booking.
Payments
Online payments can be made using Stripe from the “Payment” page on the web site. You will then received a formal invoice for the payment and a confirmation of your booking.
Deposits can be made by direct bank transfer to our bank account. Please count on up to two weeks for money transfers to come through.
Payments on the day of the tour can be made in cash (up to the legal limit of €1000) or by credit cards. We accept most common credit cards, including Mastercard, Maestro, Visa, American Express, Diners.
All tours must be paid in full before the tour starts.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
Notify us with at least 24 hour notice of cancellation to the reservation. Another date can be provided if you choose to change the date.
The total amount shall be refunded by TourShield’ from Protecht if you have purchased purchase protection, ‘TourShield’ from Protecht. Venice Kayak is not obligated to refund any amount.
If the client has not purchased purchase protection, ‘TourShield’ from Protecht, Venice Kayak is not obligated to refund any amount.
If in the case of bad or extreme weather the reservation will be credited for another date, based on the opinion of the Venice Kayak staff.
Extra Cancellations
Venice Kayak will cancel the tour in any of these situations:
winds too strong for the paddling skills of the group,
rain or fog reducing the visibility to unsafe levels,
risk of lightning or tornadoes,
events, demonstrations, strikes or other making the tour unsafe or impractical,
our guide falls ill and no substitutes can be found.
A cancellation on behalf of Venice Kayak is entirely the decision of the guide in charge of the tour.
Venice Kayak will, if possible, try to reschedule the cancelled tour in cooperation with the client.
Late arrival
Please arrive promptly for your booked tour.
Our launch site on the Certosa island is serviced by vaporettos (waterbuses) every 20 minutes. If in doubt about the route or the timing of the vaporettos, consider taking an earlier vaporetto. The meeting place is the office of Classic Boats Venice.
If you have trouble please call: 39 041 523 6720
If you’re late, the tour might leave without you.
Weather
Summer weather in Venice is usually nice, warm and sunny, but the occasional downpour or thunderstorm can always happen on short notice. Spring and autumn weather is more variable and with more rain and fog. We recommend that you check the weather report prior to your tour on:
http://www.arpa.veneto.it/previsioni/en/html/index.php ↗ for weather in the Venice area.