Venice Kayak tours
06/29/2011
ABOVE AND BELOW: Kayacking on the Grand Canal and in St. Mark's Basin.
In the last several years, we've occasionally noticed small flotillas of kayaks in the back canals of Venice. We never gave them much thought until a reader asked about boat rentals, whereupon we discovered Venice Kayak in a Google search.
Venice Kayak is owned and operated by two veteran kayak enthusiasts: Marco Ballarin, a kayak/canoe instructor and certified marine guide from Venice, and René Seindal, a Danish historian and sea-kayak adventurer who has lived in Venice since 2008.
The two men offer full-day kayak trips in the city's canals and the Venetian Lagoon, with excursions to the islands of Burano and Torcello for ambitious kayakers. Three- and six-day paddling holidays are another option, as are evening trips in and around the city.
Standard prices are for groups of 2 to 5 persons, with discounts for larger groups (12 maximum). Kayak clubs can request special rates for programs of three days or longer.
For more information on tours, equipment, and prices, see Venice Kayak's English-language Web site at www.venicekayak.com.
Photos: Venice Kayak.
This post is great! I'm an avid kayaker based in Los Angeles. I've thought about kayaking in Europe and with this post, I feel I must hit Venice! Great pics and info. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: James | 09/15/2016 at 09:11 PM
One thing to keep in mind: Raw sewage feeds into Venice's canals, and studies have shown the canal water to be high in Hepatitis A bacteria and enteroviruses. If you go kayaking, be sure that you've had your shots, and keep your head above water!
Posted by: Durant and Cheryl Imboden | 09/15/2016 at 09:19 PM
Damn dude! Thanks for the heads up. I really wish there were some clean water around! We really need to take better care of out water! Just venting! What can one do??
Posted by: James | 10/08/2016 at 06:46 AM