2 Hour Venice Canal Kayak Tour - Premium experience by day

Recommended by 98% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Venice, Italy

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

2 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.9

· John_B ·

Jun 2025

Awesome views, great experience! We enjoyed this once in a lifetime Experience. You really get a view for Venice from the canal and we were taken into the lagoon to see Venice from that vantage. Highly recommend this type of tour.

· William_D ·

Jul 2025

Extraordinary experience! Our guide was well organized, thoughtful, engaging, effective and informative. It was a truly unique way to see the canals of Venice - definitely a bucket list kind of trip!

Overview

Get more from your time in Venice than just exploring on your own during this Venice Canal Kayak Tour. This tour takes you along the city’s canals to see secret hidden spots in the city with a guide who knows their way around. Plus, you’ll also see historical areas that are usually crowded on land without having to worry about the crammed streets.

Explore Venice without the crowds by kayaking its famous canals
See some of the city’s hidden spots only locals know about
Kayak equipment and a photo service is provided
Take home a souvenir water bottle from this Venice canal tour

What's Included

Bottled water
All Kayak equipment needed for tour.
Free Photo Service

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Calle Tornielli, 2370, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy
Venice Kayak has a new operating base in Cannaregio (not in Certosa). If you type "Venice Kayak" on Google, the Certosa office will show up. However, if you insert the address you can find on Viator, Google Maps will take you right in front of the meeting point.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Calle Tornielli, 2370 (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Not recommended for pregnant travelers

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
On certain dates, most travelers staying outside of Venice who are planning to visit for the day will be required to pay a €5 access fee. For further details (including exemptions) and to learn what days this fee is applicable, please visit: https://cda.ve.it
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

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Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Jeff_K

What a fun experience this was...I woke up one evening before our trip and thought....I wonder if you can kayak the canals. Looked and booked this tour. Very unique way to check out quieter sections of Venice by canal, learn some history and heck...it's kayaking, it just has to be fun. Folks that were on the adventure with us had not been kayaking before. Our guide showed us everything needed to have a safe and fun trip. Definately recommend this one.

Reviews

4.9

based on 122 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Who needs a gondola ride?

Jeff_K, Apr 2026

Nice way to see the...

Ray_R, Aug 2025

Nice way to see the lagoon and quieter streets sections of venice. Tour guide was friendly and know.

“Must do” experience for those looking for an adventure

William_D, Jul 2025

Extraordinary experience! Our guide was well organized, thoughtful, engaging, effective and informative. It was a truly unique way to see the canals of Venice - definitely a bucket list kind of trip!

Excellent trip. Some...

Timothy_W, Jul 2025

Excellent trip. Some kayak knowledge is helpful to navigate. You will get a bit wet so plan accordingly.

One of the best parts of my Venice trip!

Will_L, Jul 2025

Toph was an excellent expert tour guide. She was fun, energetic, and very knowledgeable. Be aware that canal kayaking is nothing like tamer lake or river kayaking. There are tight turns, narrow canals, and frequent traffic and obstacles from boats and gondolas. And be prepared to get wet!

Fantastic way to see Venices canals. Guide was excellent.

Kurt_L, Jun 2025

Awesome experience. Water level guiding through the canals and out to the lagoon. This requires some effort and paddling experience. I would not recommend it for beginners. But if one person in a pair has paddled before that would be ok. The other can take photos and help occasionally.

Awesome views, great...

John_B, Jun 2025

This tour was very...

CathieMiller, Jun 2025

This tour was very informative and so much fun. As it turned out, I was the only person in the tour. We traveled through several canals.

Very unique experience, not hard and the guide took great care of us.

Jim_T, Jun 2025

go on this if you want to be one of the few people that can say they kayaked the Venice canals and learn some history from a knowledgeable guide.

A enjoyable paddle through time

Mark_S, Oct 2024

Our guide Shamir gave us an amazing guided tour of the canals of Venice. His knowledge of the history, architecture and culture of Venice was outstanding and made our paddle an absolute pleasure. He made sure we were safe and comfortable at all times. The venue from where we departed and ended was fabulous. I highly recommend this kayak tour to anyone as you don’t need to be a good paddler and it is very safe.

Explore Venice Via Water

Christopher_V, Aug 2024

Great opportunity to explore the canals, without all of the tourist foot traffic. Even though we were paddling, it was nice and cool on the water.

Great for skilled kayakers

Bonnie_D, Jul 2024

This is an excellent tour, but it is best for experienced kayakers. My daughter and I kayak several times a year, but it was very challenging for us. Our guide was excellent and very good at giving directions, making sure we’re safe and respectful to the traffic in the canal and also provided lots of history of Venice. Despite all that, I don’t think I would do it again unless I was much better at controlling a double kayak. It is hard to make sharp turns, keep up the pace and avoid summer season traffic. I was not able to enjoy the sights as much as I wanted to because the mental and physical effort was stressful.

Not for beginners!!!

Melanie_J, Jul 2024

This is NOT a tour for beginners. If you do not have considerable experience, recommend you not choose this tour. You will be out on the busy canal with a lot of boats.

Unique way to see Venice

Jamie_F, Jul 2024

This was an incredibly unique adventure. Shamir took us through the canals and out to the lagoon and gave a wonderful description of the history of Venice. I highly recommend this experience (the canals did not smell bad at all). I will say if you have never kayaked before this adventure might be very challenging. There is a lot of gondola and motor boat traffic one has to keep paying attention and turn quickly at times. However Shamir was an excellent guide and kept a close eye on us. I am very glad I did this activity.

Unique view of the city!

Alison_W, Jun 2024

Samir was a wonderful guide. He told us all about the history of Venice and the architecture we passed by. Seeing the city the way was an incredible, unique experience, and I highly recommend it!!

5/5 excellent activity!

dxskyhqznw, Jun 2024

This was the best part of my trip would recommend to everyone travelling to Venice as a different way of seeing the city! It is an experience I will never forget and wish I could do it all over again.

Lovely your

Holly_F, May 2024

This was a fantastic way to really experience the Venice canal. You might get wet so plan accordingly. I would highly recommend this tour.

So much better than a gondola!

Justin_K, May 2024

Favorite tour of our entire trip! Unrivaled views of Venetian architecture. Highly experienced, knowledgeable guides. Take this tour!!!

Fantastic experience -...

Wayne_S, Apr 2024

Fantastic experience - great guide - would recommend it to anyone. Loved the late start and the relaxing pace.

Highlight of our trip!

Jay_G, Sep 2023

What an amazing experience! From the second we arrived at the check in our host JP was amazing. Our guide Mike was very experienced and full of knowledge during the trip. Stayed afterwards to get to know JP & Mike. The highlight of our family Italian vacation.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Hello Jay , Thank you for your kind and thoughtful review. We are so grateful that you and your family could join us for a kayak tour. Mike and JP said very kind things about you and your family. We hope to welcome you back again. Sending kind regards from Venice, Team VK

Amazing experience and a unique way of seeing Venice

Ettore_Z, Jul 2023

This was an exceptional tour! Both the tour operator and our guide, JP and Alberto respectively, were great! I didn’t have much kayaking experience (didn’t see that it was for intermediates) and they were very keen and able to accommodate me. In the end it wasn’t an issue and I was able to kayak fine in a tandem, but these guys were fantastic in making sure we were safe and had a great time. This is by far one of the most professional tour companies and excellent customer service I’ve had on all my trips to Europe. Both my partner and I highly recommend this tour - you will not be disappointed! Grazie, guys! I’ll make sure to come back on our honeymoon :)

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Ciao Ettore! It was such a pleasure to welcome you both. Both myself and Alberto were so happy to meet you. Thank you for this very kind and thoughtful review. It means so much to us and our Team. You are always welcomed and we really hope to welcome you back for a honeymoon celebration!!! Sending kind regards from Certosa, Venice, JP and Team VK

The visit took place in...

Laurence_B, Mar 2026

The visit was in English and not in French and there was no photo, service supposed to be included in the booking But the guide was very interesting

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C'était super ,naviguer au côté des gondoles était magique les, guide super, Shamir très intéressant et très sympa

olivier_M, Jun 2024

Guide, Sharim très bien, bonnes explications, parcours dans les canaux magnifique. Découverte de Venise d'une autre façon

Emozione unica

Stefania_R, Jun 2021

Esperienza unica per gli amanti di venezia. Una prospettiva diversa e molto suggestiva. Personale molto cortese e disponibile. Abbiamo apprezzato che l'istruttore abbia fatto anche da guida con delle curiosità e spiegazioni su Venezia.