Our Real Venetian Kayak Tour review is our honest opinions about experiencing the tour as a family.
If you are like us, you have limited time in Venice and want to make the best of your experience. Is a kayak tour with Real Venetian worth the time and cost?
We have reviewed all of the best kayak tours in Venice and this is our favorite. Let us tell you why.
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The Real Venetian Kayaking Tours
Unlike biking where you grab a few rentals from a shop, kayaking in Venice requires a tour. And it makes sense. Yes, the canals are these scenic, magical places where Gondolas float by as Gondoliers sing “That’s Amore” (okay, that only really happens in movies and when annoying tourists ask for it).
But the canals are also the very busy, very commercial streets of Venice.
Although making our own “do it yourself” tours are one of our money saving strategies, if you can just “grab a kayak and go,” we wouldn’t.
Somehow being lost on a street in Rome feels so less intimidating than being lost in a canal in Venice. So we booked our tour through the Real Venetian Kayaking Tours.
If you follow us, you also know we are super budget-conscious. And at over $60 per person, this is not exactly a budget tour. And yet, we still think it is worth it. In fact, we love it so much that we made it #1 on our list of things to do in Venice with teens.
The tour has 4.5 stars out of 5. There are other kayak tours that are 5 out of 5 stars, but those tours are more experience.
The few reviews that gave the tour a less stellar rating typically either had a bit of trouble finding the office or struggled to kayak.
We also had a bit of trouble finding the office, but if you use Google Maps you should be good.
The Real Venetian Kayak Tour
The city of Venice is made up of six areas or neighborhoods. Most tourists spend their time in San Marco, which makes total sense. San Marco has all the iconic sites of Venice: St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. The Real Venetian Kayak Tour is not a tour of this part of the city.
A Tour of Cannaregio
Instead, the tour takes you through the more humble, and to our minds, some of the more interesting parts of the city. The tour is really centered in a part of Venice called Canarragio.
The working class part of Venice, Canarragio, is everything that San Marco is not.
As we were walking to the Real Venetian Kayak tour office, kids were coming home from school and being scolded for walking too slow. Workers were grabbing some produce outside a local shop. It felt like a real city; a feeling that is hard to find in Venice.
Finding the Office
Getting to the tour office in Cannaregio was a little difficult. The directions tell you “go to “Fondamenta de la Sensa”, after the Hotel “Ai Mori d’Oriente” on your side, you’ll find a small street going inside. Take it, walk a few meters and you’ll be at the starting point.” But we agree with their further suggestion to use Google maps. Google maps was definitely our friend in Venice.
Once we found the office, we met our tour guide. Having a chance to learn from locals is our favorite part of the whole experience.
Kayaking Venice through Real Venetian Tours was no exception. Our tour guide was a young man who had grown up in Venice, but was now going to college in Milan to become an architect.
Understanding Venice from a Venetian
From our tour guide, we realized just how hard a toll our presence in this magical city takes on its citizens. And please don’t misunderstand. Our guide was so kind and so happy to have us. But as we asked more questions, we learned just how hard it is to be Venetian.
The city that is so magical and quaint, is not one to age into. Nor is its government as interested in its own citizens as it is us, tourists. And it is expensive. Tourists like us who love apartment style accommodations have priced out many Venetians from staying in their birth city.
This was our second trip to Venice. The first just days after we married nearly 20 years ago. We were so happy to see it with O. But we realized, this will also be our last trip to Venice.
And we were so grateful to learn more about what it is like to actually live here from our guide. Not just the difficult parts, but also all the amazing history in part of the city like Cannaregio, which we had never known.
The Jewish Quarter
Did you know that Venice has a large Jewish population? We didn’t. The tour takes you through the Jewish quarter, which has a dark history.
As we learned, the Jewish Quarter of the city began as a Jewish Ghetto. In fact, the English word ‘ghetto’ is likely derived from the Italian word getto meaning ‘foundry’ because the Jewish ghetto in Venice was established on the site of a foundry.
Here, in 1516, Jews were forced by the Doge and the Venetian Senate to live segregated from the rest of the city. The ghetto was connected to the rest of the city by two bridges that were only open during the day.
Strict penalties were given to any residents who were outside of the ghetto after curfew. While much of the property is now too expensive for the Jewish community to remain in the area, the Ghetto is still an important part of Jewish life with 5 synagogues still in use.
In addition to the Ghetto, the tour takes you out to the lagoon, out towards Murano island. Our guide told us that the smaller unpopulated islands around Venice were the playground of the youths of Venice.
Saturdays were often spent with friends kayaking out for a BBQ and a day in the sun. And that was so much of the tour, not the iconic sites, but real stories about life as a Venetian from a young Venetian who is not yet sure if he will return after college to continue to call Venice his home.
Why Kayak Venice
If you want to take those photos on the Grand Canal or under the Rialto Bridge, then this is not the tour for you. But if you are ready to slow down and see a different side of Venice then we can not recommend this tour more.
The tour is open to all paddlers, ages 6+, even those that have no experience. Younger kids will need to ride in tandem with their parents or with the guide.
O has experience kayaking so he was able to go in a solo boat.
Matthew and I chose to paddle in a tandem built for 2. I mean Venice is all about romance, no?
The tour takes about 90 minutes. But plan a good 2.5 hours to find the tour company and get your pre-paddle instructions.
What to Wear
You are going to get a bit wet from the water that drips off the paddle. When we were there in the fall, it was too cold for shorts. So we wore t-shirts and pants that were quick drying.
We packed light rain jackets, but all that paddling kept us warm and we never needed them.
On our feet, we wore teva sandals because we are obsessed with tevas. If you don’t have water shoes, tennis shoes would be fine.
The tour company provides you with a life jacket. If needed, there is a bathroom to change at the tour company offices.
Gondola or Kayak with Real Venetian
Tough choice. If this was our first trip to Venice and we could only invest in one boat experience, we would probably choose Gondola.
The 25 minute Gondola ride was roughly $100 in US dollars–certainly cheaper than kayaking for 3 and more iconic to be sure.
However, if you are returning to Venice or if you are active travelers as we are, then kayaking in Venice is such a unique way to see a different part of Venice and hear a different story.
And isn’t that what travel is all about, hearing the stories of the places you are privileged enough to experience?
Conclusion: Real Venetian Kayak Tour Review
We had an excellent time with Real Venetian kayak tours.
While this was not our first time kayaking, the tour is suitable for beginners. It is a great family activity in Venice, especially if you are traveling with teenagers.
Kayaking Venice is a part of our larger 7-Day Italian itinerary that only uses public transit. Let us help plan your Italian vacation, along with some tips for using public transit with your kids.
Want another unique Venetian experience? Read about our day making glass jewelry at Ferro Toso on Murano Island.
