Kayaking in Venice and “bacari” winery tour

Highlights

Venetian hidden canals by kayak, Canal Grande, Rialto Bridge, “Bacari” walking tour around Venice (includes visit to original local wineries).

In Venice, instead of neighborhoods we have so-called “sestieri,” literally the six parts in which the city is divided: Cannaregio, San Polo, Dorsoduro, San Marco, Castello and Santa Croce. Every sestiere has its own peculiarities and characteristics that we will discover first by canoe and later on foot during our “bacari” tour.

Venice has a wonderful tradition of “bacari“, the local little pubs all over town where people go at the end of each workday to drink spritz and eat “cicchetti” the local appetizers that line the counters (deep-fried mozzarella cheese, gorgonzola, calamari, artichoke hearts, crostini and anything odd on a toothpick).

Cicchetti bars have a social standup zone and a cozy gaggle of tables where you can generally sit down with your cicchetti or order from a simple menu. In some of the more popular places, the local crowds spill happily out into the street.

And, in a town with canals and no cars, this pub-crawling is safe and easy. (You should be able to swim 😉
Venetians call this pub crawl the giro d’ombra. “Giro” means stroll and “ombra” — a simple word for a glass of wine — means “shade.” This dates back to the old days, when a portable wine bar scooted with the shadow of the Campanile bell tower across St. Mark’s Square. That wine bar is long gone, but the cicchetti bars remain, tucked away in the back streets.

Begin/end

The tour starts in sestiere Cannaregio, also called the Jewish area, and passes through the center of the city through many of the smaller canals (for about 2 hours). Due to new city rules we will not be able to take you in each area of the city, but instead in specific areas where the transit of rowing boats like ours is allowed.

The exact route and distance depends on the weather, traffic, tide and the paddling skills of the group.

Our meeting point will be at a specific spot in the city. Before going in the water with our canoes, we will have a short briefing to explain the main rules used along the route in compliance with safety regulations and maritime code.

The canoe tour ends in a couple of hours at the same point from which we boarded. From here our walking tour of the Bacari (which will last about one hour) will start: between an “ombra” and a “cicchetto” we will recharge our batteries together. The tour will end with a nice group photo to show to your friends.

 

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Arrive/depart

The closest airports are Venice and Treviso. From there you can get a taxi, buses or train to reach your departure point (further information will be provided in the answer).

 

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Our canoes and materials

At FRT we know that a good paddling experience requires good equipment, so we have tried to make as few compromises as possible. We want to work with the best type of boat for each environment. That is why we provide different styles of boats depending on the tour.

In Venice you will paddle on the very last released PackRaft and enjoy its inflating comfort and stability.

This raft is also short and easy to handle in the narrow canals of the city.

On river experiences we will use canoes, better for longer distances and some current.
Our canoes are usually made out of pvc material, very strong and steady to facilitate movement in a river.

Paddles and life vests will be always given to you, together with waterproof bags for the things you want to bring along on the tour.