Story and photos:
Nicolas Fayol &
Clarisse Labussiere
A SUPer November in Venice
Venice is a touristic city with over 1,600 years of history, a web of 159 canals, 435 bridges, and a network of narrow streets and historical plazas that needs no introduction.
We immersed ourselves onto the water, on a stand up paddleboard, away from the tourists and closer to the more authentic Venice, in the middle of water taxis, merchants and delivery boats, as well as the traditional gondolas.
We arrive at the airport in the early afternoon, get our paddling material before heading to the Vaporetto’s boarding docks: you can choose between two lines, the blue one and the red one, depending on your needs. As for us, it will be the blue one, with a stop foreseen at Fondamente Nuvo, at the closest to the accommodation we found on the web.
You could consider Vaporettos a Venetian tramway, and they allow one to move around the whole city, and they are used to welcoming tourists and thus have specific areas to keep the luggage. Forty-five minutes after the crossing and a quick stop at the Murano suburb at the glass-blowing spot, we are now arriving at the heart of this historical city.
We settle at the accommodation and leave for a quick exploration before our first session planned for the next day. We chill around the plazas and the typical streets: Rialto Bridge, the Bridge of Sighs, Piazza San Marco, or Santa Maria’s Basilica. We get caught up in the unique atmosphere of this city that mixes land and water, and we are going to a bar where we order a glass of spritz and bruschetta and onto a diner for a traditional pizza.
The following day our SUP session starts with inflating and assembling the Fanatic boards and paddles, light and compact Ray Air pockets, perfect for travelling. The living room in our accommodation is pretty full, and the work from pumping the boards up is already a decent warm-up.
The adventure starts as soon as we leave the apartment, and we walk with our three-metre longboards through the narrow streets where some tourists are wandering without paying much attention. We find a put-in spot not too far away from the Rialto Bridge, get our stuff ready and prepared, not forgetting to keep our passports from being wet.
paddling rules
We quickly adapt the paddling rules for the day: a little scream before turning at crossings to shout out your presence to any gondoliers or other boats, as well as staying on the left and stopping regularly at every crossroad, also respecting and embracing the calm and silence of the canals, which contrast vividly with the pedestrian activity in the streets as well as on the bridges of Venice.
We have been paddling for two hours already without looking too much at the map. There are so many details to look at, and time is flying fast! A little break is welcome, and we spot a coffee shop at the end of a covered way that is easily accessible by the canal.
It was a surprise for both the tourists and the coffee shop owner because she saw us coming from under a tunnel with our paddleboards, paddles and jackets so that we could have an Italian coffee as well as a spritz. Three packets of crisps and two tapas later, we are back on the road!
forbidden
This time we decide to get closer to the Grand Canal. However, we immediately understand why boats are forbidden here upon arrival. Crossing this canal would be like asking a turtle to cross a highway at rush hour! We wait for the canal to become a little quieter, so we can try to paddle on it to enjoy a souvenir picture carefully. Then we go back to the exploration of the Cannegerio artists neighbourhood. The canals are more expansive, and the atmosphere feels more industrial, popular and pretty charming.
We can see old docks warehouses transformed into contemporary artists workshops, and we even find some hidden green areas. At the turn of the canal, we paddle a water seam that opens up to the sea.
Observing Venice from the sea on our boards is daunting. A suspended city on the water with a quiet side and another animated with tourists and boats. We have been paddling for four and a half hours, and it is now time for us to find a warm place and enjoy the evening.
We leave Venice the next day under a blue sky and appreciate a last ride on the Vaporetto blue line trail, which stops on the Murano island, world-famous for its glasswork. It is a last look from the boat, and it is now time for us to say goodbye to the ‘Doge and Bridges city’.
Venice: a SUP destination, but in the off season
Spring and autumn would be ideal – avoiding the summertime when the streets are crowded and places packed. But what about the Aqua Alta, the flooding that appears from September to April? Dykes have been built that have enabled Venice to keep itself dry in 2020 and 2021, even though the water from lagoons should have submerged the city.
A regulated paddling policy
Paddling on a SUP is regulated. Before you dive into the water, here are some basic rules you should know: Priority is given to all the boats you will see, stay on the left, pause at every crossroad, shout loudly when turning to inform your presence to other boats. You must wear a life jacket, and all juveniles must be with an adult.
Restrictions
One must respect the schedule that forbids the SUP on weekdays from 07.00 to 19.00 and from 07.00 to 15.00 on the weekends. To sum it up, you can paddle when the falling sunlight sets slowly on the water and when the city becomes calm once again.
Vogalonga, a mythical race in Venice
Rendezvous on the 5th of June 2022 for 32km, along the canals, where thousands of athletes from different nationalities meet every year. A departure from San Marco Plaza, crossing the Grand Canal and visiting Venice from the water down.
