I will be in Paris during the last two weeks of July. Looking for information on Canoe/Kayak activities, boat rentals, kayak adventures in the Paris area.
Kayak in Paris area
Welcome in Paris.
There are a few Class II rivers in the vicinity of Paris : the Grand Morin in the east, the Loing in the south-east, and the Eure in the west. On each one you can rent a kayak, or join a guided group.
100 Km from Paris you can also paddle on the Loire, a river famous for its renaissance castles. Rental companies and guided tours are available from several places.
The sea is rather far from Paris. The closest shore is in Normandy. In summer it is easy to find SOTs for rent.
By the way where will you stay in Paris ?
The Loire sounds great.
The Loire sounds great. What city is it near? I’ll be staying at a friends sister-in-law’s apartment.
careful
I don’t really know how bad waters get on the northern coasts of the U.S. but I know from personal experience that the ocean on the Normandy coast likes to eat people. She actively resents humans setting foot or boat off the shore and behaves very unpredictably. Stick to rivers.
Paddling is lovely
but if you’re only going to be in Paris for two weeks, do youself a favor and use your time to see Paris and the surrounding area. You can walk all over the city, take the metro to outline areas, bus to Giverny or Chartre: there is so much to see and do that I wouldn’t even think of renting a rec boat and paddling some relatively uninteresting spot just to get in a boat.
I completely agree
I agree too
But there are interesting places to paddle by that are not that far from Paris and are worth visiting. Typically the Loire valley is one.
Ah, but I disagree
Ah, you must think I am a typical tourist… Yes there is a lot to see in Paris. I could go and just do the standard tourist stuff, or I could go and experience an adventure. Sometimes you just do things for the stories you can tell. So my story is going to be I went to Paris and took a side trip to the Loire Valley and saw some great castels and paddled the Loire River. I think the Lorie Valley would be a great side trip for me to take one or two days from 14 which I would not have known about if I hadn’t posted this message. Thanks Gaelou for info on the Loire Valley!!
be sure to check out the …
be sure to check out the catacombs!
The stair case going down will freak you out. All the bones are almost surreal.
Paris
Paris is clearly one of the great cities of the world and a pleasure to visit at any time but there is only one day a year when it is possible to paddle through the middle of the city. It is normally a Sunday morning in September when up to 2,000 paddlers descend on the Seine. Take a look at the article here
http://www.seapaddler.co.uk/Paddlingparis.htm
The Loire is liable to have pretty low water levels in the summer and there is plenty of superb sea kayaking although it is a few hours away. The coast of Brittany is far more interesting than that of Normandy and although the tides can be among the largest in the world there is always somewhere to paddle.
Have a great trip!
Get yourself a folding kayak
And you won’t have to worry about rentals, time limits etc…
Sea kayaking in Brittany
Yes it’s true, Brittany offers the best and most diverse places for sea paddling. Tides are the largest in Northern Brittany near the bay of Mont Saint Michel (40 feet in spring tides) while tides in southern brittany are smaller (15 feet in spring tide). Tidal currents are fast, with impressive races in some places.
I mentioned Normandy as a destination close enough to Paris for a short trip.
There is enough water in the Loire river for canoeing, even in summer even though some arms are dry.
Paddling the Seine
I agree with Jsmarch and others Paris has so much else to offer. It don’t think you would see that much from the Seine. The banks are steep, especially when the water is low in the summer. Most of what you will see is trash, grey bulkheads, and river cruises. I took one of those once, a much higher viewpoint than a yak, and still overrated.
I highly recommend doing the Sewer Tour in Paris.
If you really want to paddle in France and see something pleasant, paddle the Rhone or the Loire, and see castles and vinyards along the banks as you float through beautiful countryside.
be sure to check out …
Disneyland!
Euro-Disney is located just outside of Paris, France