Level of difficulty 2 paddles |  Gastronomy 1 pitcher |  Length 5 km |  Time 1 - 1.5 hours

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Protected from the somewhat wild Venetian lagoon, you can enjoy the canals around Treporti in peace and solitude. In additon to southern-maritime photo motifs you get a river feeling on salt water. Ahoy!

General information

• Cavallino-Treporti tourist information
• Veneto tourist information
• Cavallino-Treporti Wikipedia
• Climate
• Wind, waves, weather

Navigation rules

On the canals and in the lagoon, priority is given to all other (motorized) watercraft. Especially in the lagoon, you should paddle along the shore unless you plan to go to the island of Sant'Erasmo.
Take any rubbish with you and don't touch plants nor shells!

Dangers and risks

The water accesses to the canals are bricked and have height differences of up to one meter at low tide. Landing then becomes particularly difficult and, if you are clumsy, there is also a risk of injury. It is therefore best to plan this tour around the highest water level of the day. It makes sense to be back at the peak of the tide if possible so you can easily get from the water to the quay.

There are also a lot of sharp-edged shells on the quay walls that can scratch the board or cause cuts. The same applies to some shallow shoals in the canals. If you want to take a break, always look out for mussels in advance, because they can be razor-sharp!

Of course there are boats passing by in the two canals from time to time, but their number is limited and manageable. However, the boat waves can easily splash back on the brick bank walls and cause choppy waters, which can make the water even more turbulent. If in doubt, simply wait on your knees until the waves have calmed down.

When leaving the quiet Canale Portosecco into the lagoon, expect heavy traffic during the day. You should also keep looking behind you to see whether a fast vehicle is approaching and will subsequently cause strong waves. Accordingly, it is wavy and restless here. The waves partially overlap each other and are then difficult to assess. Therefore, due to this short tour section, you should have decent stability and maneuverability on the SUP. A life jacket and a leash are definitely an advantage here. Also, paddle proactively and defensively on the shore!

Directions

Getting there is very easy, as you drive from Jesolo/Lido di Jesolo or Cavallino straight ahead along the main road SP 42 towards the west (Punta Sabbioni). In Ca' Savio, turn right at the roundabout and go straight for about 300 m to reach the large gravel parking lot.

If you take public transportation, for example take bus line 19 in Jesolo, get on line 23 at the central bus terminal in Lido di Jesolo and get off at the bus stop Via Fausta in Ca'Savio. However, the journey from Jesolo can take up to an hour, as there are dozens of stops, especially in Lido di Jesolo. After the bus stop, walk straight ahead to the roundabout for 70 m, then turn right at the roundabout and after another 450 m you reach the starting point of the tour on the quay.

Parking

There are a few suitable accesses to the water along the route, but we recommend the following: Start at the bridge over the Canale Saccagnana, as there is also a large free parking lot around the corner.

Water entry in the area of the bridge over the Canale Portosecco is also conceivable under similar conditions. In this case you could find free parking lots a little further by the church (always marked white in Italy).

On the other hand, you can also park for free on Via degli Armeni street and get in on the opposite side.

You can also park for free on Via Alvise Cadamosto, but from there it's about 400 m on foot to the next bridge along the tour route. However, you could also get into the northern part of the Canale Saccagnana from there using the slipway or the staircase and avoid the above problems (height difference on the quays). However, that would be a slightly different tour.

Swimming

Swimming is not recommended along this route, because while boats can sometimes appear in the canals, the Venetian lagoon is usually very busy. There is also a problem with the mussel population in many places, since their shells can lead to deep cuts on your body. Therefore bathing shoes are also useful to wear.

Tour

Starting at the first bridge (by the roundabout, Via degli Armeni) go right and along the Canale Saccagnana. Later turn left into the Canale Portosecco. Continue straight into the lagoon and turn left to get back into the Canale Saccagnana.

Length

5 km

Time

1 - 1.5 hours

Start and landing

At the first bridge of the Canale Saccagnana (by the roundabout, Via degli Armeni).

SUP rental

Camping Ca’Savio
Via di Ca’Savio 77, 30013 Cavallino Treporti
Phone +39 (0)41 966017

Noleggio Mieten Rent SUP pedalò
Via Fausta, 30013 Cavallino-Treporti
Phone +39 (0)338 6274142

Little Maui Watersports Centre
Via delle Batterie 38, 30013 Cavallino-Treporti
Phone +39 (0)351 7767959

Water Sport Center Venezia
Via Montello 6, 30013 Cavallino-Treporti
Phone +39 (0)349 4512854

To the fishing village and back

The tranquil village of Treporti is part of the municipality of Cavallino-Treporti and, apart from its market square with and the Trinity Church, it is inconspicuous for tourists. However, the place is crossed by three canals, which are also used for fishing and fish farming. They flow eastwards from Venice's 550 km² lagoon at a gentle pace of around one km/h. And that makes Treporti very interesting from a paddler's perspective, especially since the entire region also combines several nature reserves and a lot of dreamy fishing idyll.

As a rule, you travel to Treporti from Jesolo, because on the other side - in the west - there are only the waterways of the Venetian lagoon. The streets in and around Treporti invite you to speed up your car, but you should always expect a police check, as I observed for myself as an outsider during a bike ride.

Due to the raised quays and bank walls, access to the water is only possible very selectively and you also have to pay attention to the tidal range, as there are simply too large differences in height at most water access points. That's why it's best to complete the tour when the water level is highest, then with a bit of luck you'll have less than half a meter difference in height when getting in and out of most water access points.

Getting started is less critical since you can porbably get on board over larger differences in height if you can safely take a position on your SUP. However, once the bank reaches a certain height, getting out becomes significantly more difficult or even impossible, as every centimeter of height makes a big difference. The areas around the bridges generally offer the best conditions, and it helps to compare satellite images in advance.

The best way to start would be by entering the water north of Treporti's center and paddle the large Treporti circuit (see alternative below). Then you would comfortably get on your SUP at the northern bridge, where there is a slipway on one side and staircase down to the water on the other. If the free parking spaces in Via Alvise Cadamosto are already full, just try your luck 150 m further on at the church.

I decide to get in and out at the small jetty at the first bridge coming from Jesolo. Diagonally opposite there is a large, free parking lot from which you can get to the entrance within a minute.

I set out to sea around eleven o'clock in the morning so that I can leave the canal more comfortably at midday when the water level is at its highest. From the start I head straight inland, i.e. to the right and under the bridge. Here I am standing on the Canale Saccagnana and in a few minutes I paddle past the lined-up fishing boats and then find myself in a lonely lagoon landscape.

Carpets of plants I don't know grow on both banks and sea grass keeps flashing beneath me. Fortunately, only around the bridge is there a noticeable amount of seaweed floating on the water surface; a few hundred meters further on, this all stops. The lagoon channels, as well as the entire lagoon, are characterized by salt marshes, sandy shallows and a character that changes almost hourly. The face of the extensive lagoon changes constantly, even during the day.  

The soothing song of the cicadas is my constant companion, and there are also said to be herons, seagulls and stilts, as well as flamingos and cormorants. In the distance I keep seeing towers standing alone in the landscape. Between here and Jesolo there are over 200 of these World War artefacts, which were built approximately between 1850 and 1919. They were used for signal transmission and telecommunications purposes at the time and and are still well-kept today. As a noticable counterpoint, I spot the airliners taking off from Venice airport overhead almost every minute. All in all, it makes for a very entertaining spectacle for paddlers.

Faster than expected, after just one kilometer I reach the mouth of the Canale Portosecco, which flows into the Canale Saccagnana from the left. The only question is why a water canal is called that, because secco - i.e. dry - it should not be in the canal or in the harbor soon to follow. I guess I can't solve the puzzle and I turn left into the canal anyway. Admittedly, the water level is lower and the canal is narrower. If you paddle too close to the edge, you could get stuck in the clay. On the other hand, you can also get off your board here and wade in knee-deep water. I already see the church of Treporti on the right, which means that I'm approaching the center again and with it the village's second bridge.

There was hardly any boat traffic so far, and the few water vehicles that passed me slowed down carefully so that I wouldn't be swallowed by the waves. These Italians are very accommodating – in addition to being Gente di Mare, they are also full-blooded Gentlemen di Mare. During summer Thursday is always market day in Treporti, which is when the small bridge over the Portosecco Canal is a little busier. Fortunately I can still move freely on the water.

After the bridge I pass a small shipyard on my left and, apart from the dutifully barking dog, after that things get quite lonely again while paddling between the private houses on the banks. After a slight right turn, I detect a bit more hectic activity on the water ahead, because the lagoon with its boat traffic and the much more turbulent water are already within reach.

I stop at the popular restaurant Al Pescatore to get an overview of the situation. Three and half a kilometers in front of me I see the tower of Saint Catherine's Church on the island of Mazzobro. Venice must be sharply to my left, but I can't see the lagoon city because there are a few islands in between.

Now I head out onto the rough lagoon full of ship traffic and choppy waves. Both of these things make progress tedious and strenuous both in terms of coordination and muscular strength. The legs and buttocks have to constantly balance out the rocking water. Therefore, I quickly abandon my original plan of paddling the few hundred meters to Venice's vegetable island - Sant’Erasmo - and instead turn immediately to the left (south) to get back to the Canale Saccagnana.

A lone canoeist paddles towards me from the opposite side and skilfully cuts through the waves. That annoys me a little, because with my iSUP and the high standing position it's just not possible for me to do as him. Should I have dared to go to the other side? It is definitely doable, at least for experienced paddlers and with a little patience.

Private motorboats, yachts, fishing boats and transport ships - everything moves along the water in the lagoon, and quite quickly. In addition, a lot of passenger ships between Venice and its islands also run here every day. Every now and then I kneel down when suddenly a motor yacht overtakes me from behind. Sitting out the waves that are about to hit me seems to be the most pleasant thing at the moment. The captain stands proudly at the helm, smiles at me and gives me a thumbs up. I return his friendly gesture and feel the motivation to not give in. So I get up again and paddle the sideways sloping sine curves into the canal - it feels better than just kneeling!

The lagoon slowly pushes the water through the Canale Saccagnana and I enjoy the last minutes of paddling before getting out. On the right above me, next to the road, there is the perfectly developed bike path which I was able to test on two wheels yesterday. On the left I find just wild nature with all its grasses and aquatic plants.

At lunchtime I reach the small harbor at the first bridge again - the one I inicially got in - and get out of the water without any problems but with a lot of impressions. The advantage here is that some piers also have a wooden jetty that is a little closer (deeper) to the water than the quay itself. This makes getting out easier, although leaving this beautiful place is still difficult.

Alternatives: If you would like to deal with the waves and the volume of traffic in the lagoon, you have the opportunity to extend the tour by about one and a half kilometers by paddling to the opposite island of Sant’Erasmo and from there back into the Canale Saccagnana.
The large Treporti circumnavigation, on the other hand, would completely avoid the Canale Portosecco and would instead be extended from the southern part of the Canale Saccagnana to the northern part of the canal. This circuit then runs over a length of 9.5 km.