Level of difficulty 2 paddles |  Gastronomy 3 pitchers |  Length 12 km |  Time 2.5 - 3 hours

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The river Sile offers a relaxed alternative to beach paddling along the lively hotel miles on the Lido. You enjoy Italian river idyll and sometimes believe just being on a canal in the hinterland.  

General information

• Veneto tourist information
• Jesolo tourist information
• Jesolo Wikipedia
• Sile Wikipedia
• Climate
• Wind, waves, weather

Navigation rules

On the Sile and also in the port of Cavallino, priority is given to all other (motorized) watercraft. Especially in the harbor area you should paddle along the shore between the bridge and the mouth of the sea.

Avoid the reed belts and aquatic plants on the Sile, take any rubbish with you and also paddle around fishermen!

When there are many bathers in the water you should paddle the last few meters after the lighthouse and before the beach while kneeling.

Dangers and risks

Boat traffic is negligible up to Porto Cavallino. You usually have enough foresight and time to avoid vessels and can also paddle in the middle. In the harbor of Cavallino things are of course different and you should paddle along the shore until you reach the mouth of the sea. Expect more waves there as well!

Time and again various plants form small carpets on the water. If you paddle over them, something could get stuck on the fins, which has a braking effect and then has to be removed by hand. Always keep an eye on the water in front of and below your SUP board!

When going on the water in Jesolo there is a minimal difference in height along the shore and it is usually unavoidable to touch the water plants. Depending on the density of the vegetation, this could be a little inconvenient. If possible, please look for a water entry as free from vegetation as possible.

When you get out at Spiaggia del Faro there are lots of small shells on the beach. If you're unlucky, you could hurt your feet.

Directions

You can reach Jesolo by any means of transport except by train, as the city does not have a train station. If you are already in the city center, just drive to one of the two banks of the Sile and it is best to park along the street in the area of Ponte della Vittoria.

Parking

Around Ponte della Vittoria bridge in the city center of Jesolo you can park for free on both banks of the Sile. There are more parking spaces along Via Piave Vecchio than along Via Drago Jesolo. Since the parking lanes are very wide on both sides, there is enough space to inflate and prepare the boards.

There is also a free, large parking lot just outside the city center. From there you walk about ten minutes to the starting point of the tour.

Swimming

Although the Sile carries clean fresh water with a barely noticeable flow rate, it is still not recommended for swimming. There is a lack of suitable water access for swimming and despite low boat traffic, swimming in it is always a risk.

Jesolo's beaches are regularly awarded the Blue Flag and are known for varied bathing pleasure over an incredible length of 13 km nonstop. At the end of this paddling tour you end up on the beach of Cavallino-Treporti just behind the lighthouse. It is just as popular and well visited as the beaches of Jesolo on the other side of the Sile estuary.

Already in April and also in November the maximum water temperature can reach 20°C. In July and August even up to 28°C are possible, with the average temperature in summer always being above 23°C.

If you want to experience water action away from the beaches, you can let off steam in the Caribe Bay theme park:

Caribe Bay
Water Park & Minigolf Themepark
Via Michelangelo Buonarroti 15, 30016 Lido di Jesolo
Phone +39 (0)421 371648

Tour

From the bridge Ponte della Vittoria in Jesolo along the Sile to the mouth of the sea, around the lighthouse of Cavallino-Treporti and to the beach Spiaggia del Faro.

Length

12 km

Time

2.5 - 3 hours

Start and landing

Start near the bridge Ponte della Vittoria in Jesolo.

Land on the beach Spiaggia del Faro in Cavallino-Treporti.

SUP rental

A.S.D. Sail Beach Jesolo
Via Levantina 136, 30016 Jesolo
Phone +39 (0)346 6615605

Yes We Surf
Via Pietro Mascagni, on the beach at tower No. 5
30016 Lido di Jesolo
Phone +39 (0)347 3815937

Watermelonjesolo
Via Vittorio Veneto, on the beach at tower No. 20
30016 Jesolo
Phone +39 (0)389 7880025

There are also SUP rentals without an internet presence on the beaches.

Freshwater gliding to the sea

For decades Jesolo and Lido di Jesolo have been bywords for sun, beach and sea for many summer holidaymakers. Unfortunately, the approximately 25 km headland to Punta Sabbioni is very monotonous in terms of paddling, especially since hotel complex is lined up after hotel complex and there is no end in sight. So I was looking for more variety and found an interesting alternative to the seemingly endless straight-ahead run off the coast.

Fortunately, the leisurely flowing river Sile also runs through the center of Jesolo and winds its last twelve kilometers from the Ponte della Vittoria bridge to the mouth of the sea in Cavallino. The municipality of Cavallino-Treporti adjoins Lido di Jesolo to the east and was only founded in 1999, when the area was becoming more and more developed - especially for tourism. The Sile defines the dividing line between the two communities, although otherwise, purely visually, there is hardly any differentiation between the two sections of the headland that extends into the Venetian lagoon.

The Sile, Europe's longest groundwater-fed river, can be easily accessed in many places and its leisurely pace of around 1.5 km/h makes paddleboarding pleasant even for beginners. With its flower-covered bridges the center of Jesolo reminds me of Grado, but unfortunately the old town lags behind many other northern Adriatic holiday resorts. I decide to get on the water just above Ponte della Vittoria bridge at one of the beautiful weeping willows because you can park for free on both banks of the river and it's easy to get to the water. The banks are covered with either grass or light bushes, the height difference is minimal and there are no obvious sources of danger. However, on the left bank of the river (i.e. opposite), more rough hornleaf grows, which spreads like a band along the bank. If possible, you should not step on it and damage it. On the other hand, the plants are quite robust and don't get tangled easily on the fins.

However, you should expect occasional boat traffic in the city center, but it is negligible along the entire route. I wind my way through the first curves through the small center, pass the Canale Cavetta junction to Cortellazzo, discover a few abandoned Venetian gondolas on the bank and after a few minutes find myself in a natural no-man's land.

Here you are surrounded by reeds on both sides and you can see houses and country roads behind them - you are alone most of the time on the water. As a non-motorized paddler you are an exotic person here anyway, but that speaks for the natural experience in the hinterland. What is immediately noticeable is that purple willows and the hornwort repeatedly form small islands or carpets and occasionally create floodplain landscapes with different waterways. But don't worry, even without a navigation system you will always end up in the main stream, which is a maximum of 40 m wide in this area.

Every now and then I stop to treat myself to a sip of water and think to myself: “Finally here in Italy again! After a two-year break, again one of these hinterland tours on the Adriatic!”. During my almost 2.5 hours on the river I am completely satisfied and my thoughts are only in the present moment. Small schools of fish repeatedly shoot out of the hornleaf thicket below me at lightning speed. Apparently my arrival startles them and they look for a quieter place.

In between, about halfway, I paddle past two nice properties on my left. While looking to the right above the reeds I can clearly see the tower of the church of San Giovanni Battista in Jesolo, almost four kilometers away. Later, the view ahead and to the left reveals hotel towers by the sea, while directly on the Sile only a few lonely houses appear behind the reeds.

I also pass some agricultural ruins along the middle passage of this tour, before marveling at fishermen's huts with large fishing nets towards the end. These square nets are lowered into the water using a crane and a pulley. When enough fish swim around above the net, the whole thing is pulled up.

The last two kilometers I pull a little harder on the paddle shaft so that I can feel my muscles burn a little after the pleasant trip. Every now and then I taste the river water. It remains fresh water right up to the mouth of the sea, which I actually didn't expect. Shortly before the Sile Bridge, which leads from the Lido to Cavallino, the traffic suddenly increases, and with it the waves on the Sile. The yachts and motorboats usually brake when they see me. The two oncoming jet skis do not do this, but their waves are not comparable to motorboat waves either.

The atmosphere becomes increasingly maritime and after the bridge the fishing boats line up until they are overwhelmed by motorboats and yachts at the port of Cavallino. With every paddle stroke I get closer to the lighthouse Faro di Cavallino.

Attention: risk of confusion! This lighthouse is also called Faro di Piave Vecchia, which surprises me a lot since the Piave flows into the sea twelve kilometers east of here. Here, on the other hand, the end of the Sile is accompanied by a pier on its left side, while on the right the lighthouse and the premises of the coast guard complete the picture.

Wikipedia provides an explanation for this confusion of names: According to the online encyclopedia, near Portegrandi the Sile is diverted via a centuries-old canal - the Taglio del Sile - to Camposile, where it flows into the former river bed of the Piave (Alveo del Piave Vecchia). Historically speaking, along this tour you paddle two rivers at once, the “old” Piave and at the same time the “new” Sile, which has been running here since the 17th century.

Done! I'm finally able to look at the wide sea again and realize once more how huge this beautiful country is. I can't even see the mainland south of Venice in the direction I'm currently looking. I quickly paddle around the lighthouse to the right and land on the Spiaggia del Faro satisfied. From here you could continue paddling along 13 kilometers of beach into the Venetian lagoon and the gates of Venice. But I'll think about that another time. First, I walk just around the corner to my accommodation right at the harbor, where a cool refreshment is waiting for me.

However, if you have to get back to Jesolo from here to pick up the parked vehicle, you have the following option:

Walk straight from the beach to the main road that leads from Lido di Jesolo to Cavallino and get on bus line 23. It takes you to the central bus terminal in Lido di Jesolo. Get off there and take line 19 to the center of Jesolo. Both walks (before and after the bus ride) take less than 10 minutes.