Kayaking with Firenze Rafting
One small inflatable kayak each, so you paddle yourself down the Arno instead of sitting in a raft with seven other people and a guide.
- Area
- San Niccolo
- Meeting point
- Spiaggia sull'Arno, under Torre di San Niccolo
- Season
- March to November, daily
- Duration
- Two hours
- Checked
- August 2026
- Price
- €€
- Go for
- Doing the work yourself. Same river, same bridges, but you are the one who paddles.
- Skip if
- You don't feel like doing something active today.
What everybody agrees on
Drawn from public reviews on Google and TripAdvisor plus the operator's own information, read September 2026. A thinner sample than the raft trip.
- Most
People who choose this over the raft do it because they want to paddle on their own, and they say it was the right call.
- Often
The boats are stable and forgiving. Nobody reports capsizing on this stretch.
- Often
Being alone in your own boat in the middle of the city is the part that lands.
- Some
Two hours of paddling is more effort than it sounds if you have never done it.
What to order
If you are a parent with a child who wants to paddle but is too small to go alone, ask about the double kayak. It solves the problem the single boats create.
Before you go
- Getting there
- Twelve minutes on foot east of Ponte Vecchio along the south bank.
- March to May
- Departures at 10:00 and 15:00.
- June to August
- Departures at 9:00 and 18:30.
- September
- Departures at 9:00 and 17:30.
- October to November
- One departure at 11:00.
- Children
- From five. A double kayak is available for a parent and a child.
- Bring
- Comfortable clothes, and slippers or shoes that can get a little wet from splashes.
The boats are stable and easy to steer, which makes this workable for people who have never held a paddle. It suits anyone who wants to be doing something rather than being taken somewhere. Same stretch of river as the rafting trips, same season, smaller groups.