
Elbe
Kayak spot · Germany
Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river
Is it worth the trip?
74Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: Wind 3 kn gusting 10, Air 10 °C
Tue 3 · 72 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 7°C
- Rain
- 0.1 mm
Wed 4 · 69 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 7°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Thu 5 · 77 out of 100
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 8°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Fri 6 · 80 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 10°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sat 7 · 76 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 6°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sun 8 · 69 out of 100
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 8°C
- Rain
- 0.3 mm
Mon 9 · 63 out of 100
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 16kntoo gusty
- Air
- 8°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 278, good
- Tue 372, good
- Wed 469, good
- Thu 577, good
- Fri 680, good
- Sat 776, good
- Sun 869, good
- Mon 963, good
- Tue 1025, poor
- Wed 110, poor
The spot in three facts
- Flat waterthe water
- 3.7 kmthe section
- Best Jun–Sep7 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Air | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 78, good | 3 kn | 9kn | 7°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 3Nov | 72, good | 4 kn | 12kn | 7°C | 0.1 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 69, good | 4 kn | 16kn | 7°C | 0 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 77, good | 1 kn | 11kn | 8°C | 0 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 80, good | 3 kn | 10kn | 10°C | 0 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 76, good | 4 kn | 11kn | 6°C | 0 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 69, good | 6 kn | 13kn | 8°C | 0.3 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 63, good | 5 kn | 16kntoo gusty | 8°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 25, poor | 10 kn | 19kntoo gusty | 4°C | 1.2 mm |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, poor | 11 kn | 22kntoo gusty | 9°C | 0 mm |
Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. The river's level is under In the water. More
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Jun–Sep
Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for new paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical weather, not a forecast, and not the river's level: a month that is often good to be outside may still be low water.
Map
put-in, take-out, its town
Elbe on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More kayaking near here
2 places
- Kanusteg SV Grün-Weiß Pirna e.V. 3.5 km away
- Wesenitz, Teufelskanal 9.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Elbe
A river section on the Elbe, from a put-in down to a take-out. It runs 3.7 km along the river. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 4.3 km away. For new paddlers the best months are usually June, July, August and September, with about 7 good days in 7; in January, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Pirna. Within 5 km we also list 3 kayak spots and 1 climbing area.
- River Elbe
- Grade No grade is stated.
- Length 3.7 km along the river.
- Who it suits No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle.
- Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
- Schools, hire 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 4.3 km away.
Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,310–US$2,480 each
about US$1,310–US$2,480 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, kayak hire.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to DRS, estimated from distance and season, changing at FRA, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$496–US$1,030 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$54–US$87 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$308–US$509 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$295–US$549 |
| Kayak hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$161–US$308 |
| Total | about US$1,310–US$2,480 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Pirna
about 10 min by car · 89 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Pirna its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 17h 45m
About 17h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DRS, changing at Frankfurt Main Airport (FRA), then 45 min by road
Flights ORD → DRS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Pirna · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Pirna · GetYourGuide
River level
Gauge at PIRNA, 1 km downstream: 0.93 m, low (updated 1 h ago). Low.
Bands are this gauge's own record: under its usual low, running, high, and in flood on its few highest days a year. Not a runnable range for the section: check before you go. River levels in Germany: PEGELONLINE, Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes (WSV), DL-DE Zero 2.0. Credits
Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby
DKV-Zeltplatz 4.3 km
Wassersportverein Wiking Schweifsterne e. V. Dresden 16 km
WSV "Am Blauen Wunder" 17 km
T.K. Berglust 06 e.V. 21 km
The nearest named schools, clubs and kayak or canoe hire within 25 km, in a straight line. Listings, not a recommendation. Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits