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Geschlossener Steg mit Rohrleitung über die Birs, Moutier BE 20181006-jag9889
La Birse. Photo: Jag9889, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

La Birse

Kayak spot · Switzerland

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

56Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: Wind 1 kn gusting 7, Air 10 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 48 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
20kn
Air
4°C
Rain
0.2 mm

Wed 4 · 51 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
14kn
Air
5°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 56 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
7kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 59 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
7kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 55 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
6kn
Air
9°C
Rain
2.4 mm

Sun 8 · 54 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
9kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 58 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
9kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0 mm

Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 248, fair
  2. Tue 348, fair
  3. Wed 451, fair
  4. Thu 556, fair
  5. Fri 659, fair
  6. Sat 755, fair
  7. Sun 854, fair
  8. Mon 958, fair
  9. Tue 1056, fair
  10. Wed 1150, fair

The spot in four facts

  • Grade IVat its hardest
  • Moving waterthe water
  • 0.6 kmthe section
  • Best Jun–Sep7 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at La Birse
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov48, fair7 kn18kn4°C0.2 mm
Tue 3Nov48, fair8 kn20kn4°C0.2 mm
Wed 4Nov51, fair5 kn14kn5°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov56, fair2 kn7kn8°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov59, fair1 kn7kn10°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov55, fair1 kn6kn9°C2.4 mm
Sun 8Nov54, fair3 kn9kn8°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov58, fair3 kn9kn10°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov56, fair3 kn10kn9°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov50, fair1 kn9kn9°C11.1 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. 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 expert paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
  7. Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
  8. Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
  9. Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. Dec0of 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

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.

Photos of La Birse

Stauwehr-Steg über die Birs, Moutier BE 20181006-jag9889
Near La Birse. Photo: Jag9889, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More kayaking near here

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About La Birse

A river section on the La Birse, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade III to IV, on the international scale. It runs 0.6 km along the river. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. None within 10 km, the nearest 11 km away. For expert paddlers the best months are usually June, July, August and September, with about 7 good days in 7; in January and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Moutier. Within 5 km we also list 1 kayak spot.

  • River La Birse
  • Grade Grade III to IV, on the international scale.
  • Length 0.6 km along the river.
  • Who it suits Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 11 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$1,850–US$3,410 each

about US$1,850–US$3,410 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to ZRH, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$489–US$1,020
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$188–US$315
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$462–US$764
Food7 days eating outabout US$449–US$831
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$261–US$482
Totalabout US$1,850–US$3,410

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Moutier

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Moutier

4 min by car · 3 places to stay

about US$174/nightcountry average

See 3 places to stay in Moutier · Booking.com

About Moutier its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$174 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 15h 20m

About 15h 20m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → ZRH, direct, then 1h 55m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

On the water

River level

River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go.

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

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