Staying Home Sucks, home
Saalfeld001
Saalfeld/Saale, the nearest town, 4 km away. Photo: Bytfisch, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Saale

Kayak spot · Germany

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

80Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Sun 8: Wind 5 kn gusting 12, Air 8 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 79 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
10kn
Air
6°C
Rain
0 mm

Tue 3 · 78 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
23kn
Air
5°C
Rain
0.1 mm

Wed 4 · 80 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
19kn
Air
7°C
Rain
0.2 mm

Thu 5 · 79 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
7°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 80 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
10kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 81 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
9kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 82 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
8°C
Rain
1.2 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 181, good
  2. Mon 279, good
  3. Tue 378, good
  4. Wed 480, good
  5. Thu 579, good
  6. Fri 680, good
  7. Sat 781, good
  8. Sun 882, good
  9. Mon 979, good
  10. Tue 1078, good

The spot in two facts

  • Flat waterthe water
  • 3.7 kmthe section

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.

Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Saale
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Sun 1Nov81, good3 kn10kn7°C0.3 mm
Mon 2Nov79, good3 kn10kn6°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov78, good10 kn23kn5°C0.1 mm
Wed 4Nov80, good8 kn19kn7°C0.2 mm
Thu 5Nov79, good4 kn12kn7°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov80, good3 kn10kn8°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov81, good3 kn9kn9°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov82, good5 kn12kn8°C1.2 mm
Mon 9Nov79, good4 kn10kn6°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov78, good7 kn22kn8°C4.8 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.

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.

More kayaking near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Saale

A river section on the Saale, 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. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. None within 10 km, the nearest 12 km away. The town to stay in is Saalfeld/Saale. Within 5 km we also list 5 kayak spots and 1 mountain bike area.

  • River Saale
  • Grade No grade is stated.
  • Length 3.7 km along the river.
  • Who it suits No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle.
  • Access OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 12 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$1,390–US$2,610 each

about US$1,390–US$2,610 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 FRA, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$482–US$998
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$147–US$248
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$308–US$509
Food7 days eating outabout US$295–US$549
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$161–US$308
Totalabout US$1,390–US$2,610

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Saalfeld/Saale

Closest

Saalfeld/Saale

7 min by car · 31 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 31 places to stay in Saalfeld/Saale · Booking.com

About Saalfeld/Saale 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 10m

About 17h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → FRA, direct, then 3h 55m by road

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

On the water

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