Staying Home Sucks, home
Kraftwerk Erlenbach Wasserrohr- und Fussgängerbrücke über die Simme, Erlenbach im Simmental BE 20220604-jag9889
Simme. Photo: Jag9889, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Simme

Kayak spot · Switzerland

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

Not for new paddlers. Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade.

The spot in three facts

  • Grade IIIat its hardest
  • Moving waterthe water
  • 9.5 kmthe section

Full forecast

every day, every number

Not for new paddlers. Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade. See it for grade III paddlers.

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.

Photos of Simme

Kraftwerk Erlenbach Wehrbrücke über die Simme, Erlenbach im Simmental BE 20220604-jag9889
Photo: Jag9889, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More kayaking near here

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Simme

A river section on the Simme, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade III, on the international scale. It runs 9.5 km along the river. Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade. 2 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 7.7 km away. The town to stay in is Spiez. Within 5 km we also list 1 ski resort, 2 kayak spots and 1 climbing area.

  • River Simme
  • Grade Grade III, on the international scale.
  • Length 9.5 km along the river.
  • Who it suits Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire 2 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 7.7 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: Spiez

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

Closest

Spiez

16 min by car · 13 places to stay

about US$174/nightcountry average

See 13 places to stay in Spiez · Booking.com

About Spiez 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 45m

About 15h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → ZRH, direct, then 2h 20m 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