Staying Home Sucks, home
Gießen, die Pelikan-Apotheke "Am Marktplatz"
Gießen, the nearest town. Photo: Dguendel, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Lahn

Kayak spot · Germany

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

54Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 56 out of 100

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

Tue 3 · 49 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
22kn
Air
7°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 51 out of 100

Wind
9 kn
Gusts
23kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 56 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 53 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
7°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 52 out of 100

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

Sun 8 · 53 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
16kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0.3 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 156, fair
  2. Mon 256, fair
  3. Tue 349, fair
  4. Wed 451, fair
  5. Thu 556, fair
  6. Fri 653, fair
  7. Sat 752, fair
  8. Sun 853, fair
  9. Mon 953, fair
  10. Tue 1055, fair

The spot in four facts

  • Moving waterthe water
  • 10.6 kmthe section
  • 9 portagescarry round
  • Best Jun–Sep7 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Lahn
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Sun 1Nov56, fair5 kn13kn8°C0 mm
Mon 2Nov56, fair4 kn10kn8°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov49, fair10 kn22kn7°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov51, fair9 kn23kn9°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov56, fair6 kn13kn8°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov53, fair5 kn11kn7°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov52, fair4 kn12kn7°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov53, fair8 kn16kn8°C0.3 mm
Mon 9Nov53, fair3 kn10kn7°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov55, fair5 kn11kn8°C2.4 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 grade III paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar2of 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. Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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.

More kayaking near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Lahn

A river section on the Lahn, from a put-in down to a take-out. It runs 11 km along the river. 9 portages mapped: a weir, fall or hazard to carry round. Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. 5 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 0.0 km away. For grade III paddlers the best months are usually June, July, August and September, with about 7 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Gießen. Within 5 km we also list 7 kayak spots.

  • River Lahn
  • Grade No source states its grade: check a guidebook before you paddle it.
  • Length 11 km along the river.
  • Portages 9 portages mapped: a weir, fall or hazard to carry round.
  • Who it suits Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler.
  • Access OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks.
  • Schools, hire 5 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 0.0 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: Gießen

Closest

Gießen

1 min by car · 38 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 38 places to stay in Gießen · Booking.com

About Gießen 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 14h 40m

About 14h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → FRA, direct, then 1h 25m by road

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

On the water

River level

Gauge at GIESSEN KLÄRWERK: 2.3 m (updated 3 h ago). Running.

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

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

Saved: this link opens the same trip

Email itRemind me to book

The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.