Staying Home Sucks, home
Torhaus Mainbrücke Miltenberg 2012
Miltenberg, the nearest town, 5 km away. Photo: Felix König, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Main

Kayak spot · Germany

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

67Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 31 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
19kntoo gusty
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 0 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
22kntoo gusty
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 67 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
16kntoo gusty
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 75 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
15kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 80 out of 100

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

Sun 8 · 80 out of 100

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

Mon 9 · 72 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
6°C
Rain
0 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 277, good
  2. Tue 331, poor
  3. Wed 40, poor
  4. Thu 567, good
  5. Fri 675, good
  6. Sat 780, good
  7. Sun 880, good
  8. Mon 972, good
  9. Tue 1070, good
  10. Wed 110, poor

The spot in three facts

  • Grade flatat its hardest
  • Flat waterthe water
  • 3.4 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 Main
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov77, good2 kn6kn9°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov31, poor7 kn19kntoo gusty8°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov0, poor10 kn22kntoo gusty9°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov67, good6 kn16kntoo gusty9°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov75, good4 kn15kn9°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov80, good3 kn10kn8°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov80, good3 kn10kn7°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov72, good4 kn11kn6°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov70, good5 kn12kn8°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov0, poor10 kn24kntoo gusty7°C0 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

No month stands out

Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for new paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May7of 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. Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov5of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. Dec4of 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

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Main

A river section on the Main, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade flat, on the international scale. It runs 3.4 km along the river. Suits new paddlers and up, by its grade. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 7.4 km away. The town to stay in is Miltenberg. Within 5 km we also list 2 kayak spots.

  • River Main
  • Grade Grade flat, on the international scale.
  • Length 3.4 km along the river.
  • Who it suits Suits new paddlers and up, by its grade.
  • Access OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks.
  • Schools, hire 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 7.4 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$1,400–US$2,620 each

about US$1,400–US$2,620 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 2 November 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$483–US$1,000
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$148–US$248
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$309–US$510
Food7 days eating outabout US$295–US$550
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$161–US$309
Totalabout US$1,400–US$2,620

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Miltenberg

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

Closest

Miltenberg

about 10 min by car · 42 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 42 places to stay in Miltenberg · Booking.com

About Miltenberg 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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 14h 35m

About 14h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → FRA, direct, then 1h 20m by road

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

On the water

River level

Gauge at KLEINHEUBACH, 4 km downstream: 1.09 m (updated 2 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

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