Kayaking the Mediterranean?

October 7, 2009 10:54 PM

Kayaking the Mediterranean- is it possible? I'm especially curious about visa issues when entering new countries along the coast, and the legality (or not) of camping on beaches along the way.

I'm idly thinking that with a kayak and a tent, a lovely little extended trip could be had around the Mediterranean Sea. What I'm not so sure about are how people go through customs and get visas and that when they're not entering at an airport or border, and how possible it would be to camp on beaches for much of the way.

Any experience on any of the relevant places would be great. Thanks!

posted by twirlypen to travel & transportation (8 comments total)

The Med isn't as violent a waterway as the Caribbean, but you can get some pretty amazing storms there. If you were in a kayak in one, you'd never be seen again.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 11:21 PM on October 7

I would suggest focusing on the Adriatic, which has hundreds of islands (some of them uninhabited) and is a bit calmer than the Mediterranean. Here are some ideas.
posted by Ljubljana at 11:30 PM on October 7

I don't know about the southern edge of the Med, but certainly along the north-western coast, all the countries are EU, and you don't really have any border crossings or customs. When you're driving, you just see a sign that says "welcome to [country]" as you whizz past. So it should certainly be feasible to do your trip along coastal Spain, France and Italy. No idea about boating though!
posted by Joh at 11:40 PM on October 7

Maybe canals instead?
posted by mdonley at 12:12 AM on October 8

In regards to storms, I imagine we'd be sticking close to the coast, and on a loose enough schedule that we can sit out anything that looks bad.

The Adriatic is definitely an idea- by Mediterranean I was meaning that whole area in general, so heading over to that side of Italy is certainly possible.

The canals are an interesting idea too...
posted by twirlypen at 12:49 AM on October 8

If you get a Schengen visa you can flit back forth between EU countries at will, you don't need to pass customs checks. As an Australian, you don't even need to apply for a visa (I think, but check with the relevant consulate).
Most of the countries bordering the Eastern Adriatic are not part of the Schengen Area (though Croatia has special arrangements), which would make going there more complicated.
posted by atrazine at 1:04 AM on October 8

I love this idea! Going on an extended canoeing/kayaking trip is on my bucket list, so I'll be keeping an eye on this thread. My main concern would be the availability of land that allows you to pitch a tent - most of the time, camping on beaches is illegal, and my guess is that people with private beaches might feel the same.

I've done something sort of similar twice: Once I spent 6 weeks walking along a river in Italy - we walked from Pisa to Florence to Rome - and another time I spent 4 weeks (mostly) walking the coastline of Ireland. Both times we basically pitched our tent wherever we could. We were lucky enough to never have a problem, and we stayed in hostels/small hotels whenever we were in towns. I highly recommend it!

Excellent research project! Hmm - maybe when the kids are older... I'm excited! Great idea, twirlypen!
posted by widdershins at 6:04 AM on October 8

Croatia has some of the best kayaking in the world.

Try this guy. Or a host of others.
posted by RandlePatrickMcMurphy at 1:08 PM on October 8