September 16, 2011 10:00 pm

Slideshow: Kayaking in Venice

A luxury hotel offers a novel way of avoiding the crowds and getting under the skin of the city

Kayaking in Venice

Kayaking across the Venice lagoon

Kayaking across the Venice lagoon

Among the islands of Venice lagoon

Among the islands of Venice lagoon

Kayaking close to the island of Burano

Kayaking close to the island of Burano

Among Burano's brightly painted houses

Among Burano's brightly painted houses

In the Bacino di San Marco, in front of Venice's most famous buildings

In the Bacino di San Marco, in front of Venice's most famous buildings

In the Grand Canal, a fresh perspective on the tourists

In the Grand Canal, a fresh perspective on the tourists

A more conventional form of Venetian boating - a gondolier in the Grand Canal

A more conventional form of Venetian boating - a gondolier in the Grand Canal

The Rialto bridge

The Rialto bridge

A gondolier in the Grand Canal

A gondolier in the Grand Canal

Tourists in a gondola

Tourists in a gondola

A gondolier in action

A gondolier in action

Kayaking through the Venetian equivalent of backstreets

Kayaking through the Venetian equivalent of backstreets

A "one-way" canal

A "one-way" canal

Washing drying above a narrow canal

Washing drying above a narrow canal

A resident watches the passing traffic

A resident watches the passing traffic

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