Yarra River Kayak Tours in Melbourne: The Sunset Paddle, the City Tour, Waterbikes and a Canoe

Kayaking on the Yarra in Melbourne is a guided affair on GetYourGuide, and the standout is Kayak Melbourne’s three-hour sunset paddle from Docklands with fish and chips served in your kayak, rated 4.9 from 232 reviews, from US$84 a person as of October 2026. The daytime city kayak tour runs 105 minutes from US$57, Waterbikes Australia’s pedal-powered tours start at US$63, and a canoe trip upstream in Yarra Bend Park at US$76. None needs experience.

The paddles and pedals, side by side

GetYourGuide’s US-dollar starting prices per person and ratings as of October 2026. All cancel free up to 24 hours ahead.

The sunset kayak: dinner on the water

The sunset paddle meets just before sunset in Victoria Harbour, in Docklands. After a short safety briefing and a paddling lesson on dry land, you head out in stable fibreglass sea kayaks to explore the harbour, then tie up at a dock in a marina and stay in your kayak while fish and chips are served. After dinner the group paddles upstream under the Bolte Bridge into the city, past Crown and Southbank, past Flinders Street station and under Princes Bridge, and finishes at the boat landing by the Rowing Sheds, across the river from Federation Square.

Gluten-free and vegetarian meals can be arranged, and paddling equipment and waterproof bags are included. Bring a sun hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and a change of clothes.

Check sunset kayak dates →

The city sights kayak: the daytime loop

The 105-minute tour starts with a briefing and lesson, heads downriver under Princes Bridge past Flinders Street station to the Polly Woodside tall ship and Yarra’s Edge Marina in Docklands, stops for a break and some stories, then comes back upstream past Crown and Southbank to Boathouse Drive. The listing rules it out for children under 10, pregnant women, people over 118 kg and people over 75, and allows no alcohol.

Waterbikes: pedal, not paddle

Waterbikes Australia’s waterbikes are pedal-powered, and both tours run 1.5 hours in groups of up to five with a lifejacket included. The day tour leaves VRA Landing on Boathouse Drive, pedals upstream toward the MCG and Rod Laver Arena, then downstream under Princes Bridge past Federation Square and Southbank to South Wharf before coming back; it includes a digital photo album. The twilight tour heads upriver to the Botanic Gardens first, turns under the Swan Street Bridge, then runs down past Flinders Street to Webb Bridge and back to the rowing sheds.

The age rules are strict: 8 is the minimum, children from 8 to 13 ride only on a tandem with a parent or guardian steering, and 14- and 15-year-olds need a parent or guardian with them. Riders must be at least 120 cm tall and no more than 120 kg.

The canoe: the Yarra as a river, not a city

Up the creek’s two-hour canoe tour takes you away from the city to Yarra Bend Park, which the listing calls Melbourne’s largest area of natural bushland, home to birds, marsupials, reptiles and a Grey-headed Flying-fox colony of 10,000 to 30,000. It is a small group of up to ten, mixes paddling with storytelling, and sends a conservation donation to the Yarra River Keeper Association. The meeting point comes with the booking. Bring clothes that can get wet.

Which one suits you

Pick by the time of day and who is coming:

Prices are GetYourGuide's US-dollar starting prices per person as of October 2026; they change by date, so treat them as the shape of the market, not a quote.

Paddling without a guide

To paddle on your own, Studley Park Boathouse in Kew hires rowing boats, canoes and kayaks at its counter, in Yarra Bend Park upstream of the city; it is not bookable on GetYourGuide. For a boat you drive yourselves with a picnic on board, GoBoat’s electric picnic boats start at US$69 per boat, and Yarra boat hire compares every boat you can have to yourself.