Had a very dangerous experience with Paddle Boston and would NOT recommend to anyone. We were not informed that there was a huge crew race happening on the river that day, with 100+ boats coming at very high speeds all morning. We were told that we had to stay to the side, as close to shore as possible, and were not given options to reschedule. The staff provided no instructions on how to navigate the kayaks nor any safety precautions for first timers.My kayak collided with a racing boat in a narrow section of the river under a bridge. I had three very hard hits to my head with their paddles and am still experiencing symptoms from this mild concussion. While I am the only one who had an injury, my friends also had trouble steering their kayaks and many were also at risk of collision with the crew races.Such race events are planned far in advance and this situation should have been made clear before we traveled far distances to arrive for our kayak trip. I am traumatized, still healing, and will never recommend this company to anyone. Worst of all, when I called the company to report the incident, they were extremely rude and unapologetic, and even blamed me for the accident. Stay far away.

There really should be a basic tutorial for people who have never paddled before. Saw a lot of struggling tandems who might have fared better with basic instruction. My own group also received no instruction. Also would be nice if they told you a bit about what can be seen up/down river.Just small things to improve the customer experience would go a long way.Otherwise, staff is friendly and the boats are clean. I recommend watching a basic kayaking video on YouTube before stopping in.Ps: I worked at a kayak shop.

I had a good experience there. You have to sign up online and make a reservation ahead of time. When I got there, the check-in process was fairly quick. They sanitize everything before using it. You get a minimum of 3 hours on the boat. I did the single kayak. They also offer double kayaks, canoes and paddle boards. I thought the single kayak was great. Ive been on some kayaks where its a challenge to keep the boat straight. This one was very easy to handle. Its beautiful going down the river by all the boat houses. I will certainly be coming back again

Good experience renting kayaks here. The kayaks were in good shape, no issues. The staff were helpful, getting in and out of the kayak.

Easily the best scape you ll have in a busy city. You can enjoy kayak by yourself or with your friends. You will be wearing a life jacket so all of you who don’t know how to swim also can join in. This kayak takes you around Charles River in Boston along with MIT. Add to that it is a best way to exercise as well. This place also has really good restaurants near by so you can have a good lunch afterwards. The only down side is that it is only seasonal limited to summer. Other than that is it a must try.

My in laws were visiting from out of town and wanted a fun easy activity near water. This was the perfect activity! If you are looking for a day on the water this is the perfect place for you. They are super organized, in a good location, have friendly staff. You can take how long you like on the river and the price isn’t bad at all. They offer kayaking paddle boating canoeing and paddle boarding. Prices are $21 per person. No reservations required. On a busy weekend, the wait from the time you arrive until you get on the kayak is less than 15 min and there is plenty of street parking near by. I’d definitely go again!

Perfect location to get out on the water. There is a ton of free parking and the urban scenery is beautiful to paddle through.

This was a super fun day out on the water. 3 hours for 40 bucks and they are a well run machine with clear guidelines and setup to get you out there fast. Everyone was super nice and down to earth.

I had fun. The water is gross but as long as you dont tip your boat or paddle so hard, its fine. Be sure to wear sunscreen though. The staff was really friendly, especially the guy who fits you for lifejackets. He seemed like hes always in a good mood, who knows?

Best canoe experience Ive ever had. The staff is knowledgeable and super helpful.

Friendly staff and plenty of help boarding and getting out of the kayak. They will refund for any extra kayaks in appointment if someone in your party for one reason or another could not come.

Always a great time😁

Lovely place to spend time with your love ones or simply to do some sports :)

Great place to go kayaking and enjoy the summer heat.

Peaceful kayaking and fun weekend activity

Friendly staff and always a fun experience. You can kayak or canoe around the dock or take your kayak all the way from Allston to Dowtown. This takes a couple of hours, but is a great way to spend a weekend afternoon. The people at Charles River Canoe & Kayak are very helpful for beginners and overall incredibly friendly. You can even bring your furry friend if they are up for it (I recommend a life vest)!

Really cool way to see the river! I kayaked from one booth to the next. We had to pay an extra 10 dollars but I would say it is worth it. Just a note - kayaking will make you a little wet. Our shoes were damp because of the water we flung with out oars.

Pretty smooth rental process. Good equipment. Staff was friendly.

Fun experience. Friendly staffs

Staff was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. All we had to do was check in at the front, and they provided life vests and set our kayaks on the water. The views are absolutely gorgeous and I could not highly recommend doing this! Plenty of parking available on site.

That was awesome!✔️

Great place for the adventurous type

Fun time, will be Kayaking again this summer

Nice lake, good stuff and affordable price.

Kayaking in the Charles River is a must thing to do when you are in Boston. I would recommend to basically visit this particularkayaking sport and perform the kayaking from one end of the river to the other end of the river as this particular full view is very scenic its an amazing place in order to do kayaking. kayaking in the Charles River is pretty easy in order to do and hence its a very pleasant experience overall. one can assume that basically taking a two people kayaking is an easier option as opposed to doing a solo kayaking and I would recommend amateur kayakers in order to take the duel auction in case they are visiting this particular location

They offer clear instructions beforehand. Very much patient with your questions and concerns. Its definitely the best way to explore the Charles river.

Perfect place for canoeing and paddle boarding, they also provide sunscreen, prices are affordable

One of the awesome sight seeing in Boston, love this place

So much fun!

It was really interesting experience. I rode the double 🛶 with my wife and son. They were very excited. The price is reasonable, not expensive. At first you need to learn how to direct it. After you get used to it, it will open new doors for spending your time with family. I strongly recommend to try it.

We discovered this place by some sort of google search about stuff to do in Boston. Wife suggested we do it. I was pretty excited to try it although I though about “what if the current is strong, my wife has never kayaked before. I will be so zonked at the end”. I was wrong for some reason there is little to no current in the Charles river.Yeah it was some work going down the river and back to the dock, but it was relaxing at the same time. It was fun seeing people walk or run by on the greenway and to see people rowing. It was a fun little/ different tour of the town.The employees were very nice and I felt like they didn’t feel bothered with our questions. You do have to sign a waiver which is to be expected. There is a river quiz too. Proper way to be on a river and what kind of boats get right of way etc.... one of the benches actually has the answers penned on it. But there is a short sheet with the test that will be enough for you to get 100% in that quiz.The price was very reasonable, they have a price per boat per hour and then pro rate any time after that first hour. My wife and I didn’t feel rushed to get back to the dock because of the pricing and that prorated policy.Over all I enjoyed my time on the river and think that the employees I dealt with were so very nice. The next time I get the chance to go back to Boston, I would use this company again.

Really enjoyed. Felt completely covid safe.

Excellent fun!

Amazing experience!!! Super recomend for a big group, we had a lot of fun. The place is very clean, organized and the staff is very nice

I started kayaking here two years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. I’ve had season memberships for the last two summers and it’s the best money I’ve spent. And I can’t say enough good things about the staff there’re always friendly and helpful.

No water, no snacks, staff didnt seem to enjoy their job. Not very friendly

We did a one- way trip down the Charles River and loved our time on the kayak! Definitely worth the money. :-) Strong recommendation

Friendly. Reasonable prices. Amazing on a nice day. If you kayak upriver you can forget you are in the city amidst the dense trees. Downriver is fun through Harvard too.

What a great experience! It was my first time kayaking, and I had a blast! The river was relatively calm, and the kayaks arent bad. Affordable price as well. Would come back again!

A very beautiful place, lots of friendly staff to help you.I got a excellent sea Kayak, they also offered me a light weight paddle. It was the first time i used sea Kayak .Wow its awesome it went really fast and i enjoyed kayaking effortlessly. Towards the end there was heavy wind and it was a good experiance to kayak against the wind. Also enjoyed the waves as the big boats pass by.

The location is great, you get a nice view of the skyline and its good for being out there for about 1 hr. Easy access from subway station as well.The staff could be a little more helpful in giving instructions. Also, the person that did my check out when I paid was very unfriendly, everything else was good, I just left with that last unfriendly interaction. I didnt get her name. She is blonde and was working the check out trailer on 06/02/2017 at around 3:00 pm ( in case a manager is curious)

The river provides a good view of the Boston skyline. You can start paddling at Allston and drop off your boat at Kendall Square (or vice versa). It was 2 hours in a canoe with 5 people. They also have life jackets for dogs if you want to bring a furry friend aboard.

Everything you need, plus its really nice to be up river. Great location.

Excellent staff, really helpful and friendly. Easy and inexpensive way to get on the water for a little while.

Easy to get on the water as soon as possible! Not much baggage in terms of waivers/qualifications, staff was more than happy to help with getting us off on our canoe. The only issue we had was in payment - our credit card was swiped before we accepted the payment and they were reluctant to void the charge with a necessary price adjustment. Overall, still a solid experience. 7/10

Everyone is eager to help you out, get you trained, and get you on the water! From beginner to advanced, youll be having a great time exploring what Boston and the Charles has to offer! A great way to be fun and healthy.

I have gone to many of the Charles River Canoe and Kayak rental locations but this is by far my favorite one. The atmosphere is calm, quiet, and best of all beautiful. 5 stars for the staff helping out a friend of mine learning how to paddle board.

Thats an awesome way to experience the Charles. Fairly inexpensive, you can pretty much row anywhere you want (while being safe). Highly recommended.

Fun way to get outside and see the city! Easy to rent boats, everything included in your rental. The season pass is a great option!

Awesome skyline views of downtown Boston. The staff was friendly and got us out on water in no time. Highly recommend the one-way trip down to their Kendall/MIT location!

Water was great The weather was great my arms got tired at the end but it was all worth it.

Love the place. Wish it opened at 830am. Great team, good equipment and nice starting point whether you are going towards DT or NewtonUpdate 9.15.18: had our first bad experience there this morning. We had a fairly large group - 4 families totaling 14 ppl- and were treated rudely from the time we arrived. Two staff members at the check in booth couldnt have been less welcoming and one even lectured my husband In a very patronizing way. Very disappointed in out experience as customers and members.

Excellent day activity, kayaking the Charles is a very fun and relaxing experience. Charles River kayak center makes it easy and convenient. They also do fourth of July rentals!

These guys are awesome.Being disabled they accomodated me and my family with no notice. They transferred me into a kayak with no problem. Plenty of staff on hand and they even had water, sunscreen and bug spray!

I dont complain often about my daily racist encounters, but I just could not let this one go. Waiters ignore me and taxi drives pass by me. However, the staff there were just disrespectful and plain rude. We rented for an hour ;however, we only got to be on the water for 35 minutes. When we asked to go back to the water for the remainder of the time they just ignored us. When we asked for a reason, they said we cant and didnt bother to explain it to us. While on the other hand, the other customers were given full attention and a different tone of voice. I dont want to call the staff there racist, but I cant find a reason why we go treated the way we did. We didnt get called names, but I know racism when I see it. I dont think my comment will change those people, but I want to warn people who are not white before going there.

Friendly helpful staff, well maintained boats, excellent locations along the Charles. Cost-effective way to enjoy going out on the river once in awhile without buying your own boat.

All of the locations offer great service and have wonderful staff on hand to help and answer questions. There are spectacular views of different areas of the charles river. Paddling the charles is something I recommend for tourist and long time residents whove never done it before.

Love it

Staff were very friendly and I liked it so much I bought a season pass!

Awesome canoe place. Kayak from here to the other location in Cambridge! Very good pricing, buy a membership its worth it if you like to kayak.

A great option if you dont own a kayak. Note that all of their docks are owned by the DCR and the staff is all aware that you can bring your own boat!

Fun place to paddle. Nice staff.

The staff are all very friendly and helpful. On a hot summer day it can get very crowded but the staff is very efficient getting people into and out of the water in an organized manner.

To be fair, my 1 star review is more for the google listing. I wasnt able to rent a kayak because they are closed for the season. I tried the company phone but it answers then disconnects. They should correct the hours of operation so stupid people like me dont make plans for a boating trip then find out that Ill have to wait till next summer. Lame.

Pricy but wonderful sights

Very courteous and helpful staff. I definitely enjoyed my time on Charles River.

Having been members for three years at the Nahanton Rd. Site, my husband and I have been grateful for the information, support and service delivered. The manager is knowledgable and so helpful. For us older folk it is a special pleasure to deal with him and the beauty of the Charles each time we paddle.

All the staff was very nice and it was easy to get in and out of the boat while putting life jackets on our children.

Love my kayaking with my son.

They make everything easy. Pretty stretch of the Charles yet easy to get to.

$15 - Single Kayak / hour$20 - Double Kayak / hourIts a good place for outdoor activities. Kayaking through the Charles River is a great way to explore the city.

It was fun to kayak the Charles but it wasnt fun to learn about the toxic algae and that you need to wash after kayaking. They said they would have water to wash with at the exit point but they didnt. Good luck finding any public restrooms in Kendall sq. You should probably shut down when algae is that bad or make sure you have water to wash at the end.

Free parking, tons of green space and picnic tables around the dock. Night Shift Beer Garden next door for after paddling.

Very fun date. Be sure to go downriver to see the Harvard bridge, passing by a couple neat boathouses.

Kayaking on the Charles is a great summer day activity. Definitely check this place out

Well organized, pleasant staff, awesome fun and 10% of pizza at trips end!

I like this location more than the Kendal one due to the free water and sun screen. Get the season pass. Well worth it.

Super easy and fun. First time kayaking and picked it up really quickly.

Friendly, knowledge staff. Check out their retail location to get outfitted right!

Great experience. Earlier you go the better.

This was a very pleasing experience and all the equipment was in good condition. Staff was friendly and helpful.

Amazing experience and the price is good..just about 20 dollars per an hour

I have been kayaking my entire life, and these two seater kayaks are difficult to steer. Next time, I would try a canoe

Friendly and professional staff.Had a wonderful experienceStrongly recommend

Really fun way to spend a few hours

Awesome way to spend a weekend day, out on the water of the Charles. The staff are friendly and theres always a boat available.

Great place for a date to see the scenery throug the Charles River. No experience is necessary, just need to pass the safety exam.

Great staff, and great location. Feels like an entirety different city from the middle of the Charles.

Very friendly staffs and beautiful place for kayaking.

I like this one more than other of the same chain. Got greenery all around.

Awesome experience on 4th of July

Friendly, reasonable prices

Great prices and a fun time

One of the most important things to do.

Awesome and fun place !

Best place for kayaking in Boston

Must things to do in BostonAnd friendly stuff

Great people, helpful and patient.

Staff really helpful and courteous

I like the location and the price is same as other location.