The 15 Boat Tours in Venice That Earn Their Price

1.Boat Trip: Glimpse of Murano, Torcello & Burano Islands

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 15,699 reviews · 4.5 - 5.5 hours · from $29Our pick

See Murano, Torcello, and Burano from Venice in 4.5 to 5.5 hours, with a glass factory visit, free time, and lace shopping.

“We love the glass blowing and the tour of the glass factory! The whole trip was amazing, but this specifically stood out as a highlight for us.”

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2.Burano, Torcello & Murano Boat Tour w/Glassblowing

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 10,245 reviews · 6 hours · from $28Best value

Panoramic boat tour of Murano, Burano, and Torcello with a Murano glassblowing demo, factory stop, and 10% discount.

“The tour was amazing. Murano and Burano were beautiful and the glass blowing a great experience. Torcello was an added bonus.”

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3.Murano and Burano Boat Tour with Glass Factory Visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 9,527 reviews · from $34

Boat day trip to Murano and Burano with a Murano glass factory visit, plus free time to wander colorful canals and streets.

“Fantastic day trip. Just the right amount of time with kids, and our guide helped with timing to ensure we were back in time. The glass blowing demonstration was fantastic, about 10 minutes, but not much free time in Murano although not needed. Free time around Burano was great, beautiful little village.”

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4.Murano & Burano Islands Guided Small-Group Tour by Private Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 7,580 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $36.28

Small-group private boat to Murano and Burano for glassblowing, handmade lace, and time to wander colorful canals.

“Our guide Frankie was friendly and knowledgeable. The highlight of the tour is the demonstration at the murano glass factory.”

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5.Murano & Burano Panoramic Boat Tour w/ Glassblowing

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 6,212 reviews · 4 - 4.5 hours · from $29

A half-day Venice lagoon boat tour with Murano glassblowing and Burano’s colorful homes, plus scenic rides and free island time.

“we had prebooked this trip and on the day there was a 24hour public transport strike so we were very glad we could get to the islands without relying on the Vaporetto. the glass factory has some amazing art pieces and the colourful canals of Burano were beautiful.”

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6.Murano & Burano Guided Tour by Private Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 4,170 reviews · from $61.49

Private boat to Murano and Burano with English demos of glassblowing and lace, plus time to wander colorful island streets.

“Our guide Ellie ( Elly) was so good. Being born and raised here, she knew the answers to all our questions, and gave us a really good insight into the local culture and history, and we saw so much more of these places due to her personal experiences of living here. She was very friendly and kind, adjusted the tour to our needs, especially as we were four older people who needed a bit of time for resting now and then. She made our experience memorable. Highly recommended.”

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7.Private 3 hrs Venice Tour: St Mark’s, Walking tour & Boat tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 3,372 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $480.59

Skip-the-line St Mark’s, a guided walk through Venetian backstreets, then a 1-hour Grand Canal cruise in small groups.

“The tour gave us a great introduction to the city on our first day in Venice and it helped us choose what to visit in the following days. As the St Mark's Basilica cannot be entered due to Corona regulations, our guide Cristina took us to some other very nice spots instead. For us it was just the right amount of explanations, walking, and breaks. I'd recommend the tour to anyone who visits Venice the first time.”

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8.Private Gondola Cruise for up to 5 Passengers

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 3,106 reviews · from $157.47

Private gondola cruise on Venice’s Grand Canal and side canals, with a 30-minute intimate ride for up to five. Day or night views.

“Excellent, mustdo while in Venice great to get the what felt like the authentic experience along the grand canal and then slipping down some of the small water ways. Great thig to tick off the bucket list and highly recommend. No hassle very simple to book, find and start.”

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9.Murano and Burano Half-Day Island Tour by Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 2,489 reviews · 3 - 9.5 hours · from $34

Small group boat trip from Venice to Murano and Burano for glassblowing, lace making, and colorful photo spots.

“A very good value for the money. We really enjoyed Burano including the brief intro to lace making, the shops and cafes. While Murano glass is gorgeous, too much time was allocated to visiting just one high end glass shop.”

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10.Catamaran Sunset Jazz Cruise with Aperitivo

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,206 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $94

A 90-minute Venice catamaran sunset jazz cruise with live sax, aperitivo spritz or prosecco, and cicchetti snacks from Riva dei Sette Martiri.

“We were recommended this trip by a friend and it did not disappoint. The weather was great and timing perfect for the cruise seeing Venice at sunset from the sea. Food and drink were good and you can buy additional drinks if needed. Boat had the perfect number of guests, not crowded at all, and the music was the perfect vibe for the trip.”

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11.Grand Canal Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 959 reviews · 1 hour · from $53

1-hour Grand Canal motorboat tour in Venice for about $53, with an English guide past Rialto and Della Costituzione.

“It was exactly as I had hoped. The guide was informative in her narration, and the tour lasted enough to make me feel it was worth the money.”

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12.Private Venice 2 hrs Tour: Boat & Walking Tour with food tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 688 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $402.49

Private 2-hour Venice boat and walking tour with Grand Canal views, back-canal wandering, and food tasting. Small groups, flexible routes.

“Fun tour of the grand canal. Our tour guide Sandro was engaged the whole trip and pointed out all the historical buildings we were passing on the way. A great way to see a brief introduction to Venice.”

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13.Venice Trilogy: Murano, Burano & Torcello by Lagoon Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 532 reviews · 5 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $35.37

Guided boat tour hopping Murano glass, Burano lace and color, and optional Torcello, with live demos and time to explore on your own.

“This was a nice way to spend several hours in Venice. The transportation was comfortable and safe, and the guide did a nice job explaining what we were seeing on the left, right, and in front of the boat. She was trilingual and allowed everyone on the boat the chance to understand the sights we saw. We were given enough time to explore alone on the islands. We got to taste the local goodies and thoroughly enjoyed that! Thank you!”

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14.Half Day Murano and Burano Island Tour by Private Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 529 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $29

Private-boat half day in Venice: glassblowing in Murano, lace-making in Burano, free time to wander, and lagoon views on return.

“Sylvia was absolutely wonderful. She gave us wonderful insight that only local would know. I highly recommend this tour.”

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15.Venice Sunset Cruise by Typical Venetian Boat with Prosecco

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 505 reviews · 1 hour 45 minutes (approx.) · from $114.88Top rated

Venice sunset cruise on a traditional boat with Prosecco, small-group lagoon views, and guide stories of St Mark’s and the islands.

“The pros were essentially unlimited champagne and knowledge / personability of the guide. The cons were the boat was small and somewhat uncomfortable. We sailed in big water between the islands and not through the grand canal. The cruise ended 20 minutes early which was 1/6 of the time. When it ended, it was still daylight and not sunset, not even on the right side of venice to see the sun - blocked by buildings. I would have expected a bigger boat, maybe with tables for the champagne glasses. And certainly a view of the sunset on a "sunset" cruise. Much too expensive for what we got.”

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