Carnival Mask Decoration Class at Casanova's Prisons

Venice, Italy

Popular pick

Booked 5+ times last week!

1 hour 15 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Discover the art of Venetian mask-making in an exclusive workshop at the historic Palazzo delle Prigioni, near Piazza San Marco. Under the guidance of a master artisan, you'll use vivid colors and sparkling glitters to decorate a traditional Carnival mask. This hands-on experience in a setting rich with history allows you to create a unique, tangible piece of Venetian culture to take home as a memorable souvenir.

What's Included

Carnival mask workshop
Artisan instructor
All materials

Hotel pick up and drop off
Food and drinks

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Circolo Artistico - Palazzo Delle Prigioni
Riva degli Schiavoni, 4209, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy
Meet at Prison Palace, close to St Mark's Square. To get to the Prisons Palace, cross the bridge on the right-hand side of the entrance of the Doge's Palace.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Palazzo Delle Prigioni Nuove

1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
Please note that lunch is not included.

Not suggested for people with reduced mobility
The tour may be led by a bilngual guide
On certain dates, most travelers staying outside of Venice who are planning to visit for the day will be required to pay a €5 access fee. For further details (including exemptions) and to learn what days this fee is applicable, please visit: https://cda.ve.it
Children must be accompanied by an adult
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

3.8

based on 27 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

We had a good time, the...

Christopher_C, Apr 2026

We had a good time, the instructor was very helpful and made sure our masks looked good in the end. Free admission to the prison museum was a bonus.

Great fun with masks.

Christine_V, Apr 2026

Excellent position. Lovely tutor. Lovely experience just about the right amount of time. Able to walk around skme of the prison museum while waiting for masks to dry. Really enjoyed it.

Have an idea of how you...

Lorraine_V, Dec 2025

Have an idea of how you might want to decorate your mask. Colors, design. Also can visit the museum.

Ricardo was a empathetic,...

Tara_L, Aug 2022

Ricardo was a empathetic, patient , helpful and very informative guide. He made our experience memorable and unique.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Thanks for your kind review

Great Gondola ride around...

Michelle_J, Jul 2022

Great Gondola ride around Venice. Glass blowing demo was literally 5 minutes and then you were into a very expensive shop of glass. We didn't stay long here.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Dear Guest, we are sorry for your personal comment, please consider that the explanations of the glassblowing master, rich of interesting curiosities about the tradition of glassblowing, are appreciated by the clients. At your disposal fo further information. Regards.

Skip glassblowing!

DavidJr_G, Jun 2022

The gondola ride was really cool and definitely a great price when compared to the price you'd pay if you paid at a gondola station. I would skip the glass blowing portion. It's really a gimmick to rhen hit you up on a semi-hard sale to buy some of their very expensive glass products.

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Thanks for the review. Please consider that the explanations of glassblowing master, rich of interesting curiosities about the tradition of glassblowing, are appreciated by the clients. Regards.

Kind of good. Felt ripped off with the second part, sadly.

Emma_D, Mar 2019

Gondola was totally worth the experience. We were very excited for the glass blowing portion of the tour. Our initial guide we met up with mislead us for where the location of the glass blowing was and we missed it. Definitely felt like we got ripped off half the tour... too bad

The glassblowing demonstration was a...

Marta B, Apr 2018

The glassblowing demonstration was a little disappointing. It seemed quite rushed and then we were taken straight into the shop where they demonstrated what was for sale. It would have been nicer to have more of an explanation about Murano glass and not just a sales pitch. The gondola ride was a bit short but nice. Overall, not worth saving the money on a single gondola ride by combining these two things. Best just to pay a little bit more for an extended gondola ride by itself. London April 2018

The gondola is an experience one can...

Manasi C, Feb 2018

The gondola is an experience one can have when in Venice. With this combo tour, one does not have to worry about dealing with the gondoliers. The tour guide takes care of all of it. Also, the glass blowing demonstration was indeed something unique and very creative. We enjoyed the whole journey to move about in Venice in a gondola and viewing the Grand Canal.

What a waste of time. We saw about...

helen.aisbett, Nov 2017

What a waste of time. We saw about 10 mins of demo and then it was a sell for glass. Very unfriendly. Didnt do the Gondola ride as we had to find our own way to meeting point and not a lot of instructions. Not worth it.

Interestingly, we really had mixed...

rickgreenberg100, Oct 2017

Interestingly, we really had mixed emotions about this. The glass blowing felt somewhat staged and also felt like more of a pitch to sell you high end Murano Glass. The guide was informative about what makes Murano Glass special, but still the blowing demo was about 5 minutes and the sales pitch lasted a quite a while longer. The gondola ride was fun and a must for anyone in Venice. We were in a bat with four strangers and while it did not impact the ride, it was certainly not romantic. If you are looking for a romantic ride, pay the tariff and do your own ride. I am not sure if the gondolier spoke any English, but he spoke to every other gondolier we passed on the water. They are magicians with one oar though...have been a competitive rower I can only image how much strength they must have to push that 30 foot boot around like they do. Enjoyable and worth the trip if you just want to say I rode in a gondola.

I had a difficult time finding the...

Linda R, Oct 2017

I had a difficult time finding the guide for this event. Wasn't familiar with the square and he wasn't holding the sign up. Once I found him, he didn't really look enthused for this activity. I didn't know he was simply bringing us to the 'museum', and that someone else was taking over and he left as as soon as the demonstration started. The Glassblowing demo was great, the artisan was very talented, and the steps were explained by the person who worked in this 'museum'. After the demonstration we went to another room, where they showed us different samples of glass and gave us the prices of what these pieces costs. I wasn't expecting this, at all. A tad disappointing, cause while it wasn't high pressure sales, she certainly did mention prices a few times, and I felt a bit of 'pressure' to purchase something. I ended up purchasing some earrings for 25 Euros. We also received a very nice glass gift. This is something that made it worthwhile. The next day I decided to go to Murano and was able to watch a glass blowing demo for free. As for the Gondola Ride, it was shared with 4 other people, and while the ride was great, the system in place to coordinate the rides wasn't efficient. There were many people scheduled for the ride at the same time, and it took some time for the guide to coordinate every thing. Our gondola driver wasn't the most talkative. He was quiet and 'just did his job'. I liked the experience, because it was my first time, but may not do it again.

The glass blowing demo was too short...

Therese_W, Sep 2017

The glass blowing demo was too short and the selling of the glass seemed to take precedent. If you want to see glass blowing go to Murano island because you can buy the glass there too.

Excelente

ERENDIRA_S, Jul 2022

Excelente, fue muy lindo pasear en góndola y además ver cómo hacen el vidrio soplado, para lo cual dieron una excelente explicasion!

Response from Host, Jan 2023

thank you

escroquerie

Alain M, Nov 2019

Nous avons réservé et payé pour avoir une démonstration de souffleur de verre et ensuite une balade en gondole a Venise , et résultat la galerie avait démenagée donc loupé , et on a attendu plus d'une heure pour la gondole au lieu donné sur la réservation ,donc aucune balade ,c'est vraiment une grosse arnaque et en plus personne au téléphone.Séjour a Venise carrément loupé.

Response from Host, Nov 2019

Dear, we are sorry for the review, but our staff is always available to assist our clients by phone and on the meeting points. It's in impossible that no one has answered at the phone because the offices are open from 9 am to 6 pm every day. Maybe, you have made the wrong number. We remain at your disposal for further information. Best regards