Venice Islands: Murano Glass & Burano Colors-Guided Visit
Recommended by 90% of travelers
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Venice, Italy
- 4 to 5 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Explore the picturesque islands of the Venetian lagoon on a guided boat tour from San Marco. Discover Murano’s famous glass-blowing traditions with a live demonstration, then stroll through its charming streets. Continue to Burano, known for its colorful houses and lace-making heritage. Your expert guide will share fascinating insights into the islands' history and culture, making this an unforgettable experience full of art, craftsmanship, and Venetian charm.
- Take a scenic boat ride from San Marco to Murano and Burano islands
- Discover Burano’s colorful houses, perfect for photos
- Immerse yourself in the history and culture of Venice’s islands
- Travel comfortably with round-trip transportation from San Marco
What's Included
- Comfortable Boat from San Marco to the Islands and back
- Professional Tour Guide
- Glass-blowing demonstration at Murano's Glass Factory
- Murano Island Guided Walking Tour (if option is selected)
- Burano Island Guided Visit (if option is selected)
- Lace making demonstration in Burano Island (if option is selected)
- Hotel pick up
- Food & Drinks
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting points
Select a meeting point
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
San Marco (Pass By)
1
Murano
1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Vetreria Artistica Ferro E Lazzarini
50 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Burano
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
4
Burano
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
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 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
Reviews
4.6
based on 536 reviews
Bradley_W, Apr 2026
Good trip, a bit rushed on the islands but good to see both in half a day. Don’t buy glass from the demonstration, walk to other shops as it’s MUCH cheaper.
Ankit_M, Apr 2026
Nice tour to the islands of Murano and Burano. Our guide Anna was very knowledgeable and explained in great details. Comfortable boat ride and sufficient time on both islands to explore.
RyanandBeth_B, Apr 2026
Not quite as described. Far more than 30 people on the trip. Boat probably had appx 80 people and not a speed boat as described (or perhaps that was my mis expectation). Whilst you were given a headset for your language there were other tour (languages) on board and so at the glass making workshop there was 3 X translation for all languages which took a lot of time. It also means you don't see much as there are 80 odd people packed into a small room. The explanations for both glass making and lace both seemed a little bit rushed. Not enough free time to explore Murano but Burano was sufficient :) though I'd instead recommend getting the public boat to both which would be half the price and exploring at your own leisure as there were plenty of ads for glass / pace demonstrations so expect you could get a more intimate experience.
It wasnt a complete waste and the guide was nice enough, but could have been much more enjoyable.
MARIE_K, Apr 2026
To find the meet up person is not easy you have to walk further than I thought. There were so many people going on very crowded. Other than that the tour was fine. The young lady who was a tour prrson was sweet.
Janna_G, Mar 2026
Beautiful tour! The boat tour was perfect. The bakery is amazing. Loved the glassblowing demo and 50% at their shop.
We also had time to stop for espresso in Murano and for Chicetti on the water in Burano. The tour guide Allegra gave a great suggestion about where to go.
In March it was warm in the morning and then a bit cool on the water. Make sure you wear jackets on cooler days.
Daniella_D, Feb 2026
I did not enjoy this experience for several reasons.
1. It was very difficult to understand the tour guide in English. Between her fair English and the noise of the boat and having to listen through the ear device it was very difficult to process the information.
2. The boat was pretty crammed and you have to step down into it and it’s all enclosed so I felt a feeling of claustrophobia. It was also a very long boat ride getting back.
3. The Murano glass demonstration was not interesting and didn’t explain a lot. The guy giving them demonstration kept walking around, blocking the view of the actual man doing the glass blowing. I understand the glasses handmade, but it was very expensive and definitely not worth it to me. There also wasn’t just not much time on murano. We had 20 minutes after the show to look at the store and walk around the island. It felt very rushed.
4. Burano is cute but it is so overrun with Tourists. Good luck getting a picture and why even bother going. We had 2 1/2 hours there so we were able to have lunch and walk around a bit. To me it felt like a tourist trap and I would not do it again. The tour guide showed us a lace shop & bakery then we had the free time.
I chose this tour because I’d rather have gone on a tour them figure out the transportation myself so if you’re not into the Murano glass, you could walk around the island on your own during the demonstration to give you more time I suppose. The islands are very small and they don’t think take much time and with how many people are there I can’t even imagine in high season just would not be worth it to me. I was there in February at low season and it still was overcrowded.
Overall, I think it would be more fun to have spent the day roaming the back alley of Venice and having a nice lunch there.
Jeff_S, Feb 2026
A great way to visit the islands without having to think about anything and get a whole experience! We saw glass blowing, a lace demonstration, and had little cookies. Plenty of free time to explore the islands at your pace and shop. We ate at Burano, shopped at them all! Claudia did a great job telling us about everything we were passing and the history behind it.
Adrienne_m, Feb 2026
Great tour! Our first time in Venice. Camilla was very kind and knowledgeable. Thank for a wonderful day!
Cathy_H, Feb 2026
Because I did this tour yesterday, when St. Mark’s Sq was extremely crowded, I and several other participants got separated from the guide before we reached the boat. The guide hadn’t given us a contact number or meeting point - which wasn’t very clever given the crowds - so I ran back to the tour office. They called her but she said she couldn’t wait. Credit to the tour company for immediately putting me on another tour to Murano, but to the other side of that island. It was left totally up to me to get across Murano. I managed to do it and met up with my original group (the guide could not have cared less when I told her I was back) for a nice trip to Burano. Burano is extraordinarily beautiful and so interesting.
So, the day worked out, but it was massively stressful and only worked out because I made it work.
Very disappointing.
gxfmqxh82m, Feb 2026
Davide with the tour company gave misinformation that resulted in him charging my group for the tour that was never provided. Then he said that he would refund the money and he denied the refund. Interesting.
Jacqueline_M, Jan 2026
We really enjoyed the Murano Glass & Burano Colors tour. It was a great way to explore the islands of the Venetian Lagoon despite some rain. The glassblowing demonstration in Murano was fascinating, and Burano was charming with its colorful houses and relaxed atmosphere - and can’t forget the local bakery too! Curiously enjoyed the artistic detail of the lace making, the associated museum and the local church.
Our guide, Sabina, was friendly and organized and made sure we knew when to return so we weren’t left behind! She made the tour smooth, informative, and provided recommendations from start to finish.
Riaan_v, Jan 2026
Very nice outing out of the crowded city and see different authentic work. Tour guide was very helpful and friendly.
Adrian_S, Nov 2025
An ideal way to see the islands if you don't have much time. Watching the glassblowing was enjoyable.
Ronald_B, Oct 2025
Murrano and the glassblowing was fantastic. I did feel the owner of the company was in a hurry to get through the demonstration to get to the next tour. The art created is fabulous and watching the artisan was amazing. Would like to have had another 10 minutes observing the process. The articles on sale are most beautiful.
The Visit to Brunno was more relaxed and we enjoyed walking around the town and visiting the shops, The lace work is amazing and stunning. Had a wonderful dinner at one of the restaurants with fresh fish.
David_H, Oct 2025
The glass blowing display was very interesting.
The glass for sale was incredible, bring lots of cash or credit.
Meghan_F, Oct 2025
We had a great time on this tour visiting Burano and Murano. Our guide, David Philips, was absolutely fantastic. He did a wonderful job describing the history of Venice, breaking it up into multiple parts so it was easily digestible. He had an entertaining way of storytelling that was comical and lively, and it made the whole trip 10 times better. We really enjoyed having the free time to explore Burano and loved the little lace and cookie shops David brought us too. The glass blowing demonstration on Murano was very cool and David’s description of the history of glass making in Venice made it that much better. Would 100% recommend this tour and David to all our friends!
Danielle_M, Oct 2025
We had a great day with David. We were 6 of us on a shared boat with others but it was still nice to visit Murano and Burano. Burano is beautiful. David is full of information! I would recommend this tour.
Cecelia_B, Oct 2025
David was so much fun. He is a very animated story teller so the views were accompanied by lots of history with character. Thank you David!!
Michelle_Z, Sep 2025
The weather was bad, it rained on and off but we had a great time. Boat trip was ok.
Tour guide Martha was knowledgeable with the Murano & Burano islands.
JeniferRN_S, Sep 2025
The two young men who were our guides were informative and friendly. They made good suggestions and gave us free time in both places. Be prepared that the boat ride takes some time, but I think that would be the case with any tour that is visiting both places.
Robert_C, Sep 2025
Forget doing this excursion, it’s a waste of money. Our tour guide left without us. There are plenty of options some that are free. Also, your water taxi ticket includes trips to these inlands. We have booked dozens of Viator excursions, this was the worst!
agnesde_W, Sep 2025
Great and Beautiful trip to the Island . Nicolas has been a very nice and compétent Guide. We have loved this experience.
Roberto_V, Sep 2025
Very nice trip, edpecially visiting the beautiful Burano, but also glass factory in Murano eas very nice
Nicolette_K, Sep 2025
Lots to see and learn. I really enjoyed getting to see different parts of Venice, and to learn more about Venetian history.
Jesse_B, Aug 2025
What a great day with Francesco! He took us to the Murano island in his private boat and to Burano Isle with the colorful houses. We had a lovely lunch and wine with him. So gracious and hospitable ! It was raining and he offered us to take a covered taxi. Such a great tour ! Happy to have met him and gone on the tour !
Elena_C, Aug 2025
Booked what looked like a 4 hour tour on Viator, turned out to be 6 hours of boating / being on other islands when we got there in person... we had limited time in Venice so this was not ideal and cut into time that we otherwise had planned to see other sights.
On the first island, the glass maestro was late by almost 35 minutes, which meant 35 minutes of sitting around and doing nothing / looking at things we had no interest in. After the glass demonstration, the tour guide told us we had only 10 minutes left on Murano before departing to another island called Torcello that was not on the original itinerary we booked.
Torcello apparently has only 13 people and a few restaurants - smelled like someone was related to a Torcellian and wanted to drum up business for their relatives. The island is tiny and has very little to do, yet we were told we'd have 40 minutes there. Why not spend it more on Murano where there were many shops to look at? And the tour guide was pretty dismissive, "There's nothing to look at on Murano, don't worry" and 3 minutes later when on the way to Torcello, "It's a small island with little to do"...
Poorly run tour with little flexibility for what guests actually wanted to see / do, had a middle of nowhere stop that also didn't make sense. The lace tour at Burano was essentially a visit to someone's personal shop to try and solicit business.
Next time, would recommend just walking around Venice and picking up a tour to sail around the islands - lots cheaper, saw signs for ~35 euro/person to do this.
Jennifer_S, Aug 2025
Disaster. Didn't happen. Due to land in Venice 9am on day of tour scheduled at 2pm. Unfortunately, airline canceled flight due to mechanical issues and we were rebooked on next flight 4 hours later. I communicated this change the night before the tour to the tour operator. I kept them updated throughout our arrival. Unfortunately, we arrived to hotel to drop our luggage 40 minutes past 2pm so we missed the meeting time. I told operator we will meet them at the 2nd stop as per the itinerary published on the website at our own expense. Not only did the tour operator cease communicating with me regularly at that point but they failed to mention after I paid for private transit they would not accept us late on the tour and would not help us meet them. That should have been communicated immediately when I advised them of our flight cancellation. And that rule also makes zero sense. I paid for the experience so I should be able to join at any point. We were on a different tour today and 3 people joined us late and zero problem, tour guide welcomed them as they should. They booked and paid. I would never recommend this tour operator. I requested a refund and Viator denied. Unfortunate they think this was a justified response to what was clearly a delay out of our control and the unreasonableness of this tour operator to be mildly flexible in what was zero extra work on their part, just clear continuous communication to ensure we knew where group was at that point.
rajtalwar50, Jul 2025
The quality of the boat was not good. The tour guides were good but with wind, engine noise etc and poor quality of head phones, I was not able to hear tour guides properly. The visit to Islands was ok because weather was hot and sunny!
Aleksander_D, Jul 2025
The entire experience was a flop from beginning to the end.
The guide spoke poor English and had no context and adequate historical information about the places we visited.
Carl_M, Jul 2025
Good value trip to see both islands, Burano first for lace making and busy streets and then Murano for an amazing glass making demo. You get plenty of time to yourself - 2 1/2hrs - in a 5hr trip. But set your expectations because the ‘guided’ bit leaves a lot to be desired with really sub-standard audio equipment not giving the guides a chance to do their jobs properly. Don’t go expecting a fully guided tour, you’ll be disappointed .
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