Murano by Private Watertaxi Including Glass Blowing Demo with Hotel Pickup
Badge of Excellence
Venice, Italy
- 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Get to the famed glassblowing island of Murano while avoiding the crowds on a one-way private water taxi transfer. Have a chance to explore a 7th–century cathedral in Murano's historical center before visiting a glass factory. Here, you can learn about the skill required to blow glass by watching a demonstration, and you can also peruse showrooms and take advantage of discounts on glassware.
- Get to the island of Murano by private taxi boat
- Take in the stunning views of the Grand Canal
- Enjoy time to explore the historical center of Murano
- Special opportunity to watch artisans create glass objects
What's Included
- Private local guide
- Private way taxi
- Glass factory tour with glass master performace
- 20% discount on purchase in the glass factory
- Hotel pick up
- Private transportation
- Food and drinks
- Drop off
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
PLEASE SPECIFY YOUR HOTEL PICK UP IS INCLUDED FOR HOTELS IN VENICE ISLAND ONLY
Itinerary
Fondamenta Nove (Pass By)
1
Artistic Glassworks Colleoni
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Duomo di Murano Santi Maria e Donato
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Artistic Glassworks Colleoni
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
Isola di Murano
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Isola San Michele (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- Most travelers can participate
- Dress code is smart casual
- Please note that the tour will end in Murano. Return ticket to Venice by public transport is not included. From Murano Faro, you will be able to purchase a public boat ticket to any Venice's destination: San Marco, Train Station, Fondamente Nove, etc.
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- 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
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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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
4.4
based on 300 reviews
Sarah_C, Mar 2026
Guide was knowledgable punctual snd friendly
Excellent English
Tour of island s d factory display interesting
Only drawback for us was he followed us around the factory shop encouraging us to buy (obs on v commission
Made our own way back on water bus bia Burano
All fine but big queues
Sai_G, Feb 2026
Great experience... loved every minute of it ... the water taxi rice was beautiful 😍 as well ...
Overall a nice outing
Katherine_M, Jan 2026
Wonderful experience! The history and artistry is incredible. Absolutely worth a trip. The glass blowing demonstration was phenomenal.
Paul_E, Nov 2025
Really good experience, easy pickup in a beautiful water taxi at the hotel, Alessandro is a good guide, adapting his comments to your knowledge of Venice. To recommend !
Chris_Y, Nov 2025
Trip was over all good. Our guide was very kind, friendly and knowledgeable about the Murano Island.
Joseph_N, Oct 2025
Julia our guide was a local Venetian and she knew the city thoroughly- what a pleasure! She even helped us find the location for our next Viator excursion which was a gondola ride.
Natalie_R, Oct 2025
This was an excellent tour. An absolute must whilst in Venice. Great value for money. What made it most special was our tour guide Giovanni, he was knowledgable, polite and went over and above what was expected. Definitely bring cash and negotiate in the factory, the glassware is stunning.
David_S, Oct 2025
We received a short private tour of a glass blowing shop and one way private boat ride. Our guide (Daisy or maybe Desi sorry I did not see her name) was friendly, chatty, knowledgeable . She answered many questions and returned with us to Venice. She helped us figure out the vaporetto and got us ahead of the crowd. Murano is not the greatest place ever but I enjoyed the stories from our guide and I am now very impressed by the skill of the glass blowing artists
Terry_T, Oct 2025
With all the positive reviews, picked this particular excursion and due to the unprofessional and unmotivated guide Gianluca, what should have been a positive experience during into a near argument shouting match after the Murano visit.
Everything up to the glass making demo (extremely short, not 20 minutes as indicated) plus sales showroom was somewhat normal.
However as we left, Gianluca met up with us and asked if we wanted to go back to the hotel or get dropped off near San Marco Square. This is around 15:00 with nearly 90 minutes left. We discussed both options and assuming he was planning out the end of the excursion, surprisingly he contacted our boat taxi and proceeded to walk at a fairly brisk pace and in front of us by nearly 10m or so heading toward the pick up location.
No talking, no explanation of what we were doing next, just walking at an even faster pace and we breezed by various shops lined along the canal of Murano.
I asked where we were going because the tour description indicated a stop at a church w/ mosaics. When I asked about the church stop he said it was closed so couldn’t stop there. No mention of this at the beginning of the tour, obviously no mention as we left the glass factory, just walking to the boat. When I asked why he didn’t mention this, this is when he became argumentative, and had the gall to say things like “we passed it back there, you saw it already.” “it’s Saturday so it’s closed, it’s not my fault it’s closed”
The worst comment may have been, I am just a guide, I have nothing to do with what the company (assuming he meant Viator) has planned or indicated. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
After we proceeded back to the main part of Venice, I asked again why he don’t mention that the church was closed. Same argumentative attitude, no remorse or responsibility, couldn’t care less. For him it was closed, not his problem.
I said if it was closed, we could have used the 15-20 minutes lost to take a more leisurely stroll past the shops near the canal. He proceeded to chastise for me considering shopping and why we would even be interested in glass shops? MAYBE because it’s a MURANO GLASS tour??
The fact that he assumed and wouldn’t consider even allowing to make up the time in a more productive manner just shows his intentions of finishing up the “tour” drop off as soon as possible and call it day.
He kept saying “whatever you want to do”, but nothing could have been further from the truth. He kept insisting he was going to show us highlights of the north part of the island and toward San Marco Square or the hotel, but that is not part of the tour description and I did NOT purchase a city walking tour. I purchased a Murano Glass Tour.
We spent 20-30 minutes getting to Murano, spent 10-12 minutes at most for a demo, and whisked into the showroom, and almost an unbelievable hour with a guide that had no idea what the tour itinerary consisted of and proceeded to argue about the content and timeframe of the tour.
This was a huge waste of time, money, and a terrible way to spend our last day in Venice.
Anyone using this tour operator be aware of the guide you get. If it’s Gianluca, I would not recommend him at all.
Kara_M, Oct 2025
Very interesting tour! We enjoyed the boat transport to Murano. The artisans are so talented!
Highly recommend!
Susan_v, Oct 2025
The glass maker was a master craftsman
The rooms for viewing glass items made was spectacular
No strong arm sales pitch
MARIANNE_C, Oct 2025
Terrific, knowledgeable and friendly guide. The tour of the glass blowing was very interesting and the walk around Murano was equally informative and enjoyable, especially the visit to an 11th century church with a remarkable mosaic floor.
Karen_V, Sep 2025
Great start to our trip in Venice.
We met Fabio, our guide.
The demonstration was great. I wish I had purchased the vase!
We went back…
Patti_D, Sep 2025
Giovanni was an awesome tour guide. He provided us with great information and answered our questions. The Murano glass tour was so wonderful. Loved learning about how it was made
We even purchased some to be shipped home
The private taxi was outstanding and our driver was excellent. The experience is worth the money. Highly recommend
We would take more tours with Giovanni- excellent tour guide.
Jim_L, Sep 2025
I enjoyed this a lot. Murano is beautiful and the glass studio was very interesting. We may have bought glass …
Judy_M, Sep 2025
Great tour. Fun boat ride over to Murano and really enjoyed watching the artisans work. Eleanora was great. People at Murano super friendly. Added bonus you get a discount on your purchases courtesy of Viator.
Craig_B, Sep 2025
Giovanni was an amazing tour guide and provided some excellent recommendations and Murano was a fantastic experience! We spent 7+ hours exploring the island and barely scratched the surface.
Kevin_O, Sep 2025
Pickup at hotel was really nice. The glass blowing demonstration was great, and we left with a pair of glass birds my wife loved. Then we got a trip around the island. Our guide was very helpful and knowledgeable.
Jay_M, Sep 2025
Great tour guide, Julia.
She picked us up from our hotel. Was very knowledgable and we learnt a lot not only about Murano but also a lot of interesting facts about Venice. The glass factory was a must see and was amazing to watch the artists to their work. 100% would recommend.
Sharon_M, Aug 2025
We were met at our hotel by the tour guide who took us thru a tour of several sites along the way to our private boat to take us to Moreno. The tour at the Moreno glass works was fascinating. Their most accomplished artist demonstrated how to make a vase. The cost was worth the experience. Our tour guide was very friendly and we had a good time.
Dana_P, Aug 2025
Everything from the tour guide and water taxi , the exceptional guide and outstanding glass factory demo was 5 star. It was hide tide and the knowledgeable guide was experienced enough to make a seamless pivot to get us across the lagoon as planned. The master talent of Christian and thorough explanation and kind, thoughtful partnering brosing their showrooms was no pressure- total delight! Highly recommend the tour the guide and the beautiful artistry of expertly crafted Murano glass!
Ross_K, Aug 2025
Very knowledgeable and helpful guide and the glassblowing factory visit was great and then a great choice of genuine Murano glass for sale.
Elisabeth_B, Aug 2025
If you are interested in seeing and learning about the island of Murano and the glass making process, this is the perfect trip.
Lisa_E, Aug 2025
This tour was amazing! Eleonora was so friendly and knowledgeable and provided so much interesting information about Murano on the water taxi. Once on Murano, she gave us a lovely walking tour before we headed over to the glass blowing facility. Fabio explained everything as his exceptional team crafted beautiful pieces of art and he was so gracious with his time as we walked through the showroom afterwards. Eleonora made sure we knew how to get back to Venice and it was a pleasure to spend our morning with her as we explored Murano. This was definitely the highlight of our trip to Venice!
Frances_R, Aug 2025
This was a great tour. Our guide Gianluca was full of information and interacted so well with our children. We went to an old Church and then to the Glass factory which was entertaining for everyone. The artist created beautiful pieces right before our eyes. The sales people were very helpful and friendly as well. So nice to meet and chat with the local people. Then our guide brought us back and showed as a lovely spot to have some lunch.
Kimberley_C, Aug 2025
We had an amazing time at the glass blowing demonstration! It was so interesting! Our private tour guide who escorted us to the building, Giovanni, was super knowledgeable about Venice and Murano. It was great to have him guide us!
Behnaz_M, Aug 2025
If you're looking for a great private tour at a good price without the hassle of the waterbus in Venice, this tour is an excellent option. They handle everything for you, including arranging pick-up and drop-off, making the experience seamless and stress-free.
The glassblowing factory visit is fascinating, and getting to see the process up close is a unique experience. The glass products on display and the showroom are truly impressive and worth exploring.
However, there was one individual who continuously followed us around, trying to sell products, which distracted from the enjoyment of the stunning items on display. Additionally, many of the products in the showroom were priced significantly higher than similar items available in Venice itself.
Overall, a wonderful tour with a few minor distractions, but definitely worth it for the experience!
Barbara_I, Jul 2025
The Marano glass blowing and local area tour was tremendous… Fantastic… Absolutely wonderful.
The tour director was knowledgeable, courteous and diligent.. The glass blowing demonstration was spectacular. Totally worth the time, the effort, and the value.
Tony_N, Jul 2025
Fantastic and fascinating educational tour. Got to see Masters in their element honing their craft and the opportunity to view their gallery as well as purchase some of their rare items. Highly recommended if you are in Venice
Vincent_N, Jul 2025
Our guide was wonderful! The demonstration was so interesting. Everyone we came in contact with were so nice and helpful. I would definitely recommend this tour.
From $53.83
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Murano by Private Watertaxi Including Glass Blowing Demo with Hotel Pickup
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