Half Day Boat Tour between Venice and the Islands
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Venice, Italy
- 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Make the most of limited time in Venice with this efficient half-day small-group boat tour. Skip the hassle of planning and visit Murano, Burano, Torcello, and San Francesco del Deserto in one time-saving itinerary. Travel between islands by boat, then disembark to explore highlights on foot, such as Murano’s glass factories and Burano’s colorful streets.
- Save time : Check off Murano, Burano, and Torcello in half a day
- Special opportunity to meet local glassmakers along the way
- Keep energy levels high : Snacks are included
- Small group size ensures the trip isn’t crowded
What's Included
- Private transportation
- Exclusive private Murano glass factory visit
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Ponte Valeria Solesin (ex Ponte delle Vacche)Calle de le Beccarie, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Murano
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
2
Burano
1 hour 20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Torcello
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
4
San Francesco del Deserto
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- 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 tour/activity will have a maximum of 9 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Reviews
4.9
based on 28 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
OriginalName, Jun 2026
We had a wonderful time visiting the islands and learning the history of each. We saw the lace-making master on Burano, a demonstration of glass blowing by masters on Murano, and a visit to the oldest island inhabited by friars
Bettina_F, Jun 2026
Andrea was a wonderful guide and very skilled boat driver. Seeing the four islands around Venice and the glass blowing demonstration were a real treat. We also really enjoyed Matteo’s tour of the Franciscan monastery. Great trip!
LauraBaker, Apr 2026
My daughter and I really enjoyed our tour with Matteo! He responded promptly to all our questions. And gave us perfect instructions for the meeting point. This tour was easily one of our favorite tours during our time in Italy.
Amanda_M, Apr 2026
Andrea was great! Lovely to see the Islands, and the Murano Glass demonstration was great! As it is a small group it feels very personal, would definitely recommend 👌
Jessica_O, Mar 2026
Awesome tour! Our guide was an INCREDIBLE helmsman and guided the boat through the lagoon and stops smoothly. The monastery was INCREDIBLE and a stop that most tours don’t make.
Jessica_T, Aug 2025
Perfectly seamless! Matteo was a wonderful guide. Being in a private boat in a small group enabled us to avoid crowds and just enjoy the islands. This tour also included a visit to the monastery which was so beautiful and peaceful (and not included in many other tours). Highly recommend.
Joseph_A, Jul 2025
Great way to explore Venetian culture and ingenuity outside of the hustle bustle of Venice.
Our Guide was very knowledgeable with on-site
As to the local customs and traditions.
Linda_S, Jun 2025
Great tour! Would do it again in a heartbeat. We started the tour off rocky (time mix up … entirely our fault), tour operator was in contact with us in order to get us to a convenient meet up area. We took a water taxi and joined the group without issue. From that point on, smooth sailing (motor-boating). Island commentary was interesting, sights beautiful and free time at stops were perfect.
Kristen_S, Jun 2025
Andréa! You MUST explore the Venetian islands with HIM. He grew up there and knows everyone and is beloved. By the monks, glass blowers, and every Venetian we saw. He has stories to share and insights about what growing up in Venice and on the islands is all about. It was a dreamy look at Venetian island life that goes above and beyond anything else available in there. We got a private glassblowing viewing (Simon Pearce would be inspried by this generational wisdom in the craft ), learned about the finest lace and was able to purchase real finds for our dining room and the softest and stylish linen and cotton clothes. Torcello was perhaps my favorite and I would have spent more time there if I could!
Do yourself a favor, trust, and book this tour.
bwphnqmj48, Jun 2025
We had a wonderful, relaxing day on the lagoon with a wonderful guide. It was just the perfect day stopping at Murano, Burano, Torcello and a Monestary. Perfect day!
Tammy_S, Apr 2025
Tour operator changed the meeting point and we missed the tour completely. Yes, he called once but left no voice mail. He emailed while we're flying to Italy and I was not able to open the email. I checked the Viator site numerous times but the tour operator made no changes to the meeting point on Viator. So IF you book this tour, don't expect the tour operator to meet you at the indicated location on Viator's web site. So far, Viator says they are sorry. No one is offering a refund for moving the meeting place or ruining our day...
Response from Host, May 2025
Dear guest,
we’re very sorry that you missed the tour, but we’d like to clarify some details for the benefit of our future guests.
The meeting point was changed exceptionally due to logistical reasons, and this change was communicated to you five days in advance via Viator message. Additionally, we made multiple attempts the day before the tour to reach you through calls, SMS, and messages, but unfortunately, we received no response. The Viator support team also tried to contact you directly.
Therefore, it’s not accurate to say you were unreachable due to being on a flight—your phone was ringing, and no response was received. We did everything reasonably possible to communicate the change and regret that you were unable to join the experience.
emma_d, Feb 2025
I enjoyed this experience immensely. Andrea was informativeknowledgable about the area and its history. Loved visiting the monastery, in addition to burano/murano/torcello. I got to learn and see a lot more than if i had tried to do this in my own. Very much recommend this experience!
Alexander_J, Feb 2025
The boat tour with Andrea was simply fabulous.
Andrea is friendly, informative and a great host.
If you're thinking about whether to book, just do it, you won't be disappointed!
liam_M, Feb 2025
This was such fun! As we headed out in the boat and between stops he pointed out different islands and fascinating facts about each one.
Andrea's lived in Venice all his life and everyone seems to know and love him, Our group really truly benefitted from relationships Andrea's built over the years. For instance when we visited Murano's oldest, most respected family-owned glass factories our group was greeted and shown around personally by a family member. We were, seated in a special area during the demonstration and got to view an upstairs gallery not typically accessible to tourists. It was like visiting an amazing glass museum. During our time w/Andrea we definately saw and experienced things that we would have missed on our own. It was truly a highlight of out trip!
Sandra_C, Jan 2025
What an absolutely incredible experience!
Andrea was a knowledgeable and gracious host, as well as an expert on a variety points of interest. The tour was wonderfully curated - time on the boat, glass blowing demonstration, time on different islands, even an apertivo on the boat. His insights and historical knowledge, along with his enthusiasm and love of Venice, added so much to the time together. We were with another family, who was delightful - as others have remarked, there is a good divide between time all together and on your own, and in many ways it still felt like a personal and bespoke tour.
We would do this again and highly, highly recommend it to others. Don't spend your money on some cookie cutter gondola ride - this is the way to really experience Venice!
nicolas_b, Jan 2025
This tour was the highlight of our time in Venice!
Andrea was very knowledgeable and we learned so much throught this experience. The islands were so beautiful and he got us to the islands before they became crowed with other tourists boats. I highly recommand this tour to anyone visiting!
Giacomo_B, Jan 2025
This was an amazing experience. We got to see things that we haven't seen on prior trips to the islands around Venice. Also, we were able to see so much in such a shorter amount of time as compared to taking public transportation.
Andrea was super helpful and friendly. I would recommend that anyone who is in Venice should book this experience.
christopher_J, Jan 2025
Oh my goodness this ended up being one of our favorite parts of our trip! Andrea is an excellent host for the day and takes great care in showing you the many parts of Venice! It is also because of his connections with community members that you get unique opportunities, such as touring a private island with rich religious history and up close viewing of a glass blowing demonstration. He is not only knowledgeable, but also very kind, and we enjoyed spending the day with him in this tour. 11/10 would absolutely recommend.
Pamela_H, Sep 2024
Such a wonderful tour ! So much fun and informative. Andrea was an excellent tour guide. I would Highly recommend. Well worth the money.
Colleen_C, Sep 2024
Andrea was a wonderful guide and he gave us a wonderful history of each island. I highly recommend this tour! Take the water bus to the Celestial stop where he will pick you up to start your journey! Caio
Mary_B, Aug 2024
Seeing the different islands was a new experience for us and very enjoyable. We actually enjoyed just relaxing on the boat also.
Jim_W, Aug 2024
A fantastic half day tour with the delightful Andrea
He was funny informative and you could feel the passion he has for his job
A small group too which added to the fun
Highly recommend
Caroline_Z, Jul 2024
My husband, daughter and I had such a memorable tour of the lagoon islands with Matteo and one other family. Matteo shared so many interesting facts about the history of these islands to help us appreciate our visit. We started with the Isole de San Francesco del Deserto where we visited the convent, then to Burano where we enjoyed a cafe and gelato, then a short walk on Torcello, then an amazing glass blowing demonstration on Murano.
Highly recommend this very intimate tour of the islands with Matteo.
rickmoore, May 2024
This was an excellent tour and my favorite activity so far. Perfect timing (the 9am tour) to avoid the crowds and our boat driver and tour guide - Matteo - oh my goodness- knowledgeable and personable - he was awesome!!
Julie_B, Apr 2024
Our trip around the Islands was a wonderful experience and we thoroughly enjoyed it, even seeing pink flamingos, an unusual visitor to these Islands. We are so glad we chose this smaller boat trip as it included San Francesco Island where just an inhabited Monastery stands. It has picturesque gardens and is so quiet, calm and tranquil, all you hear is the bird song. We started with a private viewing of a Marrano glass making demonstration as well as a visit to Burano and Torcello. We were looked after very well by Andrea who informed us well of the history of the Islands and how they evolved and interesting facts. He ensured we safely embarked and disembarked the boat at all the stops, and before we left San Francesco provided light refreshments in its peaceful surrounds before setting off to the next Island. We would highly recommend this small boat tour either as a couple or a small group and a break from the busy canals of Venice. The tour lasted 5 hours and allowed us plenty of time on each Island to explore and take photos. Thank you Andrea.
Matteo_G, Oct 2023
Thank you Andrea for a wonderful day! We enjoyed it and it was truly a highlight of our time in Venice. Grazie Mille!
From $162.29
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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