Venice Private Boat Tour Murano & Burano

Sebastian was a fabulous guide. He is a Venetian and knows the area extremely well! He met us at the hotel and took us to St. Marks to meet the water taxi . We started with a Grand Canal tour and then went to Murano and Burano. We observed the glass blowing process with time for the show room which was like an art gallery. On Burano , we visited a lovely lace shop and had a lovely lunch. The lace shop was a pleasant surprise. Burano is lovely with its bright colored buildings and small shops. Back to the waiting water taxi and to St. Marks and to the hotel. Seba even made us a dinner reservation on the way back to our hotel. Sebastian is very personable and made this day one of our favorites! Highly recommend Sebastian!

We paid extra for our party of 5 to make and take home a glass bead each on a trip to Murano. When we arrived, we were told there was a "misunderstanding" and the bead maker wasn't in. So we were told we could each make a different item. My son went first and chose to make a glass. While he was doing that we were told there was yet another "misunderstanding" and that the rest of us could blow glass and we would get to pick a small item to take home instead. They put a blob of glass on the end of a long pole and we each spent 30 seconds blowing it into a glass blob. Then when it came time to select an item, we were told only 1 item for our family, not 1 for each of us. While we are a family, our party was made up of 3 separate families. Then when we went to Burano to see a lace making demo, but there was no real demo. We were taken into a high-end linen store where a lady was sitting in a chair working on something while our guide picked up a pattern and spent 30 seconds talking about what she was doing. Here is what went wrong and why our experience was completely unacceptable: The Glassmaking "Upgrade" Myth The Math Doesn't Work: Blowing air through a pipe into a molten blob takes zero setup, zero technical skill from you, and less than a minute of artist time. It costs the furnace virtually nothing. The "Cooling Time" Trap: Experienced tour operators know glass requires an annealing oven for 12–24 hours to cool without shattering. Offering a drinking cup exercise on a quick drop-in visit without arranged shipping or pickup is a standard tactic to force you to abandon the item. My son was very disappointed he couldn't take home the glass that he made because he was told it had to cool and that it would cost too much to ship. The Extra Fee: We paid a specific $100+ surcharge for individual glass bead making (a controlled, desktop lampworking process that is fast and lets you take the bead with you). Swapping that for a 30-second blowpipe turn and a single cheap souvenir for three separate households is a blatant downgrade, not an expensive bonus. The Burano "Demonstration" Trap Real Burano needle lace (merletto) is a dying art, taking weeks for a few inches. This tour substituted a genuine workshop demo with a quick pitstop inside an upscale retail store where an artisan was seated as a passive prop to encourage high-end clothing sales. A 30-second monologue is a shopping incentive, not a demonstration. We definitely did not get what we paid for.

The glass blowing/making was awesome and our guide did an outstanding job sharing the culture history and landmarks of Venezia.

Don’t miss it The kids loved the experience We had the best time The canal tour was perfect The Murano experience unforgettable The Burano exciting Sylvia the best

This was a wonderful day trip. Through Top Venice, we did an ad on to include the Grand Canal tour, so the whole tour was about six hours. Our tour guide, Monika, was fabulous. While traveling down the grand Canal, she shared interesting tidbits about the palaces and their current/former occupants. In Murano we saw beautiful glass-making and enjoyed the showroom and gift shop. The jewel of our tour was getting spending time in Burano. The quaint village was a pleasure to stroll through and enjoy lunch and a gelato..

Our guide Elisa was very nice and very knowledgeable, she took very good care of our family. The only downside is that after the impressive demonstration by the glassmaster in Burano, we were taken to see the Shop/Museum to be presented piece ranging from 1thousands of euros to over 100,000 euros for over 20 minutes… I don’t mind the commercial angle, but I will not shop for art with my family during a private tour of Murano. We should have told Elisa much earlier to get out much faster; I think we could have better spent that time visiting either Island. I would still recommend the tour.

Our trip to Murano was very interesting; we learned about the art and beauty of glass blowing. Burano, on the other hand was a very pleasant visit to a beautiful town, so different to Venice! Colorful, pleasant to walk, cozy little shops, and of course, the art of lace. It’s wonderful and worth it! Cristina, our guide, was exceptional!

Monica was amazing! Such a fun tour of Murano and Burano. Seeing a master create a piece of glass art and hearing Monica who knew so much about it was incredible. We learned so much information about the two islands… and even though the day started out rainy, it quickly turned to sun and it was beautiful. The extra time paid for in Burano to have lunch at one of her recommendations was great because it was an amazing meal!

We really liked our guide Silvia. She was sweet and good with kids. It was a hot day and the kids did not start out with the greatest amount of energy, but Silvia was patient and related to them gently. We enjoyed the glass factory which was a hit. Burano was a bit slower and not as much to see or do for kids, but they enjoyed the walked through the garden. Overall, recommend!

Ana Paula was an excellent guide, full of cultural enrichment and spirit. The Murano glass-blowing experience was tremendous as was the lunch on Burano!