Boat Tours Venice

If you are looking for a boat tour in Venice, Italy, the choice comes down to four kinds of trip: a gondola on the Grand Canal, a half-day boat to the islands of Murano and Burano, an evening cruise on the lagoon, or a private boat for a small group. I compared 12 Venice boat tours, from $22 to $471, and the cheapest island boat is also one of the better ones. Prices are in US dollars, checked in October 2026, and the booking links are affiliate links, as I explain on my about page.

My pick for a first boat tour in Venice is the City Wonders guided tour by private boat at $55: 5 hours, 4.7 from 7,709 reviews, a small group of 22 people or fewer, with glassmaking and lacemaking demonstrations. If I wanted just one hour on the water, I’d take a Grand Canal gondola ride at $42 to $44. And for the best view of St. Mark’s Basin, the Prosecco sunset cruise at $107 is rated 4.8. Everything on this page is about Venice in Italy, not the Florida town with the same name.

Boat Tours in Venice

Boat tours in Venice start on the waterfront by St. Mark’s Basin, where the lagoon opens out past the Doge’s Palace and the Arsenale. The first thing to decide is whether you want the city or the islands. Boat tours in Venice that head out to the lagoon spend most of their time on Murano, known for glass, and Burano, known for its painted houses. The City Wonders tour is the one I’d lead with, because its small group (22 people or fewer), local guide and headset make it feel closer to a walking tour than to a ferry.

The Murano and Burano private-boat tour meets at Riva degli Schiavoni 4182, has three possible meeting points depending on your option, and takes about 5 hours in total. It includes round-trip boat transport, an English-speaking guide, a glassmaking demonstration, a lacemaking demonstration and a discount at the glass gallery. Hotel pickup and tips are not included. For a very different evening, the Prosecco sunset cruise by IL Bragozzo takes a shared traditional wooden boat around St. Mark’s Basin, and its listing includes one bottle of wine for every two guests. It is rated 4.8, but from only 282 reviews, so it is a strong rather than a proven pick.

City Wonders Ltd.

Murano & Burano Guided Tour by Private Boat with Glassmaking

• ★ 4.7 (7,709 reviews)
• 5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: My first pick for the islands: $55, 5 hours, 4.7 from 7,709 reviews, a small group and a guide with a headset.

from

$55

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IL Bragozzo

Prosecco Sunset Cruise on a Traditional Boat

• ★ 4.8 (282 reviews)
• 1.5 hours - 105 minutes
• Free cancellation

My pick: Best view of St. Mark's Basin at dusk: $107, 1.5 hours, 4.8 from 282 reviews, a bottle of wine for every two guests.

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Venice Boat Trips

Venice boat trips, and every boat tour in Venice, do not all feel alike, because a shared motorboat, a gondola and a private launch each give you a different Venice. The Bucintoro Viaggi half-day boat to Murano, Burano and optionally Torcello costs $28 and is rated 4.2 from 18,287 reviews, the second-highest count in my list. It runs 4.5 to 5.5 hours and leaves from several embarkation points through the day, which makes it easy to fit around a hotel check-out. The Murano and Burano option gives you up to 1.5 hours per island, while the three-island option gives about 50 minutes each. Entry to the Torcello cathedral, listed at 5 euros, is paid on top.

At the top end sits a private motorboat for Murano and Burano with hotel pickup, from Vetreria Artistica Colleoni: $471 and 4 hours, rated 4.8 from 189 reviews. The listing describes a boat with shelter from the sun, a soft sofa and a 360-degree view, and the pickup works from hotels on Venice island only. It is a lot of money, but the price is for the boat, and it comes out well for four to six people who would otherwise pay for several tickets. If you are weighing a private Venice boat trip, my guide to a private boat tour in Venice compares it with two cheaper options.

Bucintoro Viaggi

Murano, Burano & Torcello: Half-Day Boat Tour in Venice

• ★ 4.2 (18,287 reviews)
• 4.5 - 5.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: Cheap, flexible and well reviewed: $28, 4.5 to 5.5 hours, 4.2 from 18,287 reviews, with an optional stop at Torcello.

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$28

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Vetreria Artistica Colleoni

Murano & Burano Private Boat Tour with Hotel Pickup

• ★ 4.8 (189 reviews)
• 4 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: Door-to-door private motorboat for $471, 4 hours, 4.8 from 189 reviews; worth it only for a group.

from

$471

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Venice Boat Tours Grand Canal

The Grand Canal is the main street of Venice, and the best-known Venice boat tours of it are gondola rides. Both of the rides I compared pass the Teatro La Fenice and the Grand Canal, and the longer listing also names the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the Salute church and the Punta della Dogana. From the Rialto bridge to the Salute is 0.8 kilometers in a straight line by my calculation from the place coordinates, so a 30-minute ride only covers a short stretch of the water. The City Tours Co ride at $42 adds a 20-minute introduction and in-app commentary, and has 26,743 reviews at 4.2. Live commentary from the gondolier is listed as not included.

The Bucintoro Viaggi ride is simpler: $44 for a shared gondola with up to 5 other people and a master gondolier, about 30 minutes, meeting at the Alilaguna ticket office near the Royal Gardens gate. It is rated 3.9 from 7,028 reviews, the lowest rating in my list, and one reviewer says the guide was not very talkative. I’d choose the commentary version unless you want pure quiet. My page on the gondola ride in Venice puts all three side by side with prices.

CITY TOURS CO LTD

Grand Canal Gondola Ride with App Commentary

• ★ 4.2 (26,743 reviews)
• 30 minutes - 2 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The most reviewed ride: $42, 26,743 reviews at 4.2, 20-minute introduction plus about 30 minutes in the gondola, with app commentary.

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Bucintoro Viaggi

Shared Gondola Ride Across the Grand Canal

• ★ 3.9 (7,028 reviews)
• 30 minutes
• Free cancellation

My pick: A plain shared gondola for $44, 30 minutes; the lowest rating here at 3.9, and the one I'd book last.

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Boat Tour Venice Islands

A boat tour to the Venice islands is really a boat tour to three places: Murano, Burano and, on some listings, Torcello. Five of my 12 listings go to Murano and Burano, and the cards for them are spread across this page, so I will not repeat them here. The City Wonders trip and the Bucintoro Viaggi boat appear above, the Il Doge di Venezia and Venice Wave trips below, and the Serenissima Motoscafi panorama further down.

What separates these island trips is group size, time on the islands and the glass-factory visit. The cheapest, at $22, gives about one hour on Murano; the Serenissima boat reaches Murano in around 30 minutes and gives just over an hour on Burano. None of these Venice boat tours includes food and drinks. I’d pick the island trip first and the boat second, because a 4-hour trip and a 7-hour one are different days.

Boat Ride in Venice Price

What a boat ride in Venice costs depends mostly on what you share. Shared island boats are the cheapest per person, and the cheapest listing in my data is the Il Doge di Venezia Murano and Burano tour at $22. It is rated 4.3 from 12,867 reviews, runs 4.5 to 7 hours depending on the option and includes a guide on board and a Murano glass-factory visit with a live demonstration. Departure is from the San Marco Cornoldi pier or from the railway station, near KFC, depending on the option. Food and drinks are not included.

If a private boat is your plan, the Venice Wave tour is the middle of the range: $111 for 4 hours around Murano, Burano and Torcello with a skipper, fuel and a glassworks visit included. The listing says the boat is reserved for a group of up to 6, and I’d check on the date picker whether the $111 is per person or per boat before you count on it. It is rated 5.0, but from only 11 reviews, so I treat it as promising rather than proven. Lunch and drinks are extra.

Il Doge di Venezia srl

Murano & Burano: Boat Tour with Guide & Glass Factory Visit

• ★ 4.3 (12,867 reviews)
• 4.5 - 7 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The lowest price in my list: $22, 4.5 to 7 hours, 4.3 from 12,867 reviews, with a guide on board and a glass-factory visit.

from

$22

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Venice Wave

Venice Private Boat Tour: Murano, Burano & Torcello

• ★ 5.0 (11 reviews)
• 4 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: Private skipper for up to 6 people at $111, 4 hours; 5.0 from only 11 reviews, so confirm what the price covers.

from

$111

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Boat Tour Venice Reddit

Travelers ask on forums such as Reddit whether a gondola or a boat tour in Venice is worth the money, and my answer comes from the numbers, not from the threads. The best-reviewed gondola on my list is the City Tours Co ride with storytelling and the gondola gallery: $44, 4.2 from 18,018 reviews, with 1 to 3 hours depending on the option. It starts with a 20-minute introduction, adds a skip-the-line service and ends with a gondola gallery where you see a sectioned gondola and the tools used to build one. Options include a walking tour of the city center and a ticket to Ca’ Rezzonico or to St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace.

The reviews are split in a way that tells you something. One reviewer loved the guide, who kept a pace everyone could follow, and another says the gondolier ignored guests and shouted to friends while they tried to listen to the app. That is why I’d choose a listing with a lot of reviews and read the recent ones.

CITY TOURS CO LTD

Grand Canal Gondola Ride with Storytelling & Gondola Gallery

• ★ 4.2 (18,018 reviews)
• 1 - 3 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The gondola ride I'd choose: $44, 4.2 from 18,018 reviews, storytelling, skip-the-line and a gondola gallery.

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Venice Boat Tour Night

A night boat tour in Venice is a smaller choice than it looks, because most listings are about sunset and not about darkness. The one that is explicitly day, night or sunset is the guided canal kayak with Real Venetian Kayak: $63 for about 1 hour to 100 minutes, rated 4.8 from 629 reviews. It meets at the operator’s premises on Calle Brazzo in Cannaregio, and the listing includes an officially approved kayak, a paddle, a life vest and an English-speaking instructor. Meals, kayaking clothing and transfers are not included.

A kayak is a very different night from a cruise with music, and it asks you to paddle. If you want to sit and watch the lights come on, the catamaran sunset cruise and the Prosecco boat are better choices, and my sunset cruise in Venice page compares all three with sunset times for every month.

Night tour

Real Venetian kayak

Guided Canal Kayak Tour at Day, Night, or Sunset

• ★ 4.8 (629 reviews)
• 1 hour - 100 minutes
• Free cancellation

My pick: The hands-on night option: $63, about 1 hour to 100 minutes, 4.8 from 629 reviews, life vest and guide included.

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Boat Tour Venice Italy

A boat tour in Venice, Italy, that fits into a single morning or afternoon is the Serenissima Motoscafi panoramic trip to Murano and Burano: $28, 4 to 4.5 hours, rated 4.4 from 6,588 reviews. It leaves from a yellow desk on Riva degli Schiavoni, at the corner of Calle degli Albanesi and the Hotel Danieli Excelsior, and the listing asks you to arrive 20 minutes early. The listing says Murano is about 30 minutes away by motorboat, and Burano gets just over an hour. It includes a glass-factory visit with a 10 percent discount at the shop. Guided tours on the islands, food and hotel pickup are not included.

One reviewer’s advice is worth passing on: go early, because the islands fill up later in the day. I’d also check that you are at the exact corner described in the listing, since it names a specific hotel and says not to confuse it with a different one.

Serenissima Motoscafi srl

Murano & Burano Panoramic Boat Tour w/ Glassblowing

• ★ 4.4 (6,588 reviews)
• 4 - 4.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: A tidy half-day to Murano and Burano for $28, 4 to 4.5 hours, 4.4 from 6,588 reviews, with a glass-factory visit.

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$28

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Boat Rides Venice

The boat rides in Venice that people remember most are often at the end of the day. The catamaran sunset jazz cruise from Xpert Travel is $90 for 1.5 hours, rated 4.8 from 1,621 reviews. It cruises San Marco Bay and the Giudecca Canal and crosses the lagoon toward the Lido, with a live jazz saxophonist, one free drink and a selection of cicchetti, the Venetian appetizers. The listing is clear that this is not a dinner cruise, and it notes that there are two toilets on board.

One reviewer describes seeing the Giudecca canal at twilight and says the boat was stable under sail, with no motion sickness. It can sell out, so this Venice boat tour is one to book early, and the listing suggests searching for the operator’s other cruises if your date is gone.

Xpert Travel

Catamaran Sunset Jazz Cruise with Aperitivo

• ★ 4.8 (1,621 reviews)
• 1.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: My evening pick if you want music: $90, 1.5 hours, 4.8 from 1,621 reviews, a drink and cicchetti included.

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What You See on a Venice Boat Tour

Most of what you see from the water is the same short list: the Doge’s Palace, the Bridge of Sighs, the Salute church and the Punta della Dogana, with the island of San Giorgio across the basin. The route map below follows the stops of the Prosecco sunset cruise, which goes across St. Mark’s Basin past the Arsenale, Sant’Andrea, Vignole, the Lido, San Lazzaro degli Armeni, San Servolo, San Clemente, Giudecca and Sant’Elena.

The distances are small. Piazza San Marco is 0.5 kilometers from the Salute and 0.5 kilometers from the Rialto bridge in a straight line, and the Arsenale is 0.9 kilometers from the piazza. The Giardini della Biennale are 1.6 kilometers from it. Those are straight-line figures I computed from the coordinates in my place data, not sailing distances. For official visitor information on the city, the Venezia Unica tourism portal is the source I’d check.

Where the Boats Leave From

Most Venice boat tours leave from the waterfront around St. Mark’s, from the Riva degli Schiavoni, which runs east along the basin, or from the railway station on the Grand Canal. The Serenissima Motoscafi boat and the City Wonders tour both use Riva degli Schiavoni, and the Il Doge di Venezia trip has a San Marco pier and a station departure. The gondola rides meet near Piazza San Marco, and the catamaran operator Venezia Catamaran Cruises is on Riva dei Sette Martiri, about 1 kilometer from the piazza. Places with a stop badge are named in a tour itinerary.

Which Venice Boat Trip Type Fits You

Pick the trip type first and the boat second when you plan a boat tour in Venice, because the type decides the price, the length and the crowd. This table is built from the 12 listings in my data, and each type with its own page gets a side-by-side comparison there.

Trip type	Price from	Typical duration	Best for
Gondola ride	$42	30 minutes to 3 hours	The Grand Canal and side canals in a short ride
Private boat tour	$55	4 to 5 hours	Murano and Burano with a small group or a skipper
Sunset cruise	$63	1 to 1.75 hours	Golden hour on St. Mark’s Basin and the lagoon
Shared island boat	$22	4 to 7 hours	Murano and Burano on a budget

How I’d Choose a Venice Boat Tour

My short answer for a first boat tour in Venice is the $55 City Wonders guided tour to Murano and Burano, because 7,709 reviewers rate it 4.7 and the group is small. Here is how I’d decide, in order:

• Lowest price: the $22 Il Doge di Venezia boat to Murano and Burano, 4.3 from 12,867 reviews.
• The Grand Canal, quickly: a gondola ride at $42 to $44, about 30 minutes.
• An evening on the water: the $90 catamaran jazz cruise or the $107 Prosecco boat.
• Private and flexible: the $111 Venice Wave skipper tour for up to 6 people, or the $471 hotel-pickup motorboat.
• Active: the $63 canal kayak, with a life vest and a guide.

Before I booked any boat tour in Venice, I’d check three things: the exact meeting point, which differs by option on several listings, whether the price is per person or per boat on the private trips, and the cancellation text, which is free up to 24 hours for all 12. Browse the Venice boat tours above, pick one and use the booking links to see current availability for your dates.