Venice Wave Private Tour: 4-Hour Skipper Boat to Murano, Burano & Torcello

Venice Wave

Venice Private Boat Tour: Murano, Burano & Torcello

★ 5.0 (11) · from $111

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Prices and timetables checked 17 October 2026. Affiliate note: I earn a commission on bookings made through the buttons on this page.

The Venice Wave private tour is a four-hour boat trip across the Venetian lagoon for groups of up to six. It is the cheapest private boat option I compare for Venice, and it covers three islands instead of the usual two. Browse the wider choice on the Venice boat tours hub or go back to the Harbour Advisor home page.

The detail that changes the decision most is where the trip starts. There is no hotel pickup and no public pier: you walk to a working boatyard in Cannaregio. From the train station that is 19 minutes on foot, so the true cost of the $111 is a short, slightly awkward walk. If you want a driver-to-door service, the Colleoni private tour with hotel pickup is the alternative.

What is the Venice Wave private tour of Murano, Burano and Torcello?

This operator's trip is a skippered boat trip that reserves the whole vessel for one party, with stops on the glass island of Murano, the colour-washed island of Burano and the quiet island of Torcello. The description says the pace is set by your group, not by a timetable or a crowd.

• Private boat: up to 6 people, no strangers aboard, no vaporetto queue.
• Skipper and guide: reviewers describe a skipper plus a guide who gives the history, working together.
• Murano: a stop at an old glass furnace; the glassworks stop is in the price.
• Burano and Torcello: time on foot on both islands.

The lagoon is the setting for all of it. UNESCO says Venetians fleeing raids in the 5th century took refuge on Torcello, Jesolo and Malamocco, which makes Torcello one of the earliest settled stops on this route.

70,176 ha is the area of the Venice lagoon World Heritage property, spread over 118 small islands.

Where does the Venice Wave private tour leave from?

The tour leaves from a boatyard at Ramo Terzo Piave 3508, in the 30121 postcode of Venice, about 1 km from Fondamente Nove. The listing words it as the yard where the boat is kept, which means no ticket office, no signage I can verify and no public pier.

A reviewer from 2024 notes that the operator sent advice on reaching the pickup point before the trip. I would ask for a pin and a photo of the gate.

If you would rather ride, a standard 75-minute Rete Unica ticket costs €9.50 on the AVM/ACTV fares page, which is the price of a short ride to the Fondamente Nove area instead of the full walk.

What is the route, stop by stop?

The route runs from the yard to Murano, across to Burano and on to Torcello, then back to the same yard, if the order follows the description. The stop list in the structured data names only Burano, so the exact order is not confirmed.

Distances come from the listing coordinates: Burano and Torcello are about 1.3 km apart, and Murano lies about 6 km from Burano. That matters for a 4-hour budget, since boat legs between the first two stops take real time. If Torcello is your priority, the Bucintoro Murano, Burano and Torcello excursion also lists it, at $28.

How long is the tour and when does it sail?

The tour lasts 4 hours, and the listing shows no fixed start time, so the slot is whichever the calendar offers for your date. The listing says the group controls the time at each island, which makes the start time the main lever on how much light you have.

• Summer: sunset is at 21:02 on 15 June, so even a 15:00 start finishes in daylight.
• Autumn: sunset falls at 18:27 on 15 October, so a start after 14:30 ends in dusk.
• Winter: sunset is at 16:29 on 15 December, so start before 12:00.

The listing gives no seasonal timetable or winter closure. I could not open the operator's own site to confirm either, so ask when you message.

What is on board and what is included?

You get the boat, a skipper, the fuel and a glassworks stop, while food and drink are yours to buy. Reviewers add that the boat is new and clean and describe it as a speedboat.

Unaccompanied minors are not allowed. The listing does not state a child-age limit or a life-jacket policy, so ask if you travel with small children.

How does the Venice Wave private tour compare with other Murano and Burano boats?

It is the cheapest private boat I compare and, unlike the Colleoni trip, it names Torcello; the shared boats are cheaper still but come with a crowd.

The comparison on price needs one caution. The $111 figure carries a per-person label on a private format, and the Venice Wave boat holds six, so the real total depends on your party size. The other private options are on the private boat tour Venice page.

Is the Venice Wave private tour worth it versus the other boats?

For a group of three to six that wants its own boat, it is the best value private option I found, at $27.8 an hour against $117.8 for the Colleoni trip. For a solo traveller or a pair on the tightest budget, the $28 shared boats cost far less.

1. Book it if you want Torcello on the plan, an English or Italian skipper-guide pair and control of the pace.
2. Think twice if you need a hotel pickup, a stated toilet on board or a large review base.
3. Compare totals: enter your party size on the booking page and read the final price before choosing between this and the Colleoni boat.

The 5.0 rating rests on 11 reviews, so it says less than the 4.8 from 189 on the rival. I read it as a good sign for a small operator, not proof.

When is the best time of year for the lagoon boat trip?

April to June and September to October balance daylight and comfort, while the winter months leave you short of light and cold on the water. Rain days in 2025 peaked in March at 15 and in May and July at 14 each.

Temperatures and rain days: Open-Meteo historical weather API, calendar year 2025, 45.43 N 12.34 E. Sunset: api.sunrise-sunset.org, Europe/Rome local time including daylight saving. The archive does not return UV values, so none are shown.

A private boat gives you control of the cabin and the open deck, so the weather call is yours. In June the 2025 daily high averaged 29 °C, and shade is worth asking about because the listing does not describe it.

The next public holiday is All Saints Day on Sunday 1 November 2026 per the Nager.Date holidays API, then 8 December. Venice also operates a day-visitor access fee on selected dates; check the calendar at cda.ve.it, since I could not open the fee table today and state no amounts or exemptions.

What do passengers say?

Passengers praise the guide and skipper team, the cleanliness of the boat and the pre-trip communication, and I can see only 7 of 11 reviews, all five-star. Treat the pattern as positive-only.

• Guide knowledge: mentioned in most of the visible reviews, in several languages.
• Boat quality: described as new, clean and comfortable.
• Access to places: one guest says the guide got them into everywhere they wanted to see.
• Versus big groups: a 2026 reviewer chose it over a larger group tour.

The review dates run from August 2024 to April 2026, so the operator has been running for at least two seasons.

Who should skip this private lagoon boat trip?

Skip it if you want hotel pickup, a stated onboard toilet or a deep review history. For other boats, return to the Venice boat tours hub.

• Guests with limited mobility: the listing states no accessibility details for a boatyard departure.
• Groups larger than 6: the boat takes six.
• Guests who want a restaurant included: lunch is extra.
• Those who want a guide in Spanish, French or German: only English and Italian are offered.

How do you book this private lagoon trip?

Book through GetYourGuide, choose a date and your party size, and read the total before paying.

FAQ about the private lagoon boat tour

Sources: GetYourGuide listing 686991 (checked 17 October 2026); UNESCO World Heritage Centre; AVM/ACTV Venice fares; Open-Meteo; Frankfurter; Nager.Date; City of Venice access fee; OSRM foot routing (routing.openstreetmap.de).