Venice · VENICE PRIVATE TOURS

The 15 Best Private Tours in Venice

40 tours  Â·  from $29 a head

A private guide or boat costs more and buys you the pace and the route. These 15 cover private gondolas, island boats and walking guides, with prices and which ones are quoted per group.

Murano & Burano Islands Guided Small-Group Tour by Private Boat - How much of the five hours is yours?
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Murano & Burano Islands Guided Small-Group Tour by Private Boat

1.Murano & Burano Islands Guided Small-Group Tour by Private Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 7,580 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $36Our pick

Ride a private boat from central Venice to Murano and Burano with an English-speaking local guide and a group of no more than 22. Watch glass being shaped in Murano, see handmade lace in Burano, and leave time to explore the islands. Demonstrations and the order of stops can vary; the lace presentation may not run on Mondays.

“We enjoyed our tour guide, Silvia, she has lots of tips about what to see and do in Venice. Much if the time is spent traveling on the boat, Silvia pointed out many i terseting sights.”

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From Venice: Murano & Burano Guided Tour by Private Boat - Murano: see glasswork up close
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From Venice: Murano & Burano Guided Tour by Private Boat

2.Murano & Burano Guided Tour by Private Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 4,170 reviews · from $61

Take a five-hour guided boat trip from Venice to Murano and Burano. Watch a glassblowing demonstration, see lacework in progress, then explore both islands at your own pace. English-speaking guides such as Elena, Manu, and Francesca have led the route, though your guide will depend on your departure.

“Our tour guide Elena was wonderful! She shared so many interesting facts and stories of Venice, Murano and Burano as well as gave us good tips on eating and shopping!”

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Private 3 hrs Venice Tour: St Mark's, Walking tour & Boat tour - The Grand Canal by small boat
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Private 3 hrs Venice Tour: St Mark’s, Walking tour & Boat tour

3.Private 3 hrs Venice Tour: St Mark’s, Walking tour & Boat tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 3,372 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $480

Start near St. Mark’s Square with an English-speaking guide, enter St. Mark’s Basilica with a reserved skip-the-line ticket, then walk through Castello’s quieter lanes. After a break, join a small-group boat ride on the Grand Canal and smaller canals. Guides have included local experts such as Christina Pigozzo, Adriana, and Francesco.

“Adriana was a knowledgeable local who provided a great introduction to the city. She helped us to add on to our experience based on our interest.”

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Venice: Private Gondola Cruise for up to 5 Passengers - Grand Canal views, then a turn into narrower lanes
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Venice: Private Gondola Cruise for up to 5 Passengers

4.Private Gondola Cruise for up to 5 Passengers

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 3,106 reviews

Take a private gondola ride for up to five people, passing palaces and bridges on the Grand Canal and smaller Venice waterways. The ride lasts about 30 minutes, though canal traffic can shorten it. Check in at the Alilaguna ticket office in front of the Royal Gardens gate, and confirm your departure point before setting out.

“Excellent activity, pre-booking meant doing away with the stress of not knowing where to go or what to do. However there were cheaper gondoliers readily available!”

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Venice: Private Gondola Ride along Grand Canal - From the Accademia Bridge to the Grand Canal
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Venice: Private Gondola Ride along Grand Canal

5.Private Gondola Ride along Grand Canal

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 2,475 reviews

Take a private gondola for up to five people along the Grand Canal and smaller waterways, passing the Accademia Bridge, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Santa Maria della Salute and La Fenice. The 30-minute ride is self-guided, though your gondolier may share local details or sing. The experience also includes a gallery on gondola-making.

“Must have experience when in Venice! Short and sweet 30 mins ride just for the experience”

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Private Best of Venice Walking Tour with St Mark's Basilica - Santa Maria Formosa and Venice away from the crowds
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Private Best of Venice Walking Tour with St Mark’s Basilica

6.Private Best of Venice Walking Tour with St Mark’s Basilica

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 1,063 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $242

Start near the Royal Gardens by St. Mark’s Square for a guided walk through the square, St. Mark’s Basilica, and quieter lanes around Campo Santa Maria Formosa. The two-hour tour includes basilica entry and an English-speaking guide. Guides named on past tours include Donatella, Francesca, Christina, Lucia, and Andrea.

“Excellent guide offering unique historical & architectural insights to St Marks Basilica & the surrounding area.”

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Private tour on Murano Island: discover the art of Artisanal Glassblowing - Watching the glass take shape
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Private tour on Murano Island: discover the art of Artisanal Glassblowing

7.Private tour on Murano Island: discover the art of Artisanal Glassblowing

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 965 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $108Top rated

Spend about three hours traveling by water taxi from Venice to Murano with a private guide. Watch an artisan shape molten glass, then walk the island’s lanes and visit San Donato Cathedral when it is open. Guides such as Syria, Nicola, Vittorio, and David have led the tour, though assignments vary. A Burano visit is available only with the selected option.

“Our guide adapted our tour to our needs and was kind and helpful. We took a beautiful private boat taxi to Murano, watched a glass-blowing demonstration by a master and walked around the island of Murano. Lovely day.”

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Venice Marco Polo Airport Private Arrival Transfer via Motorboat - Where the boat leaves you
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Venice Marco Polo Airport Private Arrival Transfer via Motorboat

8.Venice Marco Polo Airport Private Arrival Transfer via Motorboat

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 953 reviews · 30 minutes (approx.)

Meet a representative after collecting your bags at Marco Polo Airport, then take a private motorboat toward your Venice hotel. Choose meet-and-assist or an option with an escort to the hotel door. The ride takes about 30 minutes, though some hotels require a walk from the nearest water stop.

“While not inexpensive, it is the best way to arrive in Venice. Being greeted outside baggage claim eliminates any worry about your next leg of travel.”

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Venice: Private Gondola Ride - From Santa Maria del Giglio to the Grand Canal
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Venice: Private Gondola Ride

9.Private Gondola Ride

★★★★★★★★★★3.6 · 757 reviews · 20 min · from $85

Set off from the Gondola Station beside Hotel Gritti Palace for a private ride with a traditional gondolier. The route is intended to include the Grand Canal and quieter waterways near Punta della Dogana, Santa Maria della Salute and Teatro La Fenice. It is not a guided tour, and your gondolier is not guaranteed to be Daniel, a name associated with one particularly peaceful ride.

“Charming, first 10 minutes in Grand Canal, then 15 or so in the near small canal. A lot of traffic though, but still a good adventure!”

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Venice: Private Tour with a Local Guide - Starting at your own door
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Venice: Private Tour with a Local Guide

10.Private Tour with a Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 718 reviews · from $62

Meet an English-speaking local guide at your accommodation and shape a private Venice walk around your interests. In two to six hours, you can learn how to get around, explore your neighborhood, see requested landmarks, and get local food and shopping tips. Past guides have included Hala, Luis, Lorenzo, and Miriam.

“Vittoria was fantastic. She adapted the tour to what we wanted to see and gave full descriptions of everything in an interesting way!”

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Private 4hrs Venice Tour: Doge's Palace, Grand Canal & St Mark's - St. Mark’s Square, the basilica and the quieter lanes
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Private 4hrs Venice Tour: Doge’s Palace, Grand Canal & St Mark’s

11.Private 4hrs Venice Tour: Doge’s Palace, Grand Canal & St Mark’s

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 715 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $594

In about four hours, a private English-speaking guide leads you through Doge’s Palace, St. Mark’s Basilica and quieter Venetian lanes, then takes you by motorboat along the Grand Canal and smaller canals. Skip-the-line tickets are included. Past guides have included Edi, Cristina and Arianna, but your assigned guide may differ.

“We enjoy the morning and afternoon tours very much. Our tour guides are brother & sister (Marco & Marina), they were very knowledgeable and full of history. The boat ride at the end was very relaxing. A good way to end the tour.🤗”

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Venice: Off the Beaten Path Private Gondola Ride - Picking the right ride length
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Venice: Off the Beaten Path Private Gondola Ride

12.Off the Beaten Path Private Gondola Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 703 reviews · 30 minutes - 2 hours · from $94

Take a private gondola through Venice with an English- or Italian-speaking gondolier. Choose 30 minutes for quieter canals near San Paolo, or up to two hours for the Rialto area, St. Mark’s, the Bridge of Sighs and more. Guides such as Fabio and Stefano bring local history and personal stories to the ride.

“It lived up to its expectations. And was definitely off the beaten track. It really was a special half hour”

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Private Venice 2 hrs Tour: Boat & Walking Tour with food tasting - Campo Santa Maria Formosa and the quieter walk
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Private Venice 2 hrs Tour: Boat & Walking Tour with food tasting

13.Private Venice 2 hrs Tour: Boat & Walking Tour with food tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 688 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $402

Start near St. Mark’s Square for a guided boat ride along the Grand Canal and into Cannaregio’s quieter waterways. Then walk through backstreets and squares near Campo Santa Maria Formosa and Marco Polo’s house, before stopping for pastry and coffee or cicchetti and wine. Guides have included Sandro and Arianna; the route can change with high water.

“This was a wonderful way to begin our trip to Venice. It gave us the lay of the land so we started feeling comfortable with our surroundings right away.”

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Exclusive Private Venice Food Tour with 6 or 10 Tastings - The guide can make or break the outing
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Exclusive Private Venice Food Tour with 6 or 10 Tastings

14.Exclusive Private Venice Food Tour with 6 or 10 Tastings

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 598 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $147

Explore Venice with a private local foodie guide, tasting Venetian bites and drinks at neighborhood eateries. The 2.5-hour walk may include spritz, cheese, cicchetti, seafood, prosecco, and gelato. Choose six or ten tastings, and message your host about dietary needs. Guides such as Alessandra, Giacomo, Giada, and Claudia have led past tours.

“Fortunato had a lot of knowledge on Venice and was very nice. It was a great tour with lots of walking and some food. We wanted to try one specific food and he didn’t let us leave without trying it. Super nice and thoughtful.”

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Create Your Glass Artwork: Private Lesson With Local Artisan - First, learn what Murano glass means
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Create Your Glass Artwork: Private Lesson With Local Artisan

15.Create Your Glass Artwork: Private Lesson With Local Artisan

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 556 reviews · 1h 15m · from $93

In a private 75-minute lesson at Massimiliano Caldarone’s Venetian workshop, you’ll hear about Murano glass, watch the artisan work, then try the lampworking technique yourself with his step-by-step guidance. You’ll make a glass piece to take home, often a pendant, and receive 10% off his artwork in the shop.

“Excellent. Masimmiliano is a patient and kind teacher. He is skilled and personable. We learned much and would absolutely do this again.”

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New in Venice Private Tours

★ 3.8Best of Padova: Private Walking Tour with a LocalFrom $4956 reviews
★ 4.8Best of Trieste: Walking Tour with Private Guide19 reviews
★ 4.8Highlights Private Walking Tour & Scrovegni ChapelFrom $1485 reviews
★ 5.02 Guests Private Prosecco Road Tour All Inclusive from Conegliano59 reviews
★ 4.7Private City Walking Tour & Scrovegni’s Chapel VisitFrom $62124 reviews
★ 4.1Private Grand Canal Gondola Ride from Rialto178 reviews
★ 5.0Luxury Tour of Murano & Burano by Private Boat and GuideFrom $350167 reviews
★ 5.0Venice Doge’s Palace & St. Mark’s Semi-Private Tour, Max 6 PeopleFrom $228192 reviews
★ 4.2Murano and Burano Private Tour with TransferFrom $124190 reviews
★ 3.8Venetian Private Sandolo tourFrom $82184 reviews
★ 4.7Private Custom Walking Tour With A Local GuideFrom $59216 reviews
★ 4.0Private Tour: Venice Gondola Ride with Serenade207 reviews
★ 4.54 hours Private Boat Tour to Murano, Burano with local real guideFrom $216203 reviews
★ 4.5Private Prosecco , Hilltowns & Palladian Villa Tour from VeniceFrom $676221 reviews
★ 4.0Private Secret Venice Tour; Rialto Market, San Polo & Food and Wine tastingFrom $257220 reviews

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