St. Mark's, Doge's Palace & Gondola Ride with Murano and Burano
- 9h 30m
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
This full-day Venice tour brings together the city’s greatest hits and lagoon islands in one carefully planned route. Start with timed-entry tickets and guided visits to St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, where golden mosaics, grand halls, the Golden Staircase, and the Bridge of Sighs reveal the power of the Venetian Republic. Then shift from footpaths to canals with a shared gondola ride before a quick lunch break near St. Mark’s Square. In the afternoon, board a private boat to Murano and Burano, where artisan traditions take center stage through glassblowing and lacemaking demonstrations. With expert guiding in the morning, a tour leader for the islands, and transport arranged between major experiences, this tour covers Venice by land, canal, and lagoon in one seamless experience.
Inclusions
What's included
- Free time to explore both islands
- Timed-entry ticket and guided tour of St. Mark’s Basilica (€12)
- Glassblowing demonstration in Murano
- Expert English-speaking guide
- Lacemaking demonstration in Burano
- 30-minute shared gondola ride
- Free time for lunch
- Round-trip private boat to Murano and Burano
- Timed-entry ticket and guided tour of the Doge’s Palace
What's not
- Lunch
- Guide tips
Itinerary
Enter St. Mark’s Basilica with a timed-entry ticket and follow your guide inside one of Venice’s most important churches. See golden mosaics and learn how relics, art, and politics shaped this Byzantine landmark.
Continue into the Doge’s Palace with a timed-entry ticket and guided tour. Walk through grand halls filled with Renaissance art, climb the Golden Staircase, and cross the Bridge of Sighs as your guide explains Venice’s former seat of political power.
Next, board a shared gondola for a 30-minute sightseeing ride through Venice’s canals. Pass under historic bridges and along centuries-old buildings while a professional gondolier operates the boat.
Then, enjoy a quick lunch break near St. Mark’s Square. Lunch is at your own expense, and your guide can offer a local recommendation in the area.
Meet your afternoon tour leader and board a private boat reserved for the group. Cross the Venetian Lagoon toward Murano, with views of the Venice skyline as the city drifts behind you. Arrive on Murano, an island known for its glassmaking heritage. Visit a working studio for a glassblowing demonstration, then enjoy free time to shop for Murano glass or walk through town before your next stop.
Continue by boat to Burano, known for painted houses and lacemaking traditions. Watch a lacemaking demonstration with local artisans, then enjoy free time for photos and exploring the island streets. Ride the private boat back to Venice as your full-day tour winds down. The tour ends near St. Mark’s Square, about two blocks from the Doge’s Palace, at the same place where the Murano and Burano boat departs.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.6
- 5837
- 4128
- 346
- 217
- 129
Ratings come from 1,057 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Showing reviews written in English.
5Murat and Butano
Super interesting and great to see glass blowing and lace making! Flavola was a great guide 🤩
5Part 1: Murano & Burano...
Part 1: Murano & Burano Islands Tour The Islands of Murano and Burano are so stunningly beautiful they make your eyes hurt—seriously, Burano's neon houses look like a box of crayons exploded in the best way possible! 🎨🏝️ Our guide, Francesca, was an absolute saint, expertly guiding us through the crowds and making sure we didn't wander off and permanently move into a pink house. Meanwhile, our captain, Matteo, navigated the Venetian Lagoon so smoothly that nobody spilled a drop of their drink. 10/10, would get stranded on an island with this crew any day! Part 2: St. Mark’s Basilica & Doge’s Palace Walking Tour The splendor of St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace is absolutely mind-blowing, with gold mosaics and grand rooms that make you feel like Venetian royalty! 🏛️👑 Our guide, Marco, was a master storyteller and easily one of the funniest, most enjoyable guides we’ve ever experienced. He brought centuries of history to life with so many jokes and laughs that we completely forgot our feet were tired from walking. 10/10, Marco turned a historic tour into pure entertainment!
4Simpson review
Cathedral and doges palace guide was a little hard to understand and hear. While interesting in parts it dragged on a little too long
5Perfecto
Guide Giya made the trip fun and interesting
5USA team
It was a great tour and amazing church and monument. We have a great day. Gondola ride was excellent.
5Full day tour. Easy way to see the highlights of Venice!
The morning part of the tour we had Marco, he was funny and very knowledgeable about the Doge palace. The second part was with Francesca and we saw the Glass making masters in Murano. Afterwards we went to Burano which may have been my favourite part of the evening tour and highly recommend. That island was amazing!
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Please Arrive 15 Minutes Early. Between the two big columns in St. Mark’s Square (columns of San Marco & San Teodoro) located on the south side of the square, near the canal. Your guide will be holding a "The Tour Guy" sign.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 20 travellers
- Operated by
- The Tour Guy
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please refrain from bringing big back packs or bags, because they are not allowed inside.
- A valid government-issued ID is required for entrance to St. Mark's Basilica. The name on your ticket (entered at check-out) must match the name on your ID, or you may be refused entry.
- Please note that depending on the start time the itinerary order can vary.
- This tour consists of two parts and includes free time for lunch (at your own expense)
How it compares in Venice
- Its from-price is 50% below the median of the 197 day trips we list in Venice.
- It is longer than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 5 of 197.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Venice
Venice floats on a lagoon of more than a hundred islands, a city of canals, palaces and bridges with no cars, where every walk ends somewhere unexpected.
The Grand Canal sweeps through the city in a great reversed S, lined with palaces and crossed by the Rialto Bridge. Near its mouth, Piazza San Marco gathers St Mark's Basilica with its golden mosaics, the Doge's Palace, the Bridge of Sighs and the tall brick campanile. Water buses and gondolas show the city from the angle it was built to be seen.
Top-ranked sights in Venice: St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco), St. Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco), Grand Canal.
Special offers in Venice
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
5% offFree cancellation
