Murano, Burano & Torcello By Private Luxury Water Taxi

I just returned from a trip with my family of 14, ages ranging from 5 to 89 and I have to say that our tour with Linda was just absolutely wonderful. A group of this dynamic comes with lots of challenges, including simply finding tours that can accommodate our size, let alone understand the needs of the different abilities and speeds. I can tell you about the beauty of Murano and the unparalleled glassblowing techniques or the incredible town of Burano where you feel you are inside of a painting.. but what you need to know when booking a tour is that your tour guide is genuine, warm, accommodating and knowledgeable. Linda is all of those things and more. This was not your standard tour where you walk around in one of those huge groups with an ear piece and try to keep up with your guide. This is a tour where your guide walks alongside you and matches your cadence.

Nadia provided a wonderful experience for us! It was our friend’s birthday, and she went above and beyond to make some special arrangements. We learned so much, saw much more than we expected and really appreciated “getting off the beaten path.” Nadia is a fantastic guide and we would highly recommend this tour with her!

This was a fabulous day ! The glass factory tour and showroom were beautiful! We could have stayed watching the whole day. The water taxi used was so fun and very high end boat. We had a delicious lunch and watched how they make lace on Burano. Nadia planned a perfect day! This is so much better than the large tours to the island.

This private tour was amazing! I booked it a bit last minute, and although Nadia could not bring us on the tour, she had her best friend and top-notch tour guide, Linda, bring us. We were sad not to meet Nadia in person as she is the utmost professional and kindest person, but Linda was superb! She was personable, knowledgable, and a true joy! We learned so much and had the most enjoyable trip. The glass blowing gallery she brought us to was quite special and not a crowded tourist trap. There were just the 6 of us and one other small group inside. We were even served espresso! Our lunch on Torcello was an experience to remember, and Burano was just delightful. I can't recommend this private tour and Nadia and Linda enough! They are true professionals and the most lovely humans. Worth every penny -- we will treasure this experience!

We got to spend a wonderful two days in Venice with Nadia. Our first day was a 1/2 day walking tour where we learned some of the history of the city. Nadia's tours are so unique and she is a master at showing her clients places in Venice where the tourists are not! We really enjoyed the tour. Our second day we took a private taxi to Murano and got a private tour of one of the glass factories where we were able to purchase a beautiful piece of glass art. From there we went by private taxi to the island of Burano, and then on to Torcello. There were four of us and we all had a fabulous time with Nadia. We had a 3-day tour with Nadia in Venice a few years ago, and we were so impressed that we looked her up again and had a wonderful two days with her. I would highly recommend Nadia - particularly if you are looking for a tour that avoids all of the other tourists.

Such a unique and memorable experience! If you want to experience Venice and the surrounding islands through the eyes of a local I highly recommend this tour. Luxurious travel accommodations made us feel very special from arrival to departure. Our entire family felt a very strong connection to the culture and history by the end of the tour with a newfound appreciation for what it means to be Venetian.

Most incredible day! Nadia is an incredible tour guide. She met us at hotel and we jumped on our private water taxi. She told us history of many islands what their purpose was and of Venice. At Murano we went to a glass factory but is not one that many go to. The workers their are artist and work as a team to great beautiful pieces. Think of it as going to an art gallery. There was no pressure but of course there are items to purchase. I found exactly what I was looking for and did not feel I needed to purchase more. We then when to the island of Burano. Walked beautiful quiet streets before eating at a Michelin Star restaurant for lunch. She was so patient bc we had a bottle of wine and a true Venetian meal. Then we visited a famous lace store and watched Emilia sew lace. Again no pressure but this is where you would want to buy lace. They took us upstairs where they beautiful table covers and more. Last but not least we went to the island of Trecello - which is the birth place of Venice. There is incredible mosaics in the church. Wonderful day and experience! Nadia is the best! If you are wondering if this day is worth the price tag and going private - yes it is! We moved at our own pace and never felt rushed.

We really engine’s Torcello and the visit to allocate factory in Murano. Nahdia is the best. I would have loved a bit more time in both Murano and Burano, but the rest was perfect.

We had a great time with our new friend in Venice. That would be Nadia a Venice local. She knew all the local places to show us for the day. We arrived as strangers and parted as friends. I highly recommend spending a day with her and hearing her stories.

Wonderful way to visit these beautiful islands. Nadia was a fabulous guide. Having the private transport and be on our own time schedule was incredible.

Nadia is an amazing, gives great detail and really lets you create your own tour if you want. We wanted to do certain things on Burano and she was very accommodating to our preferences. She made it so fun and entertaining, didn’t feel like a true tour guide due her fun attitude but also extensive knowledge.

Great way to see the island and understand the Venice island history. Things move pretty quick but you cover a lot of ground. Nadia was kind, knowledgeable and efficient!

Such a fun day on the water seeing the islands around Venice. Even though the weather was a little grey, the boats were comfortable and warm and the sights were awesome. Saw glass blowing in Murano, wonderful lunch in Burano and gorgeous church in Torcello. Learned a lot and everyone had a blast.

Our party of three thoroughly enjoyed our six hour private tour. We started with a glass blowing tour on Murano which was exceptional. Our tour there culminated with each of us trying our hand at glass blowing. Next we ventured to Burano and enjoyed a typical Venetian lunch at a local restaurant. We saw lace being made and had time to shop. Our final stop was Trocello - what a special place. This island is quaint and has fewer tourists. We visited a church and enjoyed a leisurely stroll. This tour exceeded any expectation we had. Our guide Nadia was extremely knowledgeable, clearly knew the best spots to go and had a warm and inviting personality. The day was like visiting a long time friend. Between each island we were transported by private water taxi. If you are looking for a luxurious way to tour a few islands around Venice with an exceptional guide, we highly recommend this tour.

What a great day! You can tell Nadia has spent a lot of time researching the best glass factory to take you to. Awesome demonstration and beautiful gallery. Burano was too notch, Nadia knew all the places to get the best pics. The trip wouldn't have been complete without a stop in Torcello. Definitely recommend.

It was fun to see the islands, but this tour was very limiting, from the description, I thought that we would have freedom once we got to the islands to choose where we go. They took us to one glass factory on Murano, it was clearly a partnership; they chose the restaurant we went to on Torcello, which was average and we got very little time in Burano, my favorite of the three. Our guide was great, i'm sure she was bound by a predetermined itinerary. Just wish the description had been more detailed so we knew ahead of time what we were getting into.

Excellent tour with an excellent guide. We went to many off the beat and path places including an amazing artisan glass place in Murano that had no other tourists. Highly recommend this tour.

Nadia put together a wonderful bespoke trip for our family today! Our 16 year old and 21 year old were thrilled with the adjustments she made to the itinerary suit their interests. The glass artisan we visited was an exclusive find, and lunch in Burano was off the typical tourist path. Boats were beautiful. Definitely the highlight of our visit to Venice!

Absolutely wonderful tour and experience. Nadia is very knowledgeable about the area and showed us some of the best hidden gems. I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to see this beautiful location though the eyes of a local. Nadia is a friend for life!

Man oh man - what a great trip, Nadia and David were absolute legends. Full of knowledge felt like we were walking with family we cannot thank these two people enough All we can say is do it !!

Nadia - has a true love for Venice, the people, the places, the buildings. Truly door to door service from our hotel, with fantastic slow tours of a glass factory (your own private tour, incredible!), slow walking Burano and ending up at a perfect lunch spot, where she magically disappears and lets you enjoy the time with your loved ones. Then time on Torcello, which I dont think we ever would have gone, but was one of our favorite experiences in Venice. Yes the price is higher than other tours...but think of it as door to door service, with people waiting for you at each stop to share their skills/loves/labor. Worth every $$. Look forward to our next visit, and for Nadia to show us some other corners of Venice, and encourage us to go "get lost".

We did a 2 day tour with Nadia. 1 day was the 5 hour off the beaten track tour, including a private water taxi for an hour. And the 2nd day we did the Murano/Burano tours by private water taxi. I most appreciated how she pays for the water taxi’s and cappuccino stops for you, so you aren’t constantly digging money out - then you just pay her back at the end of the tour, her tour price will include all of the transportation prices! So basically she handles all the details to make the day go smoothly. She seems to know a lot of people in town - and stops to talk to them, or introduce you to them….or maybe that is just the Italian way!! The tour moves pretty quickly, so if you are a picture taker, like me, always have your camera ready to go, because you’ll be lagging behind trying to get certain pictures…and in Burano, there will be a ton you want to take!! Thanks again for a quick 2 day introduction to Venice and the surrounding area. I also liked how the tours are done between 10-4 at the latest…that way if you want to go back to anywhere specific, you’ll have time after the tour ends. The tour prices may seem high, but don’t forget that private water taxi’s and gondola’s are very expensive!! You will see a lot of picture worthy back alley’s and not have to worry about getting lost!! Oh, if you go to Burano, the restaurant she booked for our lunch was phenomenal!!! One of our top 2 meals on our 2 week vacation to Northern Italy!!

What a wonderful day we had with Nadia! The entire experience was beautifully curated, We opted to tour 2 islands, Murano and Burano. We visited the best glass art studio in Murano, followed by a walking tour and visit to a prestigious lace store and workshop in Burano. Nadia knows the best places to see and everyone seems to know her too! She even introduced us to the cook at the restaurant she'd recommended for lunch. Nothing is rushed and everything was lovely. Nadia made our day special and we are so glad we chose her tour!

Nadia organized a perfect, special and memorable day for our family in Venice. We were met with a warm welcome by Nadia at the St. Regis hotel lobby and immediately boarded our boat to Murano island. We enjoyed a fantastic in-depth and up-close demonstration of Murano glass making by skilled artisans in a modern and pristine environment. The artisan allowed our children (ages 7 and 18) to each blow their own glass and it was a fun, interesting experience. We truly appreciated the artistry, creativity and expertise involved in this beautiful art form. We enjoyed time in their beautiful showroom and purchased stylish drinking glasses to have shipped to the U.S. We island hopped from Murano to Torcello and enjoyed a lovely stroll on our way to enjoy a delicious lunch with signature Bellinis at Cipriani. We sat next to the window where our tranquil view featured a pretty garden with the ancient church and tower as the immediate backdrop. The restaurant team was warm and welcoming and they prepared a wonderful simple pasta for our young child that he enjoyed! We toured the grounds of the church area and ancient waterfront. We proceeded to the island of Burano and had fun strolling through the streets with the colorful houses. We visited a store which featured the most elegant artisan demonstrating her expertise at lace making. We enjoyed some delicious gelato with Nadia and she walked with us through the less traveled pathways for a special look at this charming island. We headed back to the Grand Canal and Nadia made sure to have the boat drivers navigate to provide us with the best views and camera shots to see the most beauty around Venice. We highly recommend Nadia. She tailored a fantastic tour itinerary for our family that was organized with perfect flow. She was very warm, kind, thoughtful and extremely informative about Venice. Nadia was wonderful and so loving with our children. She is an absolute gem in Venice!

Thanks to Linda, our professional tour coordinator and guide, our family of 14 members was able to enjoy a flawless experience! Linda put her heart into it from the first time I contacted her. She personalized our tour to ensure that we captured the beauty, the history, the culture and much more while having endless fun for our entire family members ranging from 73 to 1 year olds! Linda is a very friendly, organized, precise and considerate person whose flexibility made our tour an unforgettable one. I highly recommend reaching out to Linda or contacting Friendinvenice if you are looking for a faultless excursion. I cannot write enough to express the gratitude that our entire family has towards her extraordinary ability to make a dream come true.

Our tour with Nadia was fantastic. Specialized visit to high end glass artist studio in Murano, walking tour of beautiful 8th century church in Torcello and lovely al fresco lunch, behind the scenes walk in Burano. Nadia was thoughtful in crafting our tour and taught us a lot as we asked questions about the history of the region. Five stars!!

We are a family of four with two kids aged 5 and 3 that took two tours with Nadia in mid July 2021: (i) a two hour city orientation tour; and (ii) a five hour tour of Murano, Burbank, and Torcello. Nadia was wonderful. She took us on leisurely strolls through less touristy parts of the city and was very patient and warm with our children. She was very accommodating when the kids needed breaks or extra attention. She was also very informative and tailored the tours to our specific family. She took us to an awesome glass factory in Murano that we basically had to ourselves. She was very responsible and responsive and arranged all of the details and everything was taken care of. We highly recommend.

A group of 4 of us spent a fantastic day with Nadia on November 4 for the Venice's Northern Lagoon Tour. From the moment we met her at our hotel, we knew it was going to be a great day. Nadia is warm and friendly and incredibly knowledgeable. We had a great, learned a lot, and had a lot of laughs and great conversations throughout the day. Best of all, Nadia was completely flexible and adaptable to our requests throughout the tour. When we return to Venice and the Veneto, we know we are contacting Nadia for another tour.