Venice: Murano & Burano Islands Premium Guided Experience

This review is for Venice Tour Co.-City Tours and does not reflect the actual tour itself as far as the sites visited. Our tour company (booked through Viator) moved up the start time from 11:00 am to 10:30 am and did not send a text or email to advise us. Apparenlty they did this because there weren't enough people on the 11:00 am tour to make it profitable for the tour company. So like the airlines cancel flights to jam in more people, so did this tour company. We missed the start, as did 5 other people from two other groups. 2 of the people who also missed the start were waiting at the designated start point at 10:20 am, even though they thought it was an 11:00 am start. We ended up having to walk to the Venice office of this tour company and rebooked to later that afternoon, because all of us were leaving the next day. When we showed up for the afternoon tour, we almost couldn't find the tour company. They held up a 1 foot by 1 foot sign with a time "2:30 pm" and no other identifying information...no flag or other way to know who they were. The guide acted indignant when we mentioned that we had a very difficult time finding them. Murano and Burano themseleves were worth the visit, and the guide was OK once the attitude was lost. But this tour company cost us our afternoon when we had planned other places to see. So overall the tour stops are definitely worth a visit, but avoid this tour company like the plague.

Murano glassblowing demo is interesting if never saw glassblowing before. Whispers used to hear guides description of islands and activities only worked sometimes. Not always able to understand guide's English. Murano island only a place to see glassblowing and shops with glass souvenirs. Burano is beautiful, charming and a lot more to do.

We had the BEST time on this Murano and Burano! Our guide Valentina was simply magnificent. We cannot recommend this experience highly enough. 10 stars!

While the tour was enjoyable, it was frustratingly difficult to find the tour hosts. They were not on time (as it was insisted that we must be). There was no signage to identify them. It was very stressful. Our guide was quite knowledgeable, but at times she spoke too quickly for us to understand her clearly.

The day we went, it was hot and humid. We enjoyed the overall experience. The glass blowing demonstration on Murano Island showed serious skill. The Burano Island was my favourite. The atmosphere and colour was great.

Valentina was an excellent tour guide and we truly enjoyed our boat ride there and back to Morano and Verano. Her positive demeanor and energy brought light to the tour trip. She was very informative and we learned lots about the history and special attractions on the islands. I definitely recommend this tour.

Beautiful day with lots of free time! I really enjoyed the experience lovely towns! I would recommend

I would not recommend this trip especially on a hot day. We had to wait an extra 30 minutes to depart because they combined 3 groups. Once on the boat the audio was of very poor quality. None of this was the fault of the guide, who tried her best. At the Murano glass factory, they were not prepared to give an English tour. A sales person had to step in and was distracted at one point by her other duties. There was nothing premium about this trip. It is not worth the price of $60 pp.

We were a family of 3 with my mom (a senior) & sister and this was an exhilarating experience. The entire activity was well-coordinated / precision-timed from the starting location activities to the boat journey stopping at Murano followed by Burano (and optional Torcello). The tour guide provided a lot of information covering the history, current state, inter-mixed with humor and satire to keep the boat journey as well as the land visits entertaining & informational. It is a treat to watch the live demonstrations of a glass molding at the Murano factory and marvel in the sights of the products. The showroom had some unique pieces for sale and plenty to choose from. Burano was a more spread out village setting with picturesque structures and vendors with good options for lunch / snacks. Despite the sun weighing down, we had a gala time strolling through the village and clicking some memorable moments. The overall duration was about 6 hours from start to finish and the location is very close to the San Zaccaria train station, making it convenient. There was ample of space on the boat and didn't feel crowded but this was the border season with the heat still not at it's summer peak. Overall a satisfying experience and a day well spent admiring the crafts and learning about the origins at a relaxed pace.

We went on a City TOurs private tour. Speed boat got us there quickly., In factory, we watched men heating up glass and making leaves, short talk, long time given to walkig through enormous gallaries. Beautiful. Would have liked to visit a glass blowing factory as well. Went to Burano which is beautiful but would have been nice to have had more time for lunch and wondering through little alleys. 4 hours too little. Knowledgeable friendly guide.

Must do trip for a small group, a lovely journey across the lagoon to these two beautiful islands. Tour guide was knowledgeable , headsets work just fine but inside the boat I found it quite hard to hear over the sound of the engine. Small visit to the Murano factory (not too much of a hard sell of their products) very nice and then plenty of time on Burano for lunch and sightseeing. Thank you.

Joy was a great guide, very informative. Murano and the glass factory was amazing, such artistry! Burano was a wonderful place to walk around and shop. Colorful and quaint. So glad we booked this tour.

Non existent communication- the meeting point changed we were not informed. Quite stressful at the start of a trip. Otherwise the guide was very good.

Terrible company to book with!!! Use Viator instead. I never received any follow up email for the upcoming trip and was never told the name of the tour company this was booked with. Arrived in Venice at the supposed meeting site and NO ONE could help us. Many tours happening at the same time and none of them had my name on their list. Needless to say it was complete chaos!!! I had to purchase another excursion in Venice to be able to experience these islands. Completely unacceptable and I will be demanding a full refund.

The main point in booking the tour rather than going solo was to learn more of the history. Unfortunately the sound system was so poor I couldn’t understand a word of what the guide said. At least 75% of the group stopped wearing the ear pieces, so I wasn’t alone.

It was impossible to hear the guide when she went to the top of the ship. Glass show was good and Burano was beautiful

We really enjoyed visiting the different islands of Venice. Very easy and knowledgeable. Definitely recommend. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable. She was very friendly and helpful.

The tour agency had no clue about any pro versions of the trip that I've purchased - no vintage wooden boat, the tour lasted an hour less than advertised.

The trip itself was just ok. The weather was decent and the boat ride was breezy and cool. The visit to Murano seemed rushed. The glass blowing demonstration was nice and neat to watch. We were shuffled in to that factories showroom and then give very little time to explore. Less than 20 minutes. The visit to Burano was longer and we had some nice time to meander, eat and explore. The lace demonstration was frankly a waste of time. I think we were in that shop less than 10 minutes, and learned very little. The young gal who talked seemed very bothered by the need to give a demonstration and rushed through it.

The boat is overloaded with people. does not stop on Torcello, so don’t book this one if you want to go there.

The guide was great, Murano and Burano were lovely. However, we didn’t get to see the 3rd island. When I asked about it, the guide said there were only 2 islands. We didn’t get to see it and it’s mentioned on the trip details. Therefore, I believe a partial refund is in order.

This tour was much more than glass blowing and lace. On the boat ride Allegra, our guide, spoke knowledgeably about the rich history of Venice and the many islands around it. We had plenty of opportunity to explore, shop and have lunch. Most of all Allegra gave us a sense of what we were seeing, the history and tidbit facts to help us fall in love with Venice and this part of the world

Great tour on the Pink Venice boat. Excellent guide. Very enjoyable despite late departure and miss information on pick up point.

David was a very informative and entertaining guide. Nice boat tour and plenty of time to walk aroud the islands on your own.

Excellent tour guide & well worth the money. He was knowledgeable, funny, with interesting facts. Had a great day and would highly recommend.

David was an excellent guide, knowledgeable and full of humour; and the trip was excellent, we thoroughly enjoyed it, highly recommended!

David was our guide for today. Absolutely enjoyed our experience and David was very knowledgeable and provided a lot of humour along our trip. Will definitely recommend Venice Tours.

David is very informative and very funny too. He knows his history🇮🇹 He is very kind and and very good what he does . The boat is great and the town is amazing

David was very knowledgable and truly had a good time sharing information. My wife said his recommendation of ice cream on Bruno island was the best she had.

David was awesome and made the tour very enjoyable. Both of his food recommendations were very good. Very friendly and informative.

Had a great trip to Murano and Burano with David. David was very knowledgeable and shared lots of stories and history about Venice and the Islands.

Good value for money, a really wonderful and engaging guided and helpful organised transport! Definitely well worth it.

Great tour by David! Very informative and great story telling. The glass blowing workshop was our highlight and it was good to have free time on both islands. We had a great time!

Leticia was amazing. So kind and helpful and the best energy. This tour is worth every penny as you may not think to go to the islands if not in a guided format but now I can’t wait to return!

Nice to visit 3 islands and enjoyed the information from our guide. Good mix of tour and free time. Burano was our favorite and would enjoy coming back !

Allegra was a great guide who told us the history and directed us to a nice lunch spot. We enjoyed seeing the demonstrations, walking and shopping. Highly recommend if you want to see the islands.

Our guide was good. Informative. Ferry ride to Murano to see a 15 minute glass blowing demonstration at a factory. Then they guide you into their glass shop to sell you stuff. At the factory showroom a lot of the lower cost items are available throughout Venice in the shops along the streets. The more expensive stuff (above 300 euros) is more unique to this factory. They had a 50% discount for our tour but I’m sure everyone gets that. I recommend you leave the factory straight after the demonstration and walk around the city otherwise you won’t have enough time to walk anywhere. The shop can take a lot of time and you probably won’t buy anything. Then a ferry ride to Burano. They take you to a lace shop for a few minutes of talking but I recommend skipping that and also not waiting around for the next visit which is a biscuit shop. The biscuits are great so I would ask the guide directions straight off the boat and buy a bag. If you skip those two things you can walk around the entire island in time to get back to the ferry. It’s worth doing. Very picturesque. It’s my second time there. A sunny day is best. Then a long ferry trip back.

Murano and Burano islands were lovely. The English guide could have been more informative though. It was sometimes a little hard to understand the accent. The ship was good. Everything could have been done with a little less waiting around.

We had an amazing boat trip to Murano and Burano. The organization was smooth, and the guide was very friendly. Murano’s glassmaking demonstration was fascinating, and Burano’s colorful houses created such a unique atmosphere. It was a memorable experience that I would definitely recommend to anyone visiting Venice.

A 6 hour trip to the islands of Burano, Murano and Turcello. Promt start abd finish. Lots of infirmatuoned shared by our guide sho clearly knows her stuff. Loved the glass making demonstration especially. Would have liked a lottle longer at each island to explore. Would highly recommend to get a taste of the islands and then you can explore further if you so wish.

Serene experience to have taken this trip exploring Murano, Burano and Torcello with Allegra. Picturesque places aane may be must do from Venice...

Was an amazing tour very cool to see the different locations. Unfortunately it felt a bit rushed there wasn’t a lot of time to enjoy the different areas however this is understandable given it’s a pretty big day otherwise.

There are quick show about glass making in Murano island, than you can buy some things in their shop. The time to visit Murano island is not a lot. Burano island is amaizing and the time goven is good.

I enjoyed the tour and the audio guide. The craft demonstrations were also very good. I would however search for alternative shops and restaurants than those suggested by the tour guide. We found ones much more authentic and less expensive just a few minutes walk away.

The tour is nice, a good visit to Bueno, Murano with the glass blowing demonstration and the boarding demonstration too. I do not recommend adding the Torcello option, there is not much to do or see there and takes time away from Burano. Our tour guide was Allegra and she was amazing.

The guide was great. Group was only six people which was great but I didn’t realize the boat would be entirely enclosed. It was impossible to take photos. It was extremely hot even with only six people. Return was on a larger boat that had an outdoor deck which allowed more pics and a nice cooldown. Unless you really just want to see the churches, you can skip Torcello. The walking path to the churches has ZERO shade. The tour was not overly strenuous. The glass factory demo was great; the lace was a bit underwhelming and was more of a sales pitch. Lunch on Burano was nice but expensive.

It was an amazing experience, a unique VR introduction that I really enjoyed, then a small group guided tour off the islands, our guide joy was very knowledgeable and helpful, I thought all 3 of the islands were interesting and had different things to offer, the glass blowing demonstration on Murano and the pretty houses of Burano are the stand out, but Torchello was also a very nice island much quieter, I would really highly recommend this tour, I think it was very good value also.

Great guide and friendly tour. Cheaper than booking in Venice with the gondola people The gondolia boat me are so skilled and you get a different perspective to the city

Friendly, fun, informative, gondola was so relaxing and beautiful! Highly recommend, give it a go! Alviso was lots of fun. Well organised