Private Boat Tours of the Venetian Lagoon

In short: what a lagoon boat day offers

• The classic — Murano, Burano and Torcello: glass, lace and Byzantine mosaics, 4 or 7 hours.
• The romance — a sunset with an aperitif in the middle of the lagoon, 2.5 hours. The shortest and best-selling route.
• The exclusive — the abandoned island of Poveglia, visible only from the water and only by private boat.
• The food — the Venissa vineyard, lunch on the islands or catering with a chef aboard.
• The flagship — the northern lagoon on a legendary Riva, an icon of Italian design.
• On every route — your own skipper and, on request, our licensed art-historian guide aboard.

Why a private boat, not the vaporetto

Burano is just seven kilometres from Venice, yet the public vaporetto takes about forty-five minutes to get there, with a change and on a timetable. To cover Murano, Burano and Torcello in a day by vaporetto, you'll spend more than two hours queuing at the landings and waiting for boats — and still be tied to a route someone else set.

On a private boat the logic is reversed. You go directly and at your own pace: you reach the glass furnace on Murano by arrangement, not in a crowd; on Burano you can time the hour when the day groups have left; on Torcello you stay exactly as long as you like. In the same hours you see twice as much, and the crossings between islands become part of the pleasure rather than lost time. That's the point of the private format — not luxury but freedom.

Our lagoon routes

Each route is its own programme with its own stops and price. Here's the whole set; details and a quote for your party are on each route's page.

• Murano, Burano, Torcello — the island classic: glass, lace, mosaics. Two options: Murano and Burano in 4 hours, or all three islands in 7. From €1,010.
• Sunset boat tour — an aperitif aboard and sunset in the middle of the lagoon, 2.5 hours. From €950. The most romantic and shortest.
• Northern lagoon — a full day: the islands, the Venissa vineyard, wild nature and flamingos, 7 hours. From €1,580.
• Gastronomic and historical — the monastery of San Francesco del Deserto, lace, the basilica and lunch with wine, 7 hours. From €1,580.
• Southern lagoon and Poveglia — the abandoned island from the water, the fishing village of Pellestrina, a swim. From €1,130. Exclusive and off the tourist track.
• Cruise with a chef — an extended lagoon day with lunch aboard from a private chef. A premium format.
• Exclusive Riva — the northern lagoon on a legendary Riva, 4 hours. The flagship for those who want the striking option.
• Evening cruise and Grand Canal by boat — short water formats around the city.

And you can choose the boat itself — from a classic wooden launch to a sporting Riva — in our boat fleet.

What's included and what to expect

On any of our boats the skipper, fuel, water, prosecco and wine aboard, soft drinks and snacks are included. Optional and paid separately: lunch at an island restaurant, a wine tasting at Venissa, entry tickets (to Torcello, for instance) and our guide if you take one aboard. Prices are for the whole boat, not per person: for a party of five that's markedly better value than a group tour charged a head. For parties over three guests and for special occasions — a wedding, a photo shoot, a proposal — we quote individually.

A boat with a guide — our difference

Almost every lagoon boat tour you'll find with the big operators is a "transfer with free time": the boat takes you to the island, and after that you're on your own. We work differently. On request our licensed art-historian guide comes aboard — and the lagoon stops being a set of pretty stops: you understand why glassmaking was confined to Murano, what the mosaics on the Torcello wall are telling you, and how the lagoon became a great city from a scatter of islands. The skipper steers the boat, the guide tells the story — and the day becomes a narrative, not a photo report.

Frequently asked