The Northern Lagoon of Venice — a Full Day by Private Boat

In short

• A full day — seven hours across the northern lagoon by private boat, just for you.
• Three islands of craft: Murano (glass), Burano (lace), Torcello (mosaics).
• The Venissa vineyard on Mazzorbo with an optional wine tasting.
• The wild lagoon: a swim at Sant'Erasmo, flamingos at Vignole, the nature of Certosa.
• The price is for the whole boat; optionally lunch on the islands and our guide aboard.

The programme

• Murano — glass. The furnace and the master's work; we unpack the techniques and how to tell real Murano glass. Glassmaking was moved here in 1291, the secrets confined to the island.
• Burano — lace and colour. A fishermen's island of bright houses and a lace tradition; the lace museum, a walk, the traditional bussolà biscuit.
• Mazzorbo — wine. The Venissa restaurant's vineyard right in the lagoon: optionally a tasting of local wine (45 min / 1 h / 1.5 h) or lunch among the vines.
• Torcello — origins. The lagoon's first settlement, the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta with Byzantine mosaics of the 11th–12th centuries, the quiet of an almost empty island.
• The wild lagoon. Sant'Erasmo, Venice's "kitchen garden", where you can swim at the Bacan beach; Vignole, over which flamingos and other birds wheel; Certosa with a walk through the island's nature.

How it differs

A group island tour is a fixed route, a crowd and a glass showroom that pays to have groups brought in. Seven hours by private boat is your pace: swim when you feel like it, linger on Torcello, look in on the flamingos, lunch among the Venissa vines. You see not three islands but the whole northern lagoon — with the nature the postcard routes leave out.

Boat and guide

As standard, the skipper, water, prosecco and wine are aboard. For a full day with a swim a roomy boat suits best; choose in our boat fleet. On request our licensed art-historian guide comes aboard and tells the story of the islands, the crafts and the lagoon's history.

What's included

• A private boat with skipper for 7 hours
• Water, prosecco and wine aboard, snacks
• A route at your pace with island stops and a swim
• Arrangement of the visit to a glass manufactory

Paid separately

• Our licensed guide aboard (optional)
• Lunch (Venissa, Burano or Torcello — arranged)
• A wine tasting at Venissa (45 min / 1 h / 1.5 h)
• Entry tickets (Torcello, the lace museum)

The price is for the whole boat. For 1–3 guests at the price shown; for four or more, quoted on request.

When to go

• May–September — the best time: warm water for swimming, a calm lagoon, a long day and the chance of flamingos.
• October–April — we go in the enclosed cabin, swimming drops out, but the islands are quieter and the light softer.
• Weekdays — preferable: at weekends the islands fill by midday.

FAQ