8,743 reviewsRated 4.5
4.5 - 5.5 hVenice Islands: Murano Glass & Burano Colors Guided Visit
★ 4.5 · 8,743 reviews
- 4.5 to 5.5 hours, Murano glass and Burano by boat
- Water activity
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
Seven trips on the water
Venice boat tour: seven ways onto the water, compared
A Venice boat tour on this site costs $28 to $2,117, and the seven listings are four different kinds of time afloat. The guided boat to Murano and Burano runs 4.5 to 5.5 hours for $28 and carries 8,743 reviews. A guided kayak takes an hour to 100 minutes for $63. The sunset catamaran with live jazz, a spritz or Prosecco and cicchetti is 90 minutes for $90. Motorboat and electric-boat trips through the canals also run 90 minutes: $111 with an expert guide, $560 for a silent electric boat.
Quick answer
The short answer. For a first Venice boat tour with commentary, book the expert-guided motorboat at $111: 90 minutes with St Mark’s Square, the Rialto Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs in view, rated 4.5 by 103 reviewers. On a tight budget, the Murano and Burano boat at $28 is the most reviewed trip on this page. For an evening, the jazz catamaran at $90. To paddle yourself, the kayak at $63.
Venice boat tour options at a glance
- Boat trips on this page
- Seven11,114 reviews between them
- Lowest fare here
- $28Murano and Burano, 4.5 to 5.5 hours
- Highest fare
- $2,117luxury yacht, 4 to 8 hours
- Most reviewed
- 8,743 reviewsthe islands boat, rated 4.5
- Shortest trip
- 1 hourthe kayak, up to 100 minutes
- With an expert guide
- $111motorboat, 90 minutes
- With live music
- $90sunset catamaran, 90 minutes
- Electric boats
- $560two listings, 90 minutes each
- Paddling yourself
- $63day, night or sunset
- Cancellation
- Free cancellationshown on all seven listings
Book direct
Seven boat trips, with live fares
Each Venice boat tour below is ordered by review count, from 8,743 down to one. Fares and ratings are the live listing figures.
1,621 reviewsRated 4.8
90 minVenice: Catamaran Sunset Jazz Cruise with Aperitivo
★ 4.8 · 1,621 reviews
- One and a half hours, Sunset catamaran with live jazz
- Water activity
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$90$60.00 / hour
Check availability→ 
627 reviewsRated 4.8
1 h - 100 minVenice: Guided Canal Kayak Tour at Day, Night, or Sunset
★ 4.8 · 627 reviews
- 1 hour - 100 minutes, Guided kayak through the canals
- Water activity
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
103 reviewsRated 4.5
90 minVenice: Grand Canal by Boat with Expert Guide
★ 4.5 · 103 reviews
- One and a half hours, Grand Canal by motorboat with a guide
- Water activity
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$111$74.00 / hour
Check availability→ 
6 reviewsRated 4.9
90 minVenice: Quiet Electric Boat Sightseeing Cruise
★ 4.9 · 6 reviews
- One and a half hours, Quiet electric boat around the canals
- Water activity
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$560$373.33 / hour
Check availability→ 
One review4 - 8 h
4 - 8 hVenice: Luxury Boat Tour on a Riva Aquariva Yacht
★ 5.0 · 1 review
- 4 to 8 hours, Riva yacht to the lagoon islands
- Water activity
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$2,117
Check availability→ What you are choosing between
Four kinds of Venice boat tour, and what each buys
A boat out to the islands. The $28 guided visit is a Venice lagoon boat tour to Murano and Burano, with a glass-blowing demonstration and lace making. It fills half a day, and the island trips have their own page with six more options.
A sightseeing boat through the city. Three listings stay among the city canals for 90 minutes. The motorboat with an expert guide at $111 names St Mark’s Square, the Rialto Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs. The two electric boats at $560 sell quiet instead: one is a tranquil cruise on a silent boat, the other heads into hidden canals and offers an optional wine and food tasting on board. For the Grand Canal on its own, see the Grand Canal page.
An evening on the water. The catamaran sails for the sunset with live jazz, a glass of spritz or Prosecco and a selection of cicchetti, 90 minutes for $90.
Your own paddle. The kayak goes out with a guide into areas many visitors never see, by day, at night or at sunset, for $63.
And one outlier: the yacht to the lagoon islands at $2,117.
On the water
What a Venice boat tour looks like from the seat
Four frames from the galleries of the trips on this page.
Under the bridges
Side canals narrow to a boat’s width, with motorboats moored along the walls.
The tasting option
The hidden-canals electric boat offers wine and food on board.
Kayaks in a courtyard
The guided kayak runs by day, at night or at sunset.
Domes from the water
Evening light over the domed church where the Grand Canal opens out.
Pick by situation
Which Venice boat tour to book, by situation
Matched on fare, length and what each description names.
- You have one evening — $90, 90 minutes
The catamaran with live jazz, a spritz or Prosecco and cicchetti. With 1,621 reviews at 4.8, it is a sunset boat tour Venice reviewers have tested in numbers, and the aperitivo is part of the listing.
- You want names, not just views — $111, 90 minutes
The expert-guided motorboat names St Mark’s Square, the Rialto Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs in its description. 103 reviews at 4.5.
- You are on a tight budget — $28, half a day
The Murano and Burano boat counts as a cheap boat tour Venice visitors actually review: 8,743 reviews at 4.5. Plan a morning or an afternoon around it.
- You would rather paddle than sit — $63
A guided kayak through the canals, 627 reviews at 4.8, with day, night and sunset slots. It runs one hour to 100 minutes.
- You want a quiet engine — $560, 90 minutes
Two electric boats at the same fare. The hidden-canals one adds an optional wine and food tasting. Their review counts are small: 5.0 from 13 and 4.9 from six.
- You are marking an occasion — $2,117
A Venice luxury boat tour on a yacht to the lagoon islands, 4 to 8 hours. One review so far, rated 5.0, so you are booking on the description rather than on a track record.
Before you book
Three things to check on the listing
The length you are buying. The kayak is listed at one hour to 100 minutes and the yacht at 4 to 8 hours, so check the slot you pick.
Who is talking. The motorboat names an expert guide in its title, which makes it the Venice tour by boat for anyone who wants stories with the views. The islands boat is a guided visit, the catamaran has live jazz, and the electric boats sell quiet.
Cancellation. All seven listings on this page show Free cancellation; the cut-off is on each listing.
Every trip, current fare
Venice boat tour price: what each fare buys
Seven fares, with the cost per hour worked out where the listing gives one fixed length. Ranges show a dash.
| Tour | Length | Price | What you get | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venice Islands: Murano Glass & Burano Colors Guided Visit | 4.5 - 5.5 h | $28 | Murano glass and Burano by boat | — | 4.5 · 8,743 |
| Venice: Catamaran Sunset Jazz Cruise with Aperitivo | 90 min | $90 | Sunset catamaran with live jazz | $60.00 | 4.8 · 1,621 |
| Venice: Guided Canal Kayak Tour at Day, Night, or Sunset | 1 h - 100 min | $63 | Guided kayak through the canals | — | 4.8 · 627 |
| Venice: Grand Canal by Boat with Expert Guide | 90 min | $111 | Grand Canal by motorboat with a guide | $74.00 | 4.5 · 103 |
| Venice: Hidden Canals on Electric Boat | 90 min | $560 | Electric boat through hidden canals | $373.33 | 5.0 · 13 |
| Venice: Quiet Electric Boat Sightseeing Cruise | 90 min | $560 | Quiet electric boat around the canals | $373.33 | 4.9 · 6 |
| Venice: Luxury Boat Tour on a Riva Aquariva Yacht | 4 - 8 h | $2,117 | Riva yacht to the lagoon islands | — | 5.0 · 1 |
Is it worth it?
Is a Venice boat tour worth the fare? The numbers
Start with where the reviews sit. Of 11,114 reviews across these seven trips, 8,743 are on the $28 islands boat and 1,621 on the jazz catamaran. Those two have the long track record, rated 4.5 and 4.8.
Per hour, the islands boat is the lowest: $28 for at least 4.5 hours. The catamaran works out at $60 an hour, the expert-guided motorboat at $74 and each electric boat at about $373.
So which is the best boat tour Venice has for a first visit? On reviews and fare together, the islands boat if you have half a day, and the guided motorboat if you have 90 minutes. The electric boats and the yacht make sense when a quiet or exclusive boat matters more than the fare, and their review counts, 13, 6 and 1, are still small.
Thinking of a gondola rather than an engine? The gondola boat ride Venice visitors review most here is the shared Grand Canal gondola at $41, with 26,711 reviews at 4.2.
Gondola rides compared→Common questions
Venice boat tour questions, answered
How much does a Venice boat tour cost?
On this site, $28 for the guided boat to Murano and Burano, $63 for the kayak, $90 for the sunset catamaran and $111 for the expert-guided motorboat. The electric boats are $560 and the yacht $2,117.
How long is a Venice boat tour?
Most city trips here are 90 minutes: the guided motorboat, both electric boats and the catamaran. The shortest boat tour of Venice on this page is the kayak, one hour to 100 minutes. The longest are the islands boat at 4.5 to 5.5 hours and the yacht at 4 to 8.
Which boat trip passes St Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge?
The expert-guided motorboat at $111. Its description names St Mark’s Square, the Rialto Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs over 90 minutes, and it has 103 reviews at 4.5.
Is there a boat trip at sunset?
Yes. The catamaran with live jazz and an aperitivo sails for the sunset, 90 minutes for $90. The kayak also has a sunset slot, at $63.
Which Venice boat tour is the quietest?
The two electric boats, both 90 minutes at $560. One is sold as a tranquil cruise on a silent boat; the other goes into hidden canals and adds an optional wine and food tasting.
Do I need to book in advance?
Booking ahead fixes your slot at the listed fare. All seven listings here show Free cancellation; check the cut-off on the listing before you pay.
Is a gondola a boat trip too?
It is time on the water, rowed rather than motored. The shared Grand Canal gondola with app commentary is $41, with 26,711 reviews at 4.2; the full comparison is on the gondola page.
Go deeper
More guides to Venice
Gondola rides
Gondola ride Venice
Shared and private gondolas, prices and times.
Gondola pricesGondola ride Venice price
What a gondola costs, shared and private.
Private gondolaPrivate gondola ride Venice
Private gondolas, champagne and a gala dinner.
Walk + gondolaVenice walking tour and gondola ride
Walks that end on a gondola.
Walking toursVenice walking tour
Highlights walks, the Ghetto and the Brunetti walk.
Evening toursVenice night walking tour
Night walks, sunset cruises, opera and concerts.
