A Venice private tour buys you the thing this city rations most: space. We compared two very different ways to have Venice to yourselves. The Private Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica After Hours Night Tour takes you inside the basilica when the day crowds have gone, and is rated 5.0 across 87 reviews, from about $435 per person. The Luxury Tour of Murano and Burano by Private Boat and Guide takes you across the lagoon to the glassblowers and the lace makers, and is rated 4.9 across 191 reviews, from about $337 per person.
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The verdict
If you do one private thing in Venice, make it the After Hours Night Tour. It is the only one of the two that gives you something money normally cannot: St Mark’s Basilica almost empty, its gold mosaics lit for your group. In fact, it has one four-star review and 86 five-star ones, and reviewers talk about the silence as much as the art.
Book the Murano and Burano private boat tour instead, or as well, if your Venice is about the lagoon and its crafts, if you are traveling with children, or if you would rather spend a morning on the water than an evening in a palace. In addition, it is the easier of the two to start: the guide collects you at your hotel.
Both are private, with only your group, and both can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before the start.
Good to know before you book
For the night tour, St Mark’s Basilica asks every visitor for an original, valid photo ID: photocopies are not accepted, and the full names of all travelers are needed at booking. The listing also warns of a break of up to an hour and a half between the Doge’s Palace and the basilica, set by the entry times. So plan a spritz in a quiet campo for it, and cover knees and shoulders for the basilica.
I have done both. If you have two days in Venice, spend one morning on the lagoon and the next evening inside St Mark’s. Then, for the night tour, bring your passport, not a copy, and use the break between the palace and the basilica for a spritz in a quiet campo. Tony lives in Rome and works as a guide across Italy.
Which one is for you?
Take the night tour if
- You want St Mark’s and the Doge’s Palace without the daytime crowds.
- You care about art and history, and want a guide who can explain what you are looking at.
- You are two, on a honeymoon or an anniversary, and want an evening that feels like nobody else’s.
- Someone in your group uses a wheelchair: this tour is listed as accessible.
Take the Murano and Burano boat if
- You want to leave the crowds of San Marco behind and see the lagoon from the water.
- You are traveling with children: the glassblowing furnace is the part families remember.
- You want to be collected at your hotel and not deal with vaporetto timetables.
- You want Burano’s colored houses at a slower pace than a public boat allows.
Who should skip both
Travelers on a tight budget: a shared tour covers the same places for a fraction, and our Murano and Burano tour compares the group options. Also, wheelchair users should skip the boat tour, which is listed as not accessible. Finally, if you dislike being shown shops, know that some Murano reviewers felt a sales push in the showrooms after the demonstration.
What each price covers
The After Hours Night Tour
Included: a private expert guide, entry to the Doge’s Palace, after-hours entry to St Mark’s Basilica, the Pala d’Oro altarpiece and the crypt. About 30 minutes in the square, an hour and a half in the palace and an hour and a half in the basilica.
Not included: food and drink, and gratuities. Also, start times can change with ticket availability.
The Murano and Burano private boat tour
Included: pickup at your hotel, a private boat and guide, a private visit to a glass factory with a glassblowing show, a lace-making demonstration in Burano, and a tasting of snacks and traditional cookies. About 30 minutes in Murano and an hour in Burano, with a stop at a lace gallery.
Not included: gratuities. Discounted rates for children.
The Venice access fee
Both listings note that Venice charges day-trippers an access fee on certain dates. So, if you are coming for the day, check the calendar before you book. Our guide to the Venice access fee has the dates, the exemptions and the rules.
Side by side
| After Hours Night Tour | Murano and Burano private boat | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 5.0 from 87 | 4.9 from 191 |
| Five-star reviews | 86 (99%) | 183 (96%) |
| Price | from about $435 per person | from about $337 per person |
| Length | About 3.5 hours | About 4 hours |
| When | Late afternoon into the evening | Daytime |
| Start | Column of San Marco, Piazzetta San Marco | Pickup at your hotel |
| Photo ID required | Yes, original | No |
| Wheelchair accessible | Yes | No |
| Booked ahead, on average | 81 days | 72 days |
| Cancellation | Free up to 24 hours before | Free up to 24 hours before |
What travelers say
On the After Hours Night Tour
Touring the Doge’s Palace late in the day with very few people and St Mark’s after hours was amazing.
Mary_R, September 2026, via Viator
This by far is one of the best tours we have booked in our travels to Europe. Nico our tour guide made the experience that much more enjoyable. Extremely knowledgeable young man. Never felt rushed and took his time explaining all the little details that only a local would know.
Jerry_R, September 2025, via Viator
On the Murano and Burano private boat
His family is directly involved in the glassmaking tradition in Murano, which gave the entire experience a much deeper and more authentic perspective.
Juan_A, April 2026, via Viator
We are a family of 4, including 10 year old twin girls, from Houston, Texas USA. Tommaso picked us up at our Airbnb and walked us to a private water taxi where we headed to Murano to see the glass blowing demonstration.
Caroline_D, June 2026, via Viator
Night tour reviewers describe the same moment again and again: walking into a basilica that is usually shoulder to shoulder and finding it quiet. Meanwhile, boat tour reviewers praise the guides and the glassblowing; the only recurring reservation is the shopping that follows the demonstrations.
More of Venice
For the classic moment on the water, compare a shared or private gondola ride. Then, on foot, the hidden Venice tour goes where the crowds do not, and a Vivaldi concert fills an evening.
For more at this level, see our guide to luxury experiences in Italy, and our private tours in Italy compared.
Questions travelers ask
How much is a private tour in Venice?
On October 1, 2026, Viator listed the private After Hours Night Tour of the Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s from about $435 per person, and the private Murano and Burano boat tour from about $337 per person.
Can you visit St Mark’s Basilica after hours?
Yes, with a tour that holds after-hours entry, like the private night tour above. It includes the lit mosaics, the Pala d’Oro and the crypt. However, you need an original photo ID, and knees and shoulders covered.
Where does the night tour start?
At the Column of San Marco, the column with the winged lion in the Piazzetta, nearest the Grand Canal. The guide holds a sign.
Is the Murano and Burano private tour good for children?
Yes. It lists discounted rates for children, and reviewers traveling with kids single out the glassblowing show. However, it is not wheelchair accessible.
Do I have to pay the Venice access fee?
Both listings say it applies to day-trippers on certain dates. Who pays, who is exempt and on which days are all in our guide to the Venice access fee.
Can I cancel?
Both offer a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start, as shown on Viator on October 1, 2026. Check the terms again when you book.
Book the night tour for the Venice most visitors never see; book the private boat for the lagoon, the crafts and a morning without crowds.
Editorial assessment by Italy2Love, October 2026. Inclusions and exclusions, meeting points, itineraries, prices, ratings, review counts and cancellation terms read on both Viator product pages (product codes 6718P146 and 72276P13), October 1, 2026. Reviews quoted with attribution to their authors and to Viator. Next review April 2027, or sooner on any change to either option.