It was a very nice experience. A must do in Venice. For private gondola rides you'll pay more than double the price for the same duration of time. (30mins). Instead you can share a gondola with max 5 people. You only get a guided audio video, no tour guide (we were told it was because of the weather, it was a rainy day). Which was a bit of a setback cause it is written in the description that you'll get a tour guide explaining some things to you for 20 min before the ride starts. Which did not happen. Although we were fortunate to get a very nice and friendly gondolier, who explained some things to us. Yet it is a bit hard though to keep up with the audio + the gondolier explaining things (not always coinciding with the audio) + trying to enjoy the view and taking pictures/videos). So in the end I think it would have been easier to have gotten a guide, it would have been more organised and I think we could've enjoyed it more.
This was a great experience. It started out a little rough because the place was really hard to find, even more so because there was construction and scaffolding by the entrance to the via that you needed to get to. That made us late and the shop owner was very upset about it (as was I). Eventually he came around and our boys ended up having a really great experience with him. He was patient and kind with the kids and very kind to me as well. While I was there, many people came to find him saying they bought masks years ago from him and wanted to find him. His quality was exceptional - everything in the shop was made by either him or his wife and the you could see how much the loved their work. He has been doing this his whole life and his passion was unmistakable. We got great products and wonderful memories for our kids! High recommend this - just be on time ;)
We booked in Giorgio's laboratory, during the recent New Year's Eve 2023. In addition to the charm of entering a real artisan laboratory, where you can already visually breathe the history of Venice and its Carnival, we were fascinated by Giorgio's stories about some of the masks traditions and on the origins of this important festival for the city, combining a unique practical experience with an unrepeatable cultural excursus that made us learn something more about Venice to appreciate it even better. Our daughters were happy with what was done and in their room today the masks made by them stand out with the wise advice of Mastro Giorgio! Not to be missed for those who want to fully experience Venice!
Already on the boat trip by taxi to Murano, our guide Giovanna explained a lot of interesting things about Venice and the origin of the glass manufactories. The private tour of the glass factory was very impressive and informative. Due to the special Corona situation, the four of us were the only guests, which meant that we were looked after extremely courteously and personally. The subsequent stroll with Giovanna through Murano with a visit to two churches in which pictures by old masters were hidden on the walls, the onset of flooding due to the tide and the many stories that Giovanna knew to tell us about Murano and Venice rounded off our private tour away. A very successful trip!
Fantastic experience and Giorgio is an absolute GEM! Not only is he superb artist, but also he (along with his wife and son) is one of the last authentic Venetian mask makers!! Who better to learn from than an artisan himself? Did this activity by myself-braved the rain in the early morning to make it! Highly recommend this quite enjoyable, unique and relaxing activity, especially if you enjoy crafting and learning more about the history of the Venetian carnival mask! You get to ask him about his other masks and keep yours as a souvenir! And he also offers discounts if you decide to purchase one of his own painted masks!
It was an incredible experience! I highly recommend! We got super lucky as we had the main artist! He was telling us the history of the mask, showed us his work, as well as his wife and children. He outlined our masks and added some detail in the end. He was great with my 7 y/o daughter! He was very patient with her and made a few jokes. Needless to say, my daughter wanted to go back the next day! Its a nice setting as it can be just a private family event. We had the whole room to ourselves. Highly recommend!
The ticket gave us access to the Palazzo, the Bridge of Sighs and the prison to view at our own pace and this was what we wanted. We did pick up an audio guide for €5 within the palace but unfortunately the battery on the device ran out halfway through so they gave us our money back. The guide book provided with the ticket was a generic book on the area, not just the Palazzo, but nevertheless it is a good guide providing lots of lovely photos and information that we used to help us during our stay in Venice.
What’s more Venetian than a carnival mask? This workshop was such a wonderful way to experience one of Venice’s trademark crafts firsthand. Giorgio was patient, informative, generous with his expertise, and kind. We learned so much and had so much fun, plus we’re taking home one-of-a-kind souvenirs: SO much better than buying factory-made junk, and so meaningful! You shouldn’t miss this! And it’s definitely not just for kids: I did this workshop with my two teenagers, and I loved it. It was very meaningful.
Just follow the meeting point in Google maps and it will bring you right to their newspaper stand (read their detailed description on how to find them). Don’t forget to download the audio guide in advance (either before or the stand has some wifi and a QR code to download) and bring headphones to listen with it. So far, in Italy, most audio guides are done by listening to a cheap phone/device placed beside your ear but having it on your own device /w headphones is much better.
The Doge's palace is amazing! However, Skip-the -Line Entry ticket was not what I expected. I've had to leave to go back across the Piazza to find the kiosk, where I retreaved the ticket and the small guide book, which wasn't an exclusive guide book for the Doge's Palace, but a tiny guide book on Venice! Also, The price was much higher if you just queued to buy your ticket straight from the ticket office. Disappointed.
Staff are very friendly and the meeting location was easy to find. A nice overview is given before the gondola ride and while on the Grand Canal. The ride itself was lovely and relaxing and our gondalier even sang a little song and pointed out a few places of interest :) Head to Emilio Ceccato beside the Rialto bridge afterwards to pick up the shirt all the gondaliers wear from the nicest lady who works there.
Beautiful experience, thanks above all to our guide Alessandra who was able to involve us with sympathy in the story of Venetian history during the introductory walking tour, especially that relating to the Grand Canal, gondolas and gondoliers. This was followed by a gondola ride of about half an hour, during which the gondolier was equally available to answer any questions we might have.
The booking was easy and uncomplicated, but the lady at the kiosk, who had to exchange the voucher for the ticket, was very unfriendly and impolite. She had no idea and it took forever. Luckily we had planned a little more time and nothing was going on yet. Suggestion: it's better to provide the ticket directly. Otherwise it was definitely worth standing in line just 5m instead of 500m.
Lots of signs in each room in different languages give history of the room and artwork. They block off specific pathway through the palace so it is easy to flow through in one direction so as not to get lost or miss anything. There were people with an app on their phone to use as audio guide but you have to download it where there’s wifi. We were happy reading the signs.
Fantastic tour with Giovanna, an extremely nice, hard-working Venetian woman who speaks perfect German. Very well organised, extensive and interesting information about Murano and the history of this small island. Lots of new impressions and, above all, good memories. Absolutely great and highly recommended! We (Nina and Jürgen) say thank you dear Giovanna
We had a lot of fun with the tour. The staff welcomed us very friendly. First we walked through the city for about 20 minutes and our guide Ricardo told us about his city of Venice with infectious enthusiasm. The city tour was very cool, but could have been longer. The focus of this tour is of course clearly on the gondola ride. It was really great too.
Amazing experience. Thanks a lot Alexandra for the detailed and wonderful trip. It was both memorable and mesmerising experience for us. Carnival mask workshop, glass making tour to Ivano Soffiato, chocolate tasting event all were wonderful but what topped all of this was your detailed guide and walking tour of Venice. Thanks a lot for the experience.
Amazing time had. Great fun for all the family including children of 6 and 4. Very friendly family run shop. The experience is choosing a mask blank from the selection, painting it and decorating it. In between waiting for the mask to dry and decorating you get to ask lots of questions and get an overview history of mask making. Highly recommended.
This was such a fun experience to share with the man I love. I have always wanted to paint with him and happy he agreed to do this workshop. The mask making process was so relaxing after long days of travel and exploring. The artist was very nice and even threw in some history to understand the meaning of masks and why they were/are worn.
We chose a private tour with a guide to the island of Murano, and it was a very pleasant experience, a far cry from group tours. Our guide took the time to tell us about the history of Venice and we visited places far from the tourist crowds. We stayed in Venice for four days, and this outing was by far the best. Grazie mille!
Very great experience! Very relaxed athmosphere and endearing shop. Our instructor was very skilled and we had a great conversation. The masks we made are good souveniers and you can buy the beautiful ones he makes for a descount. We also got a few tips about where to go and what to see in Venice. Definitely recommended!
Our guide (Esra I believe) first showed us around for about 20 mins and gave us lots on info and facts about Venice. After that only we got to sit the Gondola which last for 30 mins. It was a lovely experience and I would recommend this tour rather than trying to get a Gondola ride on the spot that’s triple the cost!
Interesting trip around the grand canal. The gondola is very beautiful. The only thing is that the "driver" was more interested in checking his phone than in interacting with ourselves. And if we were to do it another time, it would be ourselves alone in the Gondola, sharing takes a bit away from the experience.
The gondola ride was great, the gondolier was very friendly even though he didn't speak much. The tour started on time and lasted exactly 30 minutes. The food was delicious, the service was friendly, the food wasn't outstanding, but it was delicious. The voucher was accepted both times without any problems.
Great host and tutor! Very professional, super friendly and it was amazing seeing how quickly and with genious strokes he was able to finish the masks we had created. My wife and daughter had an incredible time. We will definitely go back there when we'll be back in Venice next year. I highly recommend it.
Friendly, informative guides who give brief history of how Venice was built. You’ll learn how the Gondolas remain in the family and how the Gondoliers respect one another and work together to keep your ride safe and enjoyable. Highly recommend this Tour. Ezra, our Guide, was GREAT. Many thanks mille grazzi
Very enjoyable experience, a "must do" in Venice. I was travelling alone and it would be expensive to book a gondola on my own, so it's perfect if you are ready to share a ride with other people. Everything was organized according to the description, the guide was friendly and informative.
Workshop was good and the artist very nice. We got a beautiful mask out of it. I personally would rate the workshop too pricey though for 50 mins, a bit of painting on our own and the artist making a 5 min beautiful finish. The shop itself is great though and I can recommend to go there.
We enjoyed the gondola ride. My wife and I shared with a lady with 2 children on the gondola. Impressed with the skill of the gondolier. The guide that took us to the gondola was just a filler and did not add much value. It was a large group that then got divided into different gondolas.
We had a really good time with our guide and mask assistant. We got a lot of useful and interesting information and left knowing a bit more about the amazing history of the city. Our guide also provided us with some surprises and gifts and was all around very friendly. Highly recommend!
Punctual and precise. It was easy to find the kiosk. For the explanations in Spanish, they gave us an application that we downloaded on the phone and that worked very well, although I would have liked more if the guide spoke to us in Spanish; either way we really enjoyed the ride
Simply exchange the voucher for the tickets at the kiosk beforehand (very easy to find!) and join the much shorter queue at the Doge's Palace (wear a mask, no problem), wait a moment, take your temperature at the entrance and off you go. Great visit, impressed!! It's worth it
This was a great way to skip the line last-minute. The ticket exchange point is on the other side of the plaza through the corridor that passes the Correr museum entrance, FYI, so go early to get your voucher swapped because you’ll have to walk the length of the plaza after
Very friendly gondolier who gave us a guided tour through narrow canals with very little traffic. Do not hesitate to wait for him at the start because he may have a delay on the time of the appointment. The restaurant, then, was also very good, with a very friendly owner.
Excellent experience with my nephew who is six years old. A day later he is still talking about the mask . The instructor was very patient and I loved that we were able to work in a small group with focused attention on us. A good value for the money and great for kids.
We found the meeting point very easily, everything was organised as lots of people meeting there. We shared the gondala with 2 guys - it was great. We had headsets given to us, the guide spoke both Italian and English perfectly and with finesse! Would highly recommend
My boyfriend and I went to paint masks and it was a super fun interactive activity. The shop was so cute and we had a great time. We even bought some masks from the owners. They owners were extremely nice and very informative and helpful. I would definitely go again.
The tour guide was very helpful and was pointing out various landmarks around the islands. The passengers were split into two groups, one each for two glass factories on Murano. We went to the Mazzucato factory which had a very good demonstration of glass blowing
What a trip and yes beat the queues was a must The on the day queue was a least a hour long The palace was out of this world with all its room and pairings and the excusâtes architecture Although very busy the palace was large enough not to be crowded
Incredible experience. The weather was not good but it is highly recommended. The very professional guide, explaining the history of the area in Spanish and English. A gondola ride is one of those things that everyone should do once in their lives.
