VENICE
The best of Venice, in one place.
The 15 most popular carnival mask workshops in Venice. What each one includes, what it costs and who runs it, so you can spend the day out on the water instead of stuck in a queue.
Paint a Venice Carnival mask with a Venetian artisan. Learn paper-mâché techniques, add color and glitter, and take it home.
Most Popular“Our instructor Giorgio made our experience very enjoyable and we loved how our masks turned out.”
Hand-paint a Venetian papier-mâché Carnival mask in a tiny St. Mark’s class. Learn the traditions, then take your creation home.
“Absolutely amazing experience. Georgio really makes the experience memorable with history about the masks and Venice itself.”
Make a Venetian mask at Carta Alta on Giudecca. Learn baroque decoration, hear mask history, and take home your creation in 1.5 hours.
“Really enjoyed this activity, for someone who is not naturally artistic, I found that making and decorating my mask was so easy and enjoyable, fantastic hosts, very patient & results were so brilliant!”
Paint a Venetian paper-mâché mask in a small 1-hour workshop. Acrylic tempera colors, gold touches, feathers, ribbons, sequins, and take-home fun.
“Great choice of masks and very lovely shop to do the workshop. The guide was also very helpful with tips when needed.”
Make a Venetian carnival mask inside the Prisons Palace near St Mark’s. Artisan-led class includes materials; take your creation home.
“Loved it! My guide gave me great history and understanding on the lovely city of Venice, and I got to immerse myself in the culture a bit!”
Walk Venice Carnival trails with Casanova, mask-making lore, backstreets near La Fenice, and finish with cappuccino and frittelle.
“Very interesting tour with very knowledgable and personable guide, Sergio aka The Swiss. We really enjoyed our tour and we were very impressed with the way Sergio handled a fairly large group and especially with all the interesting facts and secrets he shared with us. We would definitely highly recommended the tour.”
Create a Venetian papier-mâché carnival mask in a real atelier. Learn the story behind the designs, decorate it, and take it home.
“I knew this was going to be fun. My husband and older daughter were not sure. Well they loved it and our masks are beautiful! We had 2 smaller grade school kids. Sonja will help you make your mask beautiful. This was such a great family experience. She and her partner were delightful and fun!…”
A 2-hour Venice Carnival pub crawl with 3 bacari stops, ombra wine, cicchetti bites, a spritz, and Venetian dialect tips near Rialto.
“Only the first of the three venues was pleasant and suitable to accommodate the group. There was very little time in any of the three venues and each of the 3 drinks were very small - nowhere near a standard measure . The snacks were extremely sparse too. We were rushed out of the first…”
Paint your own Venetian mask in Venice: pick a papier-mâché base from 50+ designs, then use acrylic colors with gold or silver.
“We had a great time painting masks during our recent time in Venice. It was one of our kids favorite activities during our trip (15, 14 and 12 yr old). You don't get to add any flare but there are lots of masks around to draw inspiration from for painting on flare.”
Make a Venice Carnival mask at Casanova’s Prisons in Palazzo delle Prigioni Nuove with an English instructor, materials, and museum time.
“What a waste of time. We saw about 10 mins of demo and then it was a sell for glass. Very unfriendly. Didnt do the Gondola ride as we had to find our own way to meeting point and not a lot of instructions. Not worth it.”
Make a Venetian paper mache mask in a two-day private workshop near St. Mark’s, using gold leaf, crystals, and feathers.
“I had a great time. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. Everyone was so nice. The options were endless. I definitely would go back again”
A 2-hour Venice carnival treasure hunt with a mobile app, photo clues, and mask painting at the Doge’s Prisons Palace near Rialto.
“Meraviglioso il percorso! I bambini si sono divertiti moltissimo a creare la loro maschera Da consigliare se si vuole divertire a carnevale in maniera alternativa”
Make a personalized Venetian paper-mache mask in a small-group workshop at Carta Alta, with history lessons and take-home results.
“It was lots of fun. A family of 6 and all ages. We all had a great time . The masks turned out great and we all left happy.”
Play a Carnival scavenger hunt across Venice, snap photo clues, then paint a Venetian mask in Casanova’s prison palace.
“Impossible de capter correctement le reseau pour le gps . Trop de monde autour de la place st marc , donc enormes difficultés a se reperer. Les explications sur les sites sont pratiquements inodibles , trop de foule bruyante autour des lieux de decouverte. Peut etre devriez vous fournir de petits écouteurs. Dommage , car…”
A 2-hour Venetian Carnival tour with a mask-maker workshop and optional costume fitting, plus a guided walk through historic Cannaregio.
“With valerio we met the everyday venezia .we went to the costumes and took many photos , gave us places to visit eat and also ice cream addresses .”
Every corner of the city and the lagoon, and the best way to see each.
