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“Making the masks was really fun. There were several different styles to choose from and a variety of paints, glitter and 3-D paints. Our guide was a painter (student) and absolutely lovely. My three kids (11, 13 and 15) loved it.”
Hand-paint a Venetian papier-mâché Carnival mask in a tiny St. Mark’s class. Learn the traditions, then take your creation home.
“We all came away with our personalised masks. It was great to experience painting them with a mascherari. All his family are in the business. He drew some traditional patterns on the masks and we then got to choose 3 colours to paint the design. He does the embellishment. He assured us that they wouldn't…”
Make a Venetian mask at Carta Alta on Giudecca. Learn baroque decoration, hear mask history, and take home your creation in 1.5 hours.
“Mask making was fantastic. A brief history of masks use and creation in Venice. How they transformed over the years and his experience in making masks in the film industry. Very helpful, small groups and personal attention. Highly recommend Augusto and his workshop.”
Paint a Venetian paper-mâché mask in a small 1-hour workshop. Acrylic tempera colors, gold touches, feathers, ribbons, sequins, and take-home fun.
“This was an absolutely wonderful experience! Mary-Allen was so welcoming and helpful. She guided us through the process and helped us when we needed it. It's in a quiet area of Venice, away from hustle and bustle. We had such a lovely hour here, and we all left with our own Venetian hand painted masks!…”
Make a Venetian carnival mask inside the Prisons Palace near St Mark’s. Artisan-led class includes materials; take your creation home.
“It was a really cool experience, since I could make my own mask, and have something unique. We had several people helping, but in only 1 hour, it is difficult to make all the steps. It would be better if it would be 1h30.”
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.
“Oh my gosh, this hands down is one of the best activities I've done ( I travel ALOT). We had so much fun with Giacomo (and Enrico when he popped in). As we were the only two it was a private session which was apt for my mum's birthday. We laughed, I sang, drew badly,…”
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.
“This was a fun family time experience! It was a welcomed break for all of us to sit down in the air conditioning and still be immersed in one of Venice’s (albeit touristy) iconic crafts, like making your own masquerade mask. Not taking ourselves too seriously, we got creative, laughed and truly enjoyed making our…”
Make a Venice Carnival mask at Casanova’s Prisons in Palazzo delle Prigioni Nuove with an English instructor, materials, and museum time.
“The gondola is an experience one can have when in Venice. With this combo tour, one does not have to worry about dealing with the gondoliers. The tour guide takes care of all of it. Also, the glass blowing demonstration was indeed something unique and very creative. We enjoyed the whole journey to move about…”
Make a Venetian paper mache mask in a two-day private workshop near St. Mark’s, using gold leaf, crystals, and feathers.
“Actividad imprescindible para cualquier interesado en las máscaras venecianas y su elaboración. La experiencia ha sido positiva y me quedo para el recuerdo con el resultado de la misma, una máscara hecha con mis manos. Gracias a Igor por su paciencia y buen hacer.”
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.
“Valero was Amazing from start to finish! We had an Incredible experience he’s very professional, kind & detailed this was one of our favorite tours”
Every corner of the city and the lagoon, and the best way to see each.
