Rialto Market & Seafood Cooking Class in Murano

Market, gondola, kitchen: a morning that teaches you how Venice eats

A seafood cooking class in Murano that starts at the Rialto fish market in Venice, where you pick fresh fish alongside local shoppers, then cross the Canal Grande by gondola ferry and cook your catch in a kitchen overlooking the canal. The class includes a three-course meal, prosecco, wine and Italian coffee. A live guide speaks English, Spanish, Italian or German.

The experience

You meet at the Rialto market. The same fish market Venetians have shopped at for 800 years. The two halls of the Pescheria are loud and raw: fish arranged on crushed ice, seagulls calling out the day's catch, locals moving purposefully between stalls. You and your guide pick the best fresh fish together, the way someone cooking at home would. Once you've chosen, you walk to the Canal Grande and cross it by gondola ferry: probably sharing the boat with local housewives heading home with their own shopping. It's a short vaporetto ride from there to Murano.

The kitchen overlooks the canal and has everything you need. While you cook, you taste prosecco and antipasti: sundried tomatoes and mixed Italian vegetables. Your guide walks you through the recipes: spaghetti alla busara, a Venetian dish of pasta with tomatoes and stewed crayfish, and oven-baked seabass with potatoes and herbs. The cooking takes the morning, and the eating takes the rest of it. You finish with strong Italian coffee brewed in a moka machine and local liquors.

The whole class runs three hours from market to coffee. A live guide in your language handles the shopping, the cooking instruction and the stories about how Venetians actually eat. Transport between the market and Murano (the gondola crossing and the vaporetto) is included. You'll buy your vaporetto ticket on board.

What’s included

• A live guide in your chosen language.
• entry and shopping at the Rialto fish market.
• gondola ferry crossing the Canal Grande.
• vaporetto transport to Murano.
• use of the kitchen and all cooking equipment.
• a three-course meal (spaghetti alla busara, oven-baked seabass with potatoes, antipasti).
• prosecco and wine.
• Italian moka coffee and local liquors.

Before you book

Days and timesWednesday and ThursdayDeparts at 11:30

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (16 and older) · Youth (under 16)

GroupUp to 5

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, German and Italian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 9 days ago

Good to know

Stroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by deTourist Venice Valerio Coppo

Is this one for you?The morning moves at a steady pace (shopping, a gondola crossing, a 15-minute walk, then cooking and eating), so it suits anyone comfortable on their feet and ready to be part of the work. If you want to watch a chef cook instead of cooking yourself, a restaurant is simpler. This one is built for your hands in the kitchen.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, German and Italian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (under 16).

What exactly do I cook in the Murano kitchen?

You make spaghetti alla busara, a traditional Venetian pasta with tomatoes and stewed crayfish, and oven-baked seabass with potatoes and herbs. Both use the fresh fish you picked at the Rialto market that morning.

Do I need cooking experience to join this class?

No. The guide teaches you the recipes and techniques as you cook. The class is built around learning to prepare fresh fish the Venetian way, not on having done it before.

How do I get from the Rialto market to the kitchen in Murano?

After shopping, you cross the Canal Grande by gondola ferry with other passengers, then walk about 15 minutes through Venice's narrow streets to Fondamente Nuove, where a short vaporetto ride takes you to Murano and the kitchen.

What's included in the meal after cooking?

A three-course lunch with the pasta and seabass you made, plus prosecco and wine to drink while you cook, antipasti, and Italian coffee with local liquors at the end.