When traveling to Venice for at least a few days, you must tour the nearby Venetian islands. We've created an itinerary allowing you to explore the best-known Lagoon islands and their most exciting attractions. 

It is one of the Venice itineraries, which includes a lot of walking. However, we promise you that it's well worth the effort. If you need help navigating, use our Venice map. So let's go on a tour around Torcello, Burano, and Murano islands! 

Use vaporettos to get to the islands

Your best friend on this Venice itinerary will be a water bus called vaporetto. It will help you immensely in discovering the Venetian Lagoon. To make your trip comfortable and cost-efficient, we recommend buying one of the Venice City Passes. 

The most popular one is the Venezia Unica City Pass. It offers the best deals on public transport, Venice churches, and museums. But a few others offer special prices and services for different types of travelers. We've covered them all in our guide. 

Torcello

Energize yourself with coffee from one of the Cannaregio bars, and depart from Fondamente Nove at 8 am. Take vaporetto #12 and get off at Torcello. It's best to catch the vaporetto before 9 am as it is a direct route.

Torcello is an ancient Lagoon island inhabited by only a dozen people. It's a perfect destination to escape the Venice crowds. When you reach Torcello, cross Ponte del Diavolo, an incredible bridge without a parapet. 

Then, head north through Fondamenta dei Borgognoni to see the famous Attila's Throne. You will find it next to the Museo di Torcello. 

About 50 meters from there stands Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, one of the ancient Venice churches. It's a small but impressive church with beautiful mosaics depicting scenes like the Last Judgment. 

Burano

Walk back to the pier and take vaporetto #9 towards Burano. This Lagoon island is close, and the trip only takes a few minutes. Burano is a destination known for its brightly-painted houses and lace-making craft. 

As soon as you dock, head to Fondamente San Mauro. There you will find the famous colorful houses. After taking many pictures, cross the crowded little bridge and walk east along Fondamente degli Assassini. With the help of our Venice map, find Burano's most famous painted house, Casa di Bepi Sua.

Lunch

On Via Baldassarre Galuppi, you can have lunch in one of the magnificent Burano restaurants. They offer savory dishes based on traditional Venetian recipes. Remember also to sample one of Burano's famous biscuits, the Bussolai. 

If you can spend more time In Burano, check out the Venice Lace Museum to learn about the history of lace-making. It is one of the most famous Venice museums. Before leaving, stop at one of the local stores for a handmade lace product from the friendly Buranesi. 

On Piazza Baldassarre Galuppi, you'll find the San Martino Church with its leaning bell tower, an icon of Burano. This 16th-century offers real treasures inside. 

The entrance to the church is free. 

Return to the pier and take vaporetto #12 to the next Lagoon island, Murano. You can relax on this ride as it takes about 45 minutes. 

Murano

As soon as you arrive at Murano Faro, take a photo of the Murano Lighthouse. Take Rio dei Vetrai to Campo Santo Stefano to photograph the Murano Clock Tower. 

Murano is the Lagoon island known as the world capital of glass making. It is a unique artisanship of great historical value. Therefore, visiting the Murano Glass Museum is a must. The museum's collection features objects from ancient times up to the 20th century. You can also learn about the history and glass-making techniques. 

When in Murano, don't skip the famous Basilica dei Santi Maria e Donato, the oldest church on the Lagoon island. You might have heard about the relics of the dragon and the impressive ancient mosaics inside the Basilica. 

The entrance to the church is free, and you can find the opening hours here. 

Returning to Venice

For the return journey, you can take vaporetto #4.2 from the Museo stop to Fondamente Nove. Alternatively, take #4.1 from Murano Navagero to Fondamente Nove or #3 to Piazzale Roma. 

As you can see, it is one of the busiest Venice itineraries. However, it is also one of the richest in impressions. All you need is the desire to explore and a few organizational tools like our interactive Venice map. You never know which Lagoon island will thrill you the most!