no alt text

Travel bucket list idea:

Last updated: 24 June, 2023
Expert travel writer: Nicky Swallow

Venice is set in the middle of a lagoon joined to the mainland by a manmade causeway and surrounded by water and 39 islands.

Murano is the best-known island thanks to its glass-blowers, and colourful Burano is the subject of many an Instagram shot, but there are others that are worth exploring, especially if you fancy getting away from it all. Each offers a very different atmosphere; some are all but deserted apart from the odd church, and on others, life seems to continue almost oblivious of the tourist madness just across the lagoon. All are accessible via vaporetto from Venice proper.

Burano

Venice, Veneto, Italy

Burano

Burano is famous for its picture-perfect coloured row houses, and its lace-makers although there are only a few of these left; most of what you see is imported schlock. When it gets too crowded in summer, the adjacent island of Mazzorbo (reached via a bridge) is a tranquil escape.

Best for ages 18+

Website >
More details >

Giudecca

Venice, Veneto, Italy

Giudecca

The Giudecca was once one of Venice’s poorer areas, home to factories and prisons. Today it is a thriving, residential neighbourhood attracting wealthy foreigners and artists. Visit Palladio’s Redentore church, have a waterside lunch at Alla Palanca, and hop over to the island of San Giorgio to see another superb church by Palladio.

Best for ages 18+

Website >
More details >

Glass-blowing in Murano

Venice, Veneto, Italy

|
Bucket List Experience
Glass-blowing in Murano

Watch in fascination as authentic artisans blow, snip, twist and tug at fiery blobs of liquid to transform them into exquisite glassy artworks – as they have done for centuries.

Best for ages 8+

Lido

Venice, Veneto, Italy

Lido

The Lido – a long, slim sand barrier separating Venice from the open sea – is a tranquil residential suburb that morphs into a beach destination in summer; it’s THE place to be seen during the Film Festival. For swimming and sunbathing, head to the free beach at Alberoni.

Best for ages 4+

Website >
More details >

San Michele

Venice, Veneto, Italy

San Michele

Lying between Venice and Murano and once a Franciscan monastery, San Michele is Venice’s historic burial ground. Visit the church with its striking façade and lovely cloister before wandering through the cemetery, last resting place of the likes of Diaghilev, Stravinsky and Ezra Pound.

Best for ages 18+

Website >
More details >

Sant’Erasmo

Venice, Veneto, Italy

Sant’Erasmo

The large island of Sant’Erasmo is way off the tourist trail, a hidden rural wonderland where many of the vegetables consumed in Venice are grown. People come here for peace and quiet and to walk (or cycle) in the lovely countryside.

Best for ages 4+

Website >
More details >

Torcello

Venice, Veneto, Italy

Torcello

The island where Venice began in the 5th century, Torcello was once home to 20,000 souls; today only around 15 remain. Visit the 7th-century basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, whose walls glitter with Byzantine mosaics, before a slap-up lunch at the Locanda Cipriani.

Best for ages 18+

Website >
More details >
Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

Venice’s ACTV public transport network of vaporetti, or water buses, reaches even the smallest of the islands. Journey times vary of course; San Giorgio and the Giudecca are really part of Venice (and a single vap stop from the Zattere) while Torcello lies way up in the northern lagoon and takes a good 40 minutes.

The efficient and regular service makes it easy to island hop independently, but an organised tour that handles all of the arrangements makes life significantly easier.

When to do it

As ever in Venice, Murano and Burano will be crowded with tourists throughout the spring, summer and autumn. Only in winter will you find these places near empty. The smaller islands are less popular; Sant’Erasmo is never full.

Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Live Venice and its Islands, 7 magical itineraries

Venice

Live Venice and its Islands, 7 magical itineraries
A wonderful experience to live the city, alone on foot or by public boats, as the Venetians do, among the beautiful squares, narrow streets, canals and islands of the lagoon with our guided tours. Discover the ghetto of Venice and its millenary history, find the Arsenale and get to know its splendor when they built one ship a day. Along the routes stop in the typical taverns to drink a glass of wine and taste a "cicchetto" of fish. Experience the atmosphere of St. Mark's Square among stories and legends like those of the millenary struggle and collaboration with the Arabs: the East and Byzantium. Step by step reach the Rialto Bridge and discover the famous fish market. Slowly aboard the vaporetto, let yourself be fascinated by the Grand Canal and discover its centuries-old history with the legends of its 200 Palaces, while the gondolas parade by. Sail across the uncontaminated lagoon to discover the Venetian islands: Murano, Burano and Torcello!

Price: €10

Min age: 0

Rating 4.09 / 5 [22 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo

Murano, Burano & Torcello Islands Full-Day Tour

Venice

Murano, Burano & Torcello Islands Full-Day Tour
Get the chance to explore the most famous Venetian islands in a Full Day tour with the comfort of a motorboat transfer. Visit Murano island and learn about the glass making techniques during a glass-blowing demonstration. Feel free to stroll around the island and discover the tiny alleys and the impressive Basilica dei Santi Maria e Donato. Let yourself be fascinated by the colorful houses in Burano and, last but not least, immerse yourself in the most ancient settlement of the Venetian Lagoon: Torcello island

Price: €27

Min age: 0

Rating 4.1 / 5 [80 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo

Murano Glass Experience plus Visit to a Burano lace island

Venice

Murano Glass Experience plus Visit to a Burano lace island
Meet you local guide in Venice city center, then board a private boat and admire the lagoon of Venice. Stop in Murano island to see S. Maria and Donato Cathedral followed by an old glass factory visit. Afterwards stop in Burano island and explore the lace island

Price: €35

Min age: 0

Rating 4.50 / 5 [731 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo

Murano & Burano Islands Guided Small-Group Tour by Private Boat

Venice

Murano & Burano Islands Guided Small-Group Tour by Private Boat
Cruise the Venetian Lagoon by private water taxi and meet the artisans keeping Venice’s traditional crafts alive. You’ll see demonstrations of traditional glassblowing on the island of Murano, and traditional lacemaking on Burano. The tour includes discounts on souvenirs from both demonstration workshops. Both islands have plenty to see, and you’ll have ample time to explore.

Price: €42

Min age: 0

Rating 4.55 / 5 [3228 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo

Islands Tour with a real local!

Venice

Islands Tour with a real local!
Like every Venetians you will discover the Venice lagoon on board of a charming Vaporetto's ride! In Murano, the last 20 families are still keep going on with this very ancient glass tradition coming from the Roman Empire's Age. During a very interesting walking across the "Glassers Street" where you will see the different skills of the major of them, you will see how Masters made their unbeatable artistic handmade cristal glass, a lot of century ago considered a real State Secret here in Venice! While in Burano you will love their millenial lace making industry born in the course of the "Venetian mythology" age: legend say it started fixing fish traps..here you have of course the possibility to try their delicious sea food cuisine and for sure enjoy the most unforgettable local skyline taking thousand of pictures! In the end Torcello, created from the last Romans escaped from Barbarians Invasions. Today considered the beginning of our Western Civilization with its last 9 locals.

Price: €50

Min age: 1

Rating 4.91 / 5 [35 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo

Venice's Cemetery on San Michele Island Tour

Venice

Venice's Cemetery on San Michele Island Tour
Are you looking for a peaceful break away from the crowds? The monumental cemetery on San Michele island is the place! Join this extraordinary tour and let's hop on a 'vaporetto' to San Michele Island. Pay respects to Ezra Pound, Brodsky and Stravinsky in this silent place in the middle of the lagoon; a truly hidden gem! Whether you're a goth, a hopeless romantic, music lover, poet, philosopher or simply looking for a peaceful break, at San Michele island's cemetery you can find what you're looking for. Visit the Renaissance church of San Michele in Isola and take a walk through the Anglican and Orthodox sections and to the fields reserved to nuns, monks and to people who served the army. And the cherry on top, visit the modern cemetery extension designed by the architect David Chipperfield. The San Michele island's cemetery is the place where Venetians find eternal peace and where silence is interrupted only by the sound of boats, lagoon waves, and seagulls.

Price: €69

Min age: 0

Rating 5 / 5 [9 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo

Island hopping tour: Mazzorbo, Burano and Murano

Venice

Island hopping tour: Mazzorbo, Burano and Murano
Hop from island to island between the serene nature of Mazzorbo, the colourful houses of Burano, and the artistic glass scene of Murano. Hop from island to island between Mazzorbo, Burano, & Murano! Watch colourful houses wiggle with delight at their reflections in the Canal of Burano, witness artistry in action at the glass factories and artisanal workshops in Murano, engage with vivid biblical tales on byzantine mosaics under glittering golden medieval church apses and marvel at the quiet, serene nature of Mazzorbo and the lagoon.

Price: €123

Min age: 0

Rating 4.90 / 5 [22 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo

Giudecca island discovery tour

Venice

Giudecca island discovery tour
Discover the fishbone-like shape Giudecca island, known to be Venice’s unofficial seventh sestiere, once an aristocratic retreat, later the city industrial centre and nowadays a trendy artistic district. Let’s walk through the largest and closest island to Venice, from which it is separated by the broad and deep Giudecca Canal enjoying breath-taking views on the splendid city. The peacefulness of the island also made it popular among religious communities and with patrician families who built palaces with lovely gardens and allotments there. You will see how after the fall of the Republic, these areas were converted into warehouses, barracks, prisons, factories and workers’ quarters, some of them nowadays converted for artistic ad modern purposes. You will be walking not only through the long pedestrian quay running the length of its Venice-facing side but also wandering its hidden lagoon-facing side with gardens, art galleries and residential neighbourhoods.

Price: €138

Min age: 0

Rating 4.77 / 5 [9 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo

Bike tour with honey and artichockes on Sant’Erasmo island

Venice

Bike tour with honey and artichockes on Sant’Erasmo island
Let's bike through the "Orto di Venezia" (Venice's "vegetable garden"), through artichokes fields and farms, admiring the Venice skyline from a very unusual view and tasting the unique honey produced only on this island. Bike along the island banks and fields and enjoy a rare view of Venice from an unusual spot. Experience the unique natural beauty of the island, appreciating the relaxed and traditional lifestyle of its few inhabitants. In fact, although being the largest island of the lagoon, Sant’Erasmo is populated by only 700 people, the majority of whom farm their own lands producing amazing fruits and vegetables. One of most interesting crops is the typical purple-hued artichokes, a slow food ® presidium “Carciofo Violetto di Sant'Erasmo”. Another typical activity in the island is beekeeping: bees enjoy the amazing variety of flowers growing on the salty soil, and they produce a unique kind of honey which you will be able to taste. While biking you will appreciate the variety of crops grown by local farmers as well as beautiful wild landscapes while spotting the belfries of Venice from afar.

Price: €142

Min age: 0

Rating 4.93 / 5 [15 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo

Lido Bike tour: with a local on the island of Cinema

Venice

Lido Bike tour: with a local on the island of Cinema
We will discover the Lido island by bike, with its groomed shellac beaches, bronzed lifeguards and old ladies sipping Prosecco at the market, experiencing the Belle Epoque glamour passing in front of the beautiful hotels designed in the 20s in Art Noveau style. We will enjoy special views of Venice biking along the lagoon and reaching an old Israelitic cemetery. Biking through the San Nicolò harbor mouth we will reach its lighthouse and we will end up at the Hotel Excelsior, where the stars gather on the red carpet during the glittering Venice Movie Festival. We will bike along the canals of Malamocco, a colorful fishing village that’s like a miniature version of Venice, cycle through a forest reserve to a lighthouse and relax like the locals do by heading to quiet Alberoni beach for a drink or a swim. The route will continue on the lagoon side of the island, with views of the abandoned island of Poveglia, the island of Lazzaretto Vecchio and San Lazzaro degli Armeni.

Price: €157

Min age: 0

Rating 4.87 / 5 [8 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

Viator Logo

Our writer’s recommended tour operators to book with

No Image Available for this listing

Cruising Venice

Venice, Veneto, Italy

This local operator offers several different full or multi-day itineraries touring around the islands on the Eolo, an old-fashioned bragozzo (traditional wooden boat), staying overnight in upscale inns. Food onboard is gourmet standard. The captain, Mauro, is one of the best seafood chefs in Venice.

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Venice

Veneto, Italy

Venice

Crammed with picturesque canals, Renaissance palazzos and artistic masterpieces, this unique and alluring city is heaven-on-earth for art lovers and romantics.