Imagine your next weekend in Venice : you've found a comfortable apartment in a well-connected area , a detached house you can access anytime as if you were at home. You have little time to visit the city, but you don't want to turn the experience into a frenetic rush. You're looking for something truly memorable: an authentic, profound experience, capable of offering you a genuine taste of the city's soul, without sacrificing the tranquility and pleasure of discovery.
Then choose to embark on a short tour of Murano, Burano, and Torcello , where you can discover the picturesque islands of Venice, especially Murano, famous for its glassmaking; Burano, with its brightly colored houses; and finally, the island home to the Devil's Bridge and Attila's Throne. With just one day and a vaporetto pass, you can set off from Venice to explore its small, unforgettable islands for a unique and sensational experience.
How to organize the vaporetto tour
If you're planning this island tour , let's first talk a little about the organization. You should know that to explore all the Venetian islands, you'll need at least a full day . Public transportation connects Burano, Murano, and Torcello with Venice both day and night. There are also interesting guided day tours of the northern lagoon islands—Murano, Burano, and Torcello—but in this article, we'll explore the islands independently on a DIY tour.
You can purchase the ticket you want on the Venice vaporetto website, AVM , where you'll find various options, including 75-minute or 24-hour tickets, or a single ticket for all public transport in Venice that lasts 7 days, so you don't have to worry about it at all and can travel with peace of mind. Time-limited tickets allow you to make an unlimited number of journeys starting from the first validation.
The website also provides ferry and land timetables, as well as all the useful information for getting around Venice easily without a car. Burano, Murano, and Torcello are located in the same direction and are connected by the same waterway, so you can easily explore them using the Burano vaporetto line 12.
Burano is also connected to Venice at night: this way you can explore the island after hours and stop for dinner to taste the day's catch.
What to see in Burano
They'll tell you about the colorful fishermen's houses, but Burano is more than just this distinctive feature. This island is a charming destination in any season, especially in the spring mornings, when the fog struggles to lift from the sea and the colors of the houses can be glimpsed through it. Here you can stroll through the narrow streets, have breakfast in Piazza Galuppi, and visit the famous Lace Museum , where you can learn all about the workshops and artisanal work. The history of Burano lace is very famous, a tradition that led the King of Spain, Philip II, to commission the trousseau of his bride, Mary Tudor, from Burano's artisans in 1566.
The colorful facades of the houses date back to the Middle Ages, during frequent plague epidemics: at the time, white paint was used to disinfect homes affected by the epidemic, while those not affected were painted colorfully.
Murano: the island of glass
Murano , famous for its blown glass, is one of the most visited islands in the lagoon. There are numerous artistic glassworks, and the specialization in this art has ancient origins: in 1291, the Republic of Venice decided to move the glassmaking furnaces to the island to avoid fires in the city. Murano thus became a center for glassmakers that Venice could control and keep hidden . It is a noble art as well as a very important and prestigious profession that has shaped the island itself.
Not just glass and glassmakers, the historic center of Murano also has its charm: you can move towards Calle Bressagio and admire the Murano Lighthouse, then browse the historic center between the Clock Tower and the Church of San Pietro.
A walk in Torcello
A small island inhabited by just 12 people, Torcello is extremely easy to visit, with just one long fondamenta (street) that winds through the now uninhabited properties and land. This small island is a must-see, full of charm precisely because it's less traveled: along the way, you'll come across the famous, intact medieval bridge known as the Devil's Bridge , all while enjoying a more tranquil and relaxed atmosphere. The island was, in fact, gradually abandoned due to malaria epidemics.
This small island is particularly famous for the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, the oldest church in the lagoon, dating back to the Byzantine era. Another interesting site is the so-called Attila's Throne, whose history has ancient origins: in ancient times, the island of Torcello was inhabited by refugees from Altinum, a thriving center of the Roman Empire that was razed to the ground during the invasions of the Huns.
The inhabitants reached Torcello for safety, but Attila arrived on the island and, according to legend, had a throne carved for himself. Sitting on this stone chair brings good luck to women who wish to become pregnant within the year.
Venice: timeless charm
Venice has a million unique features worth seeing, but a short tour of the islands in the northern lagoon is certainly an experience during your stay.
A stay in Venice in our apartments allows you to explore independently and feel at home, making your experience truly unique and unforgettable.
