Welcome to the Part 2 of my Venice Travel Guide. Be sure to check out Part 1 here for helpful information on where to stay, getting around Venice and links for famous attractions. And check out Part 3 for more attractions! You can also check out my video tour of the cutest apartment we called home while in Venice.
For our second full day in Venice, we ventured out to the Venetian Lagoon – to the neighboring islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello. Each one of the islands is unique and gorgeous in its own way. Murano is widely known for its exquisite glass making demonstrations and glass show rooms. Burano is known for its gorgeous rows of colorful houses and lace making. And Torcello is home of the basilica di Santa Maria Assunta – also known as the Torcello Cathedral.
We visited Murano, Burano and then Torcello in that order. We did not book a tour. We loved it exploring on our own time and pace – especially with our two kids.
Getting to the Islands
During all my planning and researching for our trip, the logistics of getting from one island to another was stressing me out! Looking back at it now, I do not know why I was so stressed. I mentioned in Part 1 that the water transportation system (vaporetto a.k.a water bus) in Venice is easy to navigate.
I would not recommend buying any transportation tickets in advance online. It is best to purchase your tickets while in Venice at the vaporetto stations. I do highly recommend getting a day pass if you are island hopping. Otherwise, you will pay 9 euros each way. In our case, it was cheaper to get a one-day pass. You can also purchase multiple day passes which save you money and allow you to see more of the neighboring islands across several days.
Photo Credit: Grand Canal transportation || public domain photo, annotated by Jessica Spiegel
Here is the interesting thing that happened to us. As we were about to purchase our tickets at the San Marco vaporetto station, a nice gentleman approached us and introduced himself as an employee of the Venice Chamber of Commerce. They were offering a one-way free water taxi trip to the island of Murano with a glass making demonstration included. He handed us the flyer and after we looked it over, we decided to go for it. Water taxis are expensive so this was a nice treat.
First Stop – Murano
Once we arrived in Murano, we were greeted by another nice gentleman outside of the V.I.A. furnace glass factory. He took us inside to a glass making demonstration. The kids loved seeing the glass making process and how skillful these glass blowers are!
Once the glass making demonstration was over, we were escorted to the glass showroom. The showroom is gorgeous! It was bright and colorful with the most intricate and creative pieces of glass work. The showroom reps were cordial and left us to browse around as we wished. But I honestly wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible since expensive glass and kids do not mix!
There are other attractions on Murano that we did not get to see – mainly because I kept thinking we will run out of time if we don’t visit the other islands. But here is a list of other main attractions on Murano:
Glass Museum
Basilica of Santa Maria and San Donato
The Roman Catholic Church of Saint Peter the Martyr
Church of St. Stephen and a 19th century clock tower
The Blue Star Sculpture
Second Stop – Burano
If one can find the end of a rainbow, they would arrive in Burano! All the postcards in the world do not do this island justice. The island is rich with color, charm and love. Walking around the island was enough of an activity for us – with its waterways and foot bridges, well bloomed flowers and quaint shops. I loved every part of it and did not want to leave. The icing on the cake was seeing a bride and groom taking their wedding pictures on one of the bridges. Everyone is happy and smiling – you feel like you are literally in a dream!
Did you know that the colors of the houses follow a certain system? If a homeowner wants to paint their home, they have to put in a request with the government. And the government responds with a list of allowable colors for that lot! Talk about a strict HOA!
We found a cute little eatery where I had the most amazing pizza! And then let the kids blow off some steam at a nearby playground overlooking the water. Afterwards we got gelatos and coffee while we waited for our vaporetto to go to Torcello.
Third Stop – Torcello
Our last stop of the day was Torcello. My camera died at that point and we had to use my husband’s cell phone. Torcello has a vintage-winery feel to it. When you get off the boat, you will find a map showing you the main attractions of the island.
We followed the waterway path and along it we came up to a small farm with a playground where the kids played for a bit and petted some animals. We continued down the path way until we came to the Santa Maria Assunta – which is the basilica church on the island. We explored around the basilica for a bit.
Afterwards, we stopped at a cute little eatery for a snack and coffee. And then took the path way back to the vaporetto station to take the boat ride to San Marco.
Visiting the Venetian Lagoon was one of the highlights of our trip – because each island is so unique, you feel like you satisfied your travel appetite in one day! Check out Part 1 and Part 3 of my Venice Travel Guide! In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to the blog and follow me on Instagram and Facebook.
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