Islands of the Lagoon

Timing

Hitting all the sights on all the islands takes a busy, full day. If you limit yourself to Murano and San Michele, you can easily explore for an ample half day; the same goes for Burano and Torcello. In summer, the express vaporetto Line 5 will take you to Murano from San Zaccaria (the Jolanda landing) in 25 minutes; otherwise, local Line 41 makes a 45-minute trip from San Zaccaria every 20 minutes, circling the east end of Venice, stopping at Fondamente Nove and San Michele island cemetery on the way. To see glassblowing, get off at Colonna; the Museo stop will put you near the Museo del Vetro.

Line LN goes from Fondamente Nove direct to Murano and Burano every 30 minutes (Torcello is a 5-minute ferry from there); the full trip takes 45 minutes each way. To get to Burano and Torcello from Murano, pick up Line LN at the Faro stop (Murano's lighthouse).