Getting to Know the Islands of Venice, Italy

City of Venice Main Island

Fast Facts about the Main Island of Venice:

• Where to Stay: San Vio Palace Luxury Apartments: I stayed here a few nights with my husband, mom, and 2 pets. It's a great location and super comfortable.
• What to Eat: Cicchetti. These are small breads topped with nearly anything under the sun. They're typically eaten with a glass of wine as an aperitivo or light dinner.
• Can't Miss Activity: Getting lost in the alleys. Personally, I vote to skip the gondola ride and let your feet roam without destination to see the real Venice.

Starting off with the obvious, the City of Venice, or the main island. The main metropolis, if we want to call it that, is actually made up of numerous tiny islands, connected together by small bridges. For simplicity purposes, I'm going to refer to this area as one island. This is the area most visitors explore when coming to Venice.

Likely you'll arrive here from the train station, Venezia Santa Lucia (not to be confused with the train station on the mainland, Venezia Mestre).

From here, most beeline from the train station, over Rialto Bridge, and to Piazza San Marco. And while yes, I don't think you should skip these prime spots, if this is all you do while on the main island, you might leave feeling underwhelmed.

Instead, I recommend you...

• Eat and drink in the Campo di San Silvestro area
• Get a little lost around Campo San Maurizio
• and Book your stay around Campo San Trovaso.

On a budget? While nowhere in Venice is cheap per say, the most affordable area is right around Foscari University.

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Murano

Fast Facts about Murano:

• Where to Stay: NH Collection Murano: This is where I stayed with my mom and we both loved it.
• What to Eat: Fresh seafood, of course!
• Can't Miss Activity: Watch the glass blowers in action at any of the glass factories.

Now to move on the islands you might not know about, starting with Murano. Murano is a world famous name thanks to Murano glass. Here, the streets are littered with glass factories and artisan glass blowers showcasing their craft.

Murano glass is said to be some of the best glass in the world, as coming from someone who is drinking water from a cup bought in Murano last year, I can attest that the craftsmanship and pure joy it brings me is unmatched.

When you arrive in Murano (more on how to get around the islands later), you'll be surprised by how much the island looks like a mini Venice. The architecture is the same and the canals are present, just on a much smaller scale.

The only real difference between Murano and Venice, other than their sizes, is that in Venice you'll find far more variety in shops and restaurants and in Murano the shops are pretty much all glass and the restaurants are limited.

I last went to Venice on a trip with my mom. We originally booked 2 nights in Venice and at the last minute we added 2 nights in Murano. We both loved the busy days island hopping followed by the incredibly calm evenings on the island. Plus, the accommodation here was a fraction of the price since most guests choose to only visit the island for the day rather than to stay the night.

While in Murano, be sure to visit the Murano Glass Museum and watch the artisans at work. Many shops offer a chance for guests to go into the glass factories and watch the glass being made. We watched a few different people at work and all were equally mesmerizing.

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Burano

Fast Facts about Burano Island:

• Where to Stay: Night Galleria Home: Want the chance to stay in one of the brightly colored houses? This hot pink house is ideal.‍
• What to Eat: Bussolà, a buttery cookie famous on the island‍
• Can't Miss Activity: Wander the alleyways to find your dream color combo. I surprised myself by drooling over a deep red house instead of the bright blues I typically like.

Burano Island took me by surprise. I had never heard of the small island until my mom and I planned to stay on Murano. From there, I was looking up things to do and realized just how many islands there were to choose from.

From one look, Burano stole my attention. Think of it like a small Venice who let a 5-year old pick out the paint colors for the homes. It's fantastic. I originally thought the brightly colored houses I saw in pictures would only be in one small area but I was pleased to see the entire island was freshly painted.

Rumor has it that long ago locals started to paint their homes with bright colors to help the fisherman find their way home in the fog that typically swarms this area. Whether that's the actual truth of the tradition, I can't say but regardless, I'm happy they stick with it.

The picturesque canals here are made even more interesting thanks to the rainbow of colors, at least to me who lives by the brighter then better.

Outside of simply roaming the island and enjoying the colorful houses, Burano is also famous for lace making. I'll be honest, I could look at Murano glass all day long and not get tired of it but lace isn't my thing. I can agree that it's beautiful handmade lace but after seeing 1 or 2 shops, I didn't need to see more.

Although Pisa is famous for their leaning tower, Burano has its own leaning bell tower that looks as though it'll come down any day now. Even after seeing other leaning towers in Venice, I couldn't get over the angle of this one in Burano.

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Mazzorbo

Fast Facts about the Mazzorbo:

• Where to Stay: Venissa Wine Resort
• What to Eat: Anything that Venissa is serving
• Can't Miss Activity: Taking a vineyard tour and trying one of the most exclusive wine varieties out there.

Mazzorbo Island is right next to Burano and is actually connected by a small bridge. When my mom and I passed the ferry stop on our way to Burano, we decided we'd walk over to Mazzorbo if we had the time. We ended up using up all of our afternoon in Burano itself so I actually haven't yet been to this island but it is on my list.

The main reason I want to visit this one is for its vineyard. What many people, like myself, don't realize is that this island is primarily used for agriculture and has its own wine variety that you can't find anywhere in the world. Up until 1966, Venice was home to a number of other vineyards but after the great flood of that year, few vines remained.

Venissa is the vineyard, resort, and restaurant where you can take a tour or just grab a glass while you explore one of the lesser known Venetian islands.

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Lido di Venezia

Fast Facts about Lido di Venezia:

• Where to Stay: Villa Contarini B&B: This quaint house is near the vaporetto line so it'll be convenient if you want to explore the other Venice islands.
• What to Eat: You can't go wrong with any of the fresh seafood
• Can't Miss Activity: Hitting the sandy beach, a rarity in Italy.

When you look at a map of Venice, as highlighted below, you'll see that Lido di Venezia is the long skinny island that actually blocks Venice from the Adriatic Sea. Although it looks smaller, it's actually the largest island in the area since it's not actually made up of many small islands like the others.

Other than for the Venice Film Festival, Lido di Venezia doesn't get nearly the attention that the main island or even Murano gets.

Sandy beaches aren't really the norm in Italy but Lido di Venezia is an exception to this rule. This family-friendly beach destination has 6 miles of uninterrupted coastline, ideal for a summer getaway. Other than the beaches, the island offers plenty of things to do and see all year round.

I haven't yet visited Lido di Venezia but will update this article when I get there next for more in-person insights.

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San Michele

‍I'm skipping the fast facts on this one since there's only the cemetery on the island.

This isn't necessarily the most typical tourist activity but it is a unique one. The Venice island of San Michele is actually a cemetery island. You can get off the ferry and visit it yourself but if not, you'll pass by it on your way to Murano, Burano, or Mazzorbo.

Just know that if you do decide to hop off the ferry and visit, do so with respect. It's considered a sacred place, as cemeteries are all around the world and not a tourist attraction.

Originally Venice's deceased were buried on the island, in churches and under roads, but in the 1800s Napoleon Bonaparte proposed converting the island to a cemetery. To this day the cemetery is divided by religion. Other than a few influential Venetians and foreigners, most are only buried here for 10 years before being moved to the mainland given restraints on space.

Note that if you visit Venice on November 1 or 2 you might be in for a unique time. Tradition says that on these days, ghosts leave the cemetery to go back to their homes on the island, making it a spooky time to visit.

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How to Get Around the Islands

Getting around the Venice islands isn't as complicated as you might think. Where other Italian cities rely on buses, Venice relies on small boats or vaporettos. These work the exact same as a bus where there is a time table and designated stops. You'll get your ticket beforehand and show it upon getting on the boat.

Pro Tip: If you'll be around Venice and the surrounding islands for a few days, you can get a ticket that'll last your entire trip. This is typically cheaper and more convenient than buying single use tickets, especially if you plan on making a day trip or 2.

If the vaporetto line isn't for you, you can also hire a private water taxi to get around. Just know this is much more expensive and best if you have a large group or money to spend.

Likewise, there are also small ferries that offer a full day trip to many of the Venetian islands. You can think of this like a hop-on, hop-off bus but just on the water.

Personally, I like the vaporettos to get between the islands and walking once I arrive.

Travel Time Between Islands

It's important to note before you start planning your trip that the travel time between islands can add up. Between Murano and Burano, the vaporetto takes about 50 minutes and from Murano to San Michele, it takes about 20.

From the main island, the travel time to any of the islands varies drastically based on where you start your journey from. For example, from the train station to Murano, the journey takes about 50 minutes but to get over to Giudecca (also on the main island), the trip takes about 70 minutes.

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Which Island Will You Visit First?

If you make it to Venice, I urge you to at least spend one day exploring the main island and making up your own opinion as to if Venice is worth the hype or not. But if you have more time to spare, you can't go wrong visiting a nearby island or 2.

With none of them too far to get to, you'll be pleasantly surprised to see more of the Venetian lagoon and the tiny scenic islands that make up it.