Murano, Burano and Torcello Half-Day Sightseeing Tour

Venice, Italy

Explore the famous islands of the Venice lagoon - Murano, Burano and Torcello - on a half-day excursion. You'll see a glass-blowing display on Murano, shop for lace on Burano and visit Venice's first church on the tranquil island of Torcello. This morning or afternoon tour is a great introduction to the magical islands of the Venetian lagoon.

Boarding a comfortable motor boat, you'll speed along the Venetian lagoon to Murano, famous for its glassware. During the visit you'll explore shops, factories and watch the skilled glass-blowers as they create works of art. You'll also have time to visit a museum showcasing the world-famous Murano glass.

Re-board your motor boat you'll journey to the island of Burano to admire picturesque fishermen's houses painted in bright pastel colors, and, of course, the famous lace. You can visit a museum dedicated to the craft of lace, and purchase the beautiful lace at local shops.

The last island stop is Torcello, the earliest center of civilization in the Venetian lagoon. You'll see the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, founded in the 7th century, and the excavated remains of the circular baptistery in the church of Santa Fosca.

USD $25.54

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Jennifer H	April 2012
Good tour, maybe a bit short on time in each stop.

Review by: Life-is-good	April 2012
Not recomended to join this tour. You could buy the boat ticket and take your time to travel. Guided tour was very poor in content and in English.

Review by: Elizabeth R	April 2012
nice day out but would of liked to of stayed on Burano a lot longer as so very pretty half hour on each just isn't long enough unfortunately

Review by: Ross J	April 2012
Guide's commentary in 5 languages was competent but annoying. Should install multilingual headphones and give a more detailed commentary via GPS-initiated recordings.

Review by: Patricia M	April 2012
This was not our favorite tour. But if your time is limited in Venice this could be the tour for you. We would liked to have more time at each island.

Review by: Armando S	April 2012
This was a great trip, loved the touch points and

Review by: mamtavn	April 2012
I would have liked a little more time on the islands to enjoy. Still a good one!

Review by: Traveler	April 2012
There is not much of touring and each stop is short.

Review by: zorro	April 2012
This was not my favorite tour. The stops were too short although interesting. Approximately 45 minutes at each destination. The glass blowing factory was really just a ploy to get you to buy their glass wares and of course it works. The Burano stop was a little longer and there was a lot to see. Very pretty island. Our guide was horrible. Her English was extremely difficult to understand.

Review by: Rachel H	April 2012
The tour was not really a tour, it was more of a boat shuttle with a voice over a load speaker we couldnt understand. It was also for two language groups, which really was not great since it took time away trying to interpret what the guide was saying. Torcello was a bust, and Murano we went to one factory and didnt get to see the rest of the island. It was a waste, and not a tour at all.

Review by: Linda L	April 2012
Way-y-y too many people for the glass-blowing exhibition. We couldn't see anything. Prices were high and in the shop next door, along with Murano glass was stuff from China! Nothing else to see there. Burano was wonderful, but not enough time to see it all. While it's nice that the guide could speak so many languages, it just became noise for people to talk over. All-in-all, no real advantage over taking the ferry on our own.

Review by: Martine B	April 2012
A most enjoyable boat journey through the facsinating lagoon to three very different islands, each special in its own right. Some day I will return to see each island at leisure. It is a magical respite from the crowds of Venice. €20 very well spent.

Review by: Salsamami8	April 2012
I wish we were able to spend more time on each island. They were beautiful and worth exploring. 45 minutes per island wasn't enough.

Review by: Muriel and David	April 2012
Thought we would do this trip having had an outstanding experience with Viator in Rome. Sorry but this trip was very disappointing. There was no Viator rep only one guide for almost 120 people. As it was a lovely sunny day, we opted to sit out on deck but couldn't hear a word of the commentry because of the noise of the boat's engine First stop Murano for 30 minutes, most of which was taken up by watching a glass blowing demonstration (very crowded) and then being herded into the shop which left approx. 10 minutes to look round Murano. Next stop Torcello. again only 30 minute stop, it took almost 10 minutes to walk to the churches which again only left us about 10 minutes to see the churches. The original one is really beautiful and well worth going to see but at 5 euros entrance for a visit of just over 5 minutes!!!!! Again at Burano only a 30 minute stop so we decided not to do the tour of the lace shop and wander round on our own for the VERY limited time. It looked very picturesque. Burano and Torcello definitely worth a visit but for longer than 30 minutes and without over a hundred other people!!!! If you want to hear the commentry DONT sit outside on the boat. We told the guide at Murano that we hadn't heard any of the commentry but it made no difference.

Review by: Adrien F	April 2012
Really good value for money, it's true that it's a very short stay on each island but for £17 per person you get to see a lot. Burano itself was worth that money really!

Review by: Iain T	April 2012
Booked on-line, ticket picked up, at booth near St Marks square, with voucher already printed. Very easy. Trip was excellent, would like to have seen mote of Murano. Burano was brilliant, very colourful and well worth the visit. Would definitely book with Viator again.

Review by: Cathy	April 2012
The glass blowing demonstration on Murano was interesting, but we would have liked more time to walk along the canal to see some of the other business there. Burano was gorgeous but again, there wasn't enough time to really see it and appreciate it's beauty. Torcello was disappointing. Overall, I would rather have had more time on Murano and Burano and skipped Torcello altogether.

Review by: MJ	April 2012
This tour was not worth it. It was one big sales pitch to tourists. When we arrived at Murano, as soon as we were escorted to the gift shop, sales men came up to us and told us to go upstairs to the "showroom". Here, they presented us with very expensive Murano glass which they wanted us to buy, of course. Also, the guide was hard to understand. I wish I had not wasted my time or money on this one. Also, we thought the desk clerk at the dock was rude, unwelcoming,and unfriendly. We weren't sure we were in the right meeting place and she didn't help us that much. All the other tours we went on by Viator were great, but this one was not.

Review by: C B	April 2012
It would have been cheaper to book at the quayside and we would have got the same tour. The guide seemed disinterested.

Review by: MATTHEW S	April 2012
Trip extremely good value for money, we would not have taken the time to see these other islands without going on the guided tour. Only down side is although it states English speaking guide we were put out that she actually spoke several languages and explains EVER DETAIL in several languages you cannot really understand what is being said as they are so desperate to get the ionfomration out to you that the language you are listeneing out for is spoken so fast half the facts pass you by when you realise she is now speaking english. If the opportunity arrives to take this trip in only english and maybe one other language take it. 6 or more languages is too much to deal with.

Review by: Elisa L	April 2012
Lamentablemente la lluvia fue un gran inconveniente, pero igual fue muy interesante y felicitaciones al guia por la informazioni dada.

Review by: D S P	April 2012
Enjoyed this trip. Especially liked the island of Torcello which was very peaceful and relaxing. On Murano, the glassblowing demonstration was interesting and the glass art pieces available were gorgeous if expensive; the cheaper souvenirs cost less in Venice so buy them there rather than on the island. The lace-making demonstration on Burano was very brief, but the island was picturesque.

Review by: Megan v	April 2012
I really enjoyed this tour. It was well organised and very worthwhile. It was fascinating to watch the glass blowing and to also watch a demonstration of the lace making. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a contrast to the hustle and bustle of Venice.

Review by: biscuit_admirer	April 2012
wonderful

Review by: catterflyworx	April 2012
Great guide and it was good to see different islands in one go.

Review by: Ragini	April 2012
It was a good trip especially for the price. It is possible to buy it directly at the Alilaguna ticket booths at st. Marks for less.

Review by: Jill R	March 2012
Great trip. Really enjoyed seeing these islands and then went back on our own later to look at our favorites in more detail. Our only complaint was that it was difficult to hear our tour guide. She narrated in 4 different languages! Very impressive, but had difficulty "tuning in" over the engine noise when it was in ours.

Review by: Michael	March 2012
The least favorite of my tours. The boat was overfilled and it was for people of 4 or 5 different languages which necessitated an almost constant barrage of announcements allowing almost no time to enjoy the ride Additionally, the stay in each town was so short it was difficult to enjoy anything. I would suggest getting the regular water service to these locations and striking out on your own.

Review by: Valerie W	March 2012
I have taken a lot of Viator tours in a lot of places and this by far was the greatest disappointment. There was no time to see anything, we were on a noisy boat for 3/4 of the tour rather than at these actual places and only about 1/10th at the most was in English. The guide was on an insanely noisy speaker rattling off in 5 different languages. AND REALLY ONLY GAVE MOST OF IT IN ITALIAN! She didn't provide us with any interesting facts, just the time to be back at the boat! When I book an English speaking tour I expect it to be only in English. TERRIBLE!!

Review by: Andrew B	March 2012
The tour all ran to time. Murano was disappointing, as there was about 5 minutes watching glass being made and 45 minutes in the shop. I'd rather have seen more glass making. Toricello was really nice, a beautiful island. However, the best was saved to last. Burano is an amazing place. All the houses are painted bright colours, there's a wonderful square and some really nice shops. I'd definately go back there. To cap off the journey we arrived nack as the sun set over Giudecca - magical. One slight critacism was that there was no English speaking guide. There was a woman who read from a script in Italian, English, French, Spanish and German. She did it at such a pace that it was not able to understand what she said. That aside it was a great tour at a good price.

Review by: TCaptain	March 2012
Good trip, but a little rushed when we got to Burano and Torcello. Murano is basically a sales presentation.

Review by: Jeff S	March 2012
It was a nice trip and interesting places to see but I would recommend a longer time to visit each place.

Review by: Flavia Joanna G	March 2012
It was a great experience and worth the price.

Review by: Peter D	March 2012
Torcello was a visit that was not in my opinion worth the time. would rather have spent that time in Burano.

Review by: Tailsid	March 2012
This was a great way to see the three most popular islands of venice. I do wish that we would have had about 30 minutes more on each island and I have been to other Glass blowing demostrations that offered a greater display of talents and a greater option of items to buy. This was a perfect tour for people who have not been to these islands and it allows them to know if they want to go back and spend more time. Everything was on time and this was worth the price.

Review by: HUMBERTO V	March 2012
It was great had a great time. i Recomend it.

Review by: JIMMY V	March 2012
Good tour.

Review by: modym02	March 2012
This is the worst tour we ever had. The tour operator should have postponed the trip. There is nothing visible because of the very thick fog. A rain check should have been given. The next day was and would have been a perfect time.

Review by: MOHAMAD A B J	March 2012
Murano was worth the money, the other two were ok :)

Review by: lucy	March 2012
we enjoyed the boat trips very much. but we only gave it 3 stars as it felt a bit rushed on each island. we only had half an hour on murano, seeing a glass horse being made, buying something then back on the boat. we only got 20 minutes on torcello, and would have loved to have spent longer looking around burano, beautiful place. that said, we would tell people not to miss it xxx

Review by: Kristine D	March 2012
The tour was very informative and the guide was great! She spoke and translated everything to English, Italian, Spanish, and French. The glassblowing tour was the best!

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2010
Nice and fun tour of these two islands.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	July 2010
The trip was very well organised from start to finish and you were given plenty of time to look around the places that we visited without having to rush around. It was very enjoyable and informative

Review by: Claire L, United Kingdom	June 2010
An excellent trip to the islands, well organised. The glass blowing is interesting, but I would not recommend buying anything as it is very expensive, and the item I did purchase was from a shop in Venice, much cheaper!

Review by: anjana b, South Africa	June 2010
Perfect time and value for Money.. Worth it!

Review by: Therese S, United States of America	June 2010
I was happily surprised on how well all of our tours went. I have and will recommend your company and will use you again when I can.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	June 2010
more time should be allotted to Burano, Pretty town

Review by: Betty E, Canada	June 2010
Very interesting to see how the glass was manipulated into such wonderful shapes and in Burano the lace was exquisit. Torcello was too far away for us to walk plus it was raining.

Review by: Richard N, Canada	May 2010
A great tour did not have enough time on the islands but a great way to find out if you wish to take the water bus and return.

Review by: Ron C, United States of America	May 2010
After flying overnight from Atlanta with a connection to Paris, we arrived in Venice at 1130 am. We were able to quickly get a water taxi from the airport to our hotel, check in, drop our luggage in the room and easily made the 200 pm tour departure. Typically we dont book tours on the day we arrive in Europe but with the ease of walking from point to point we gambled and were very pleased with our decision to book the boat tour.As we walked the streets one of the first things we noticed was how friendly and helpful the locals were. Unlike Rome, it wasnt difficult communicating in English. We learned that Americans visiting Venice is on the downturn and there seems to be a collective effort to reverse the trend. This is the tour for you if you want to get the most out of a visit to the three Islands in a reasonable amount of time. In addition, on the way over to Murano the guide provided information on the history of the Venetian Port and the other small Islands that passed along the way. In essence, I highly recommend this tour.