Santa Maria e San Donato Church

Visit the fascinating islands of the Venetian lagoon on a boat trip from Venice. Explore both Murano and Burano with the help of a handy audio guide, experience the local atmosphere, and enjoy a class-blowing demonstration. Board the boat from St. Mark's Square or Venezia Santa Lucia railway station. Travel first towards Murano, known for its rich tradition of glassmaking and skilled craftsmen. Enjoy a demonstration by a master glass blower inside a real furnace. Spend 1 hour in Murano and use the downloadable audio guide to learn more about the island as you discover some of its highlights. Admire the lighthouse, Palazzo da Mula, the churches of San Pietro Martire and Santa Maria e San Donato, and the Glass Museum. Continue the adventure to Burano, an old fishing village worldwide famous for its colorful houses, lace production, and pastry-making. Enjoy 1 hour of free time to discover its rows of colorful houses. Use the audio guide to discover highlights like the House of Bepi Suà and the crooked bell tower. Finally, catch the boat to return to Venice at 6:15 PM.

Sail to discover the fascinating islands of the Venetian lagoon, and get enchanted by their stories and settings suspended between the past and the present with the help of our audio guides. Start from Punta Sabbioni at 1:25 pm, and travel towards Murano where the making of artistic glass still takes place today at the hands of skilled craftsmen. Take part in a demonstration by a Master Glass Blower inside a real furnace, which preserves and passes on the artistic and technical heritage of this ancient art. Spend 1 hour, in which our audio guide will lead you to discover the monuments and iconic places of the island: the lighthouse, Palazzo da Mula, the churches of San Pietro Martire and Santa Maria e San Donato, and, finally, the Glass Museum. Search for the lampposts in love, they’re said to bring luck in love. Then at 3:10 pm sail to Burano, an old fishing village worldwide famous for its colorful houses, lace production, and pastry making. You will be given 1 hour of free time: you can get lost in the streets and squares of Burano, trying to capture the best shots of the colorful houses or you can follow the route given by the audio guide, which will allow you to visit historical places and magical places such as the House of Bepi Suà. Admire the crooked bell tower and be tempted by the typical pastry shops where you can taste the biscuits "Bussolà" and "Esse". Finally, catch the boat to return at 5:15 pm and finish your journey at the tour starting point at 5.45 p.m.

Cruise to the islands of Murano and Burano aboard a comfortable boat on this guided tour from Venice. Step back in time at the ancient Basilica of Saint Mary and Saint Donatus. Uncover the magic of traditional glass blowing at a factory and take in the vibrant houses of Burano. Meet your local guide in a central location near Piazza San Marco and board a private boat to learn more about the Venetian lagoon and its islands. Stop on the characteristic island of Murano, and visit the 7th-century Church of Santa Maria e San Donato. Stroll through the silent streets for about 15 minutes to arrive at an old glass factory where the glass blowers are still working. Benefit for some free time to shop or explore the rest of the island. Then, travel by private boat to the nearby island of Burano. Upon arrival, take in the colorful houses of one of the most enchanting parts of Venice. Lose yourself in the picturesque streets and discover lovely corners. You will have free time to enjoy lunch on this tour. Return to the main island of Venice for a glass of sparkling Prosecco at the end of your tour services.

Embark on a journey deep into the Venetian lagoon on an excursion to the beautiful and unspoiled islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello. From the brightly-coloured fishermen’s huts of Burano to the glassworks of Murano and mysterious landmarks of Torcello, the islands conserve another side of Venice’s past and present where time seems to stand still and centuries-old traditions of craftsmanship live on today. We’ll begin our journey on beautiful Murano, actually a series of 7 islands linked by bridges perched in the heart of the Venetian lagoon. During our stop on the island we’ll learn all about the special glass-blowing technique brought to Venice from the Orient by returning traders and perfected over the centuries in the island’s charming glass museum, before seeing the works of the modern-day artisans keeping the traditions alive in their nearby ateliers today. If you wish, we'll also be able to arrange a glass-blowing demonstration where you'll get to see the incredible technique that magically turns molten sand into crystal up close. Murano is also home to the oldest church in the Venetian lagoon, which we can visit on request - lavish Santa Maria e San Donato, whose 12th-century mosaic floor is a masterpiece of Byzantine art. Back on the water, we’ll chart a northward course towards the seductive island of Burano. The incredibly picturesque brightly painted houses that line Burano’s narrow cobbled streets and waterways are a photographer’s dream, and the settlement even boasts its own leaning tower in the campanile of San Martino. The final stop on our journey into the heart of the Venetian lagoon is also a journey back in time. The semi-deserted island of Torcello is the birthplace of Venetian civilization, where according to legend refugees fleeing Attila the Hun’s Barbarian hordes on the mainland arrived in the 7th century, and was for centuries much more powerful than its younger neighbour across the lagoon. The stagnant air of the lagoon and the increasing difficulty of navigating its waterways led to its slow and inevitable decline over the centuries, and these days it’s a sleepy place with just 13 full-time residents. But its extraordinary Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, complete with spectacular Byzantine mosaics including a truly terrifying Last Judgement, is a vivid reminder of the island’s former glory.