Visit Venice

Discover the Islands of the Venice Lagoon

Here you are in Venice, "pearl" of the Italian Adriatic coast.
 St Mark's Square, the Duomo, the Bridge of Sighs or the Rialto, among others, are on your list of places not to be missed in Venice!!

(I deal with these places in another article)

But have you thought about visiting the islands of the lagoon!!
 They are more than a hundred, all different from each other.
 I will show you in this article the most famous.
 
 So let's go on a nice trip in the middle of the lagoon of Venice and discover these hidden treasures... Don't forget your camera!
 
 First of all a small plan to discover the lagoon of Venice

Some practical information to prepare your trip
 
 When to come to Venice?
 I will tell you all year round, but the best period is from April to October.
 Be careful, however, of the evenings, which even in summer can be cool...a little sweater is essential :)
 Think of the umbrella even in summer, there can be violent storms

How to come to Venice?
  - By plane: At Marco Polo airport. You will find shuttles (buses) to the city of Venice leaving the airport. Your ACTV pass.

- By train: Whether from your home or from another Italian city, you can arrive at the gates of Venice at the Venezia Mestre station. From there take the "shuttle train" which will take you to Santa Lucia station in 10 minutes for 1.5 euros...You have arrived!!...take an ACTV vaporetto and you are on the Grand Canal in the heart of Venice .

- By car: Honestly it's not the best way. You will need to find parking outside the lagoon to leave your vehicle there, and then take the "shuttle train" at Venezia Mestre station or a bus from the same place to get to the city of the Doges.

Getting around Venice:
  - the Vaporettos, which serve as taxi boats, it is the best means of transport on the lagoon (see the map of lines to download below)

- the boats of the Alilaguna company which connects the airport to the lagoon but also Venice to the islands (it can be an alternative to the bus which serves the airport to the station of Venizia Mestre if you have the hotel in the lagoon)

- And of course the Gondolas for the romantics...take your place here to avoid waiting

Link to all vaporetto lines

Accommodation in Venice:
 You will have no difficulty finding accommodation in Venice, whether in the lagoon or in the city of Venice

Prepare your trip with a book to leave with peace of mind

Think of a guided tour through the Islands to know all the details

Enjoy the visit of the glass factories of the Island of Murano

Here we go!!
 So let's start our journey from Santa Lucia station.
 We take the vaporetto, line 4.2 towards Fondamenta Nuove.
 Arrive at the Fondamenta Nuovo stop you can stay on this vaporetto and visit the San Michele cemetery island which you can see in front of you from the quay. You will find some tombs of famous people like Stravinsky (Russian composer of the 19th century), a military district and a pretty church.

But you can choose from the Fondamenta Nuovo stop, get off and take line 12 which will take you to the island of Torcello in 50 minutes. This quiet island was prosperous until the 10th century before declining due to siltation and mosquitoes :)
 You can discover the well-preserved mosaics of the Basilica, which is the main attraction of this island.

After this visit take line 9 towards the island of Burano 5 minutes away.
 the island of Burano is known throughout the world for its lace and its colorful houses. Stroll through these warmly colored streets, count 1 to 2 hours of visit.
 It is said that these houses were painted so that fishermen could recognize them on a day of intense fog.

Let's resume our journey to the island of Murano that we left earlier by taking line 12.
 Count 30 minutes to reach this island, in the meantime watch the incessant broom of the boats on the lagoon

We land on the island of the glassblowers...Murano.
 This island has been producing excellent glass for 800 years and has made Venice famous.
 You will be able to buy glass products of course but also witness the birth of these works live at some master glassmakers.

When the visit is over, we go back to Santa Lucia station by line 12.
 
 I could have told you about some other islands like:
  - Lido Island and its superb fine sandy beach
  - Guidecca Island and its view of Venice
  - Certosa Island and its nautical base
  - Mazzorbo island, the vineyard island
  - San Erasmo Island where fruit and vegetables grow in abundance to feed the city of Venice
  - Chiogga Island also called "little Venice" because of these canals
  - San Lazzaro Island occupied by Armenian monks
 
 But there are so many...
 
 Finally, I suggest you take a tour of Venice at night to discover this city in a different light, without playing puns

I hope I have made you want to discover Venice differently, whether on these islands or at night.
 Venice deserves better than its image of a city crowded with tourists...get out of the clichés and see this city under another face.
 
 I wish you a good trip and good souvenir photos