Cheap Lagoon Day Trips from Venice
The cheapest day trips from Venice are in the lagoon
Before you plan a train to the mainland, spend a day on the lagoon islands. They are cheap, they are exempt from the day-tripper access fee, and a single vaporetto day pass covers all of them. First-timers often skip them for a rushed Veneto trip; the islands are the easier, cheaper win. Ferries leave from Fondamente Nove in Cannaregio.
| Island | From Fondamente Nove | The draw |
|---|---|---|
| Murano | About 10 minutes | Glassblowing, the glass museum |
| Burano | About 40 to 45 minutes | Coloured houses, lace |
| Torcello | A short hop past Burano | Byzantine mosaics, near-empty |
| Lido | Via San Zaccaria | The city’s beach, cars allowed |
Do the islands on one pass
A single vaporetto ticket is EUR 9.50 for 75 minutes, so island-hopping piecemeal adds up fast. A 24-hour pass at EUR 25 pays off after three rides and lets you chain Murano, Burano and Torcello in a day. Go in the morning: Burano especially empties out by late afternoon. None of these islands charges the access fee, so the day costs the pass plus whatever you eat.
Murano, Burano and Torcello
Murano is the glass island. The demonstrations are often more sales floor than craft, so treat them as optional and wander the quieter canals instead; the glass museum charges a modest entry. Burano is the payoff, a grid of saturated coloured houses and a lace tradition, and it rewards unhurried walking more than a quick photo stop. Torcello, a few minutes further, is nearly empty, with a cathedral holding mosaics roughly 1,500 years old.
The Lido and the closer hops
The Lido is Venice’s beach, reachable by vaporetto and, unusually for the lagoon, a place where cars are allowed. Free public stretches of sand sit alongside the paid beach clubs. Closer still, San Giorgio Maggiore is one vaporetto stop from San Marco, with a bell-tower view back at the city for a small lift fee, and Giudecca is a calm residential walk away from the crowds.
If you do want the mainland
The Veneto towns are a different kind of day out and need a train rather than a boat. For Verona, Padua and the rest, see our Veneto day trips guide . To fit the islands around the city sights first, the Venice on a budget page has the core.
Buy the day pass first thing, ride out to Burano before the crowds, and work back through Torcello and Murano.