The island of Venice sits in a lagoon-a calm section of the Adriatic protected from wind and waves by the natural breakwater of the Lido. Four interesting islands hide out in the lagoon.
San Giorgio Maggiore, rated A, is the dreamy island you can see from the waterfront by St. Mark's Square. The striking church, designed by Palladio, features art by Tintoretto and a bell tower with oh-wow views of Venice (free entry to church, daily May-Sept 9:30-12:30 & 14:30-18:30, Oct-April closes at 16:30, closed Sun to sightseers during Mass, Gregorian Mass sung at 8:00 Mon-Sat and at 11:00 ori Sun-confirm times at TI). The bell tower elevator costs �3 and stops running 30 minutes before the church closes. To reach the island from Si. Mark's Square, take the five-minute vaporetto ride on #82 from the San Zaccaria Jolanda stop, just past the Bridge of Sighs, closest to the big statue. (Note: This is not the same vaporetto stop as San Marco/Vallaresso.)
The islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello are reached easihy, cheaphy, and slowly by vaporetto. Pick up a free map of the islands from any TI. Depart from the San Zaccaria Jolanda dock, past the Bridge of Sighs and near the big statue. Line #12 connects all three islands, or take #41 to Murano (get off at "Murano Colonna"), then #12 to the other islands. If you plan to visit even two of these islands, get a 24-hour �10.50 vaporetto pass or a 12-hour �8.50 "Laguna Tour" pass for convenience. Speedboat tours (3-5 hrs) of these three lagoon destinations leave twice a day from the dock past the Doge's Palace near the Cipriani Hotel shuttle dock (look for the signs and booth); the tours are speedy indeed, stopping for roughly 35 minutes at each island (�20, April-Oct usually at 9:30 and 14:30, Nov-March 14:30 only, tel. 041-523-8835).
Murano, famous for its glass factories, has the Glass Museum, which displays the very best of 700 vears of Venetian glassmaking and exhibits of ancient and modern glass art (museo Vetrario, �4, covered by �15.50 Museum Pass, Thu-Tue 10:00-17:00, Nov-March 10:00-16:00, last entry 30 min before closing, closed Wed, tel. 041-739-586). You'll be tempted by salesmen offering free speedboat shuttles from St. Mark's Square to Murano. If you're interested in glass, it's handy. You must watch the 20-minute glassmaking show, but then you're free to buy or escape and see the rest of the island. Numerous glass factories (fabbrica orfornace) offer itself, the bell tower (behind the church, climb a ramped stairway for great lagoon views), a sacristy, and a small museum (facing the church, in two separate buildings) that displays Roman sculpture and medieval sculpture and manuscripts. A�6 combo-ticket gets you into all the sights, or pay �2 apiece (most open daily 10:30-17:30, museum closed Mori, tel. 041-730-761). There's a pay WC between the museum's two buildings.