Murano/Burano/Torcello on our own vs. tour

Can anyone give me some information on doing these islands on our own vs a private tour? Tour is almost $100 so wondering if we can just go it on the vaporetto and then at least we'd have our own time schedule?? Thanks :)

WE did these two islands on our own. Since we had a three day vaporetto pass we also did Lido on our own. Did not make it to Torcello.

WE did these two islands on our own. Since we had a three day vaporetto pass we also did Lido on our own. Did not make it to Torcello.

Did you feel that you missed out on any information/history not having a guide?

there is an Alilaguna trip from near St Marks which costs about 20 euros and takes in the 3 islands

There is a guide on board who will lead you and give info but also allows free time to explore before the boat departs for the next stop

Either book through Viator or buy your own tickets at arrival

Can anyone give me some information on doing these islands on our own vs a private tour? Tour is almost $100 so wondering if we can just go it on the vaporetto and then at least we'd have our own time schedule?? Thanks :)

If you are staying in a hotel in Venice, they will most likely have an offering of a free trip to Murano as a service with a visit to a glass factory. You can then use the vaporetto to continue to Burano about 20 minutes and onward to Torcello if time permits. We loved the ability to explore at our own pace. Study each island for the location of the attractions you desire to see to save time.

Enjoy! It will be a wonderful day

Dave

Definitely try to get to Torcello. Much less crowded and very interesting.

this link will help you with a diy tour of the islands.

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-islands-tour.htm

You'll need to be very aware of the time, your location and the schedules. It's not like there are boats leaving to Burano every 30 minutes, so plan carefully to get the most of your day. You'll need a full day to do this. We spent half a day just wandering around Murano; it's lovely to wander around the residential areas away from the shops. Enjoy !

You absolutely can do all those islands and more with a simple Vaporetto (ACTV) pass which are sold as single tickets (7.5€), 24 hour tickets (I think 20€), 48 hour tickets (about 30€, etc). One you have a pass you have unlimited use of the vaporettos (which go to all the islands) for the appropriate time period. As to whether you need a guide to walk you around the walk able islands is a personal decision. We have actually had friends take some tours to the islands where the tour guide simply lets them go off on their own and meet a particular place at a later time. Not sure what the guide does except get them on the right boat. Other guides will provide you with interesting info. On the other hand, you could buy a decent guide book (we recommend the Rick Steves books) for a lot less then a guide :).

Hank

Totally agree with Hank - have done this on my own with great success. Did a bit of research before we left, had a good map (love Streetwise maps) and copies of guide book pages for reference. The 1-day vaporetto pass at 20 euros is a great bargain! If you want to tour a glass factory, you can pay a few euros at the door for some of them. Oh, the public toilets charge a small fee so have some euro coins.