Lido

Murano

Burano

Torcello

Introduction

Surrounding the main city with its historic buildings and crowded tourist attractions is the peaceful Venice lagoon with its beautiful islands, around 70 is number. This is the traditional kingdom of the Venetian rowing boat; the splash of their oars ripple through the water melding colours of the sea, sky and ground with the redbrick of waterside houses. These populated islands form a historic environment comparable to Venice itself, but few of them are included on the traditional tourist itineraries.
From the San Marco area, boat links provide transport to the most interesting islands in the south part of the lagoon; from here you can visit Lido, San Giorgio and Giudecca. In this area can also be found many agencies organizing day trips around the lagoon. To find boat links to islands in the Northern part of the lagoon such as Murano, Burano and Torcello you have to move to the Fondamente Nuove boat stop where many public service boats can provide transport.

Tips:

Organized tours don't give you much time on the islands, so I'd recommend travelling independently unless you're in a hurry or have limited mobility.
Instead of buying individual tickets for the boat trips between the islands, buy one- or three-day travel card (Venice Card) at any ACTV ticket booth. Better yet, order the Venice Card before you leave home. With the Venice Card, you'll get unlimited transportation plus admission to municipal museums on the islands and in Venice.

I strongly recommend also buying a copy of the ACTV Orario (Timetable) at any vaporetto ticket booth. It's inexpensive, and it will make it easier to plan your trip.

The view from Saint Mark's square:

Standing in St. Mark’s square looking at the canal of St. Mark, the island of San Giorgio Maggiore dominates the surrounding view. This island is easily identifiable from the Benedictine monastery complex which towers above surrounding buildings. The church (build by Andrea Palladio) and the bell tower afford a marvellous view of the lagoon. The monastery itself has from 1951 been the home of the prestigious Fondazione Giorgio Cini and is still today considered one of the most important cultural centres of Venice.