Must-see attractions in Murano, Burano & the Northern Islands

Murano has been the home of Venetian glass-making since the 13th century. Today, artisans continue to ply their trade at workshops dotted around the…

Life choices are presented in no uncertain terms in the dazzling mosaics of the Assumption Basilica. Look ahead to a golden afterlife amid saints and a…

Burano, with its cheery pastel-coloured houses, is renowned for its handmade lace, which once graced the decolletage and ruffs of European aristocracy…

Fire-breathing is the unifying theme of Murano’s medieval church, with its astounding 12th-century gilded-glass apse mosaic of the Madonna made in Murano…

Torcello, the republic's original island settlement, was largely abandoned due to malaria and now counts only around 14 permanent residents. Its mosaic…

Until Napoleon established a city cemetery on this little island, Venetians had been buried in parish plots across town – not an ideal solution in a…

Occupying two buildings across the square from the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, this museum is dedicated to Torcello’s venerable history. The main…

Franciscan friars offer free tours of their secluded island home, which still retains some of its 13th-century elements, including the first cloister. As…

There are authentic glass factories on Murano offering cheaper demonstrations and turning out far finer work, but this furnace – housed within a…

Literally overshadowed by Torcello's famous basilica, to which it's connected by a colonnaded walkway, this interesting round Byzantine-style church dates…

Since 1861, Murano’s glass-making prowess has been celebrated in Palazzo Giustinian, the home of bishops of Torcello from 1689 until the diocese's…

Burano's Lace Museum tells the story of a craft that cut across social boundaries, endured for centuries and evoked the epitome of sophistication reached…

From 1468 until the 18th century, this tiny island served as a quarantine station. Merchants waited out their 40-day exile in one of the 100 cells that…

Sixteenth-century St Martin's Church, with its worryingly wonky 53m-high campanile (bell tower), is worth a peek for Giambattista Tiepolo’s 1725 La…

Take a pause from glass shopping to check out The Baptism of Christ, attributed to Tintoretto, in 16th-century St Peter the Martyr's Church. The parish…

This 5th-century marble throne is said to have been used by Attila the Hun when his horde swept south, terrorising the Roman city of Altino. In fact, the…

Mazzorbo's late 13th-century Romanesque St Catherine's Church is the only one of the island's 10 medieval churches to survive. Call in to see its wooden…

A small beach near the Torre Massimiliana, with a seasonal bar serving coffee and pizza.

La Certosa’s yacht marina complex includes a hotel, an alfresco restaurant-bar and a sailing club, which runs regattas and a summer sail camp for children.

Murano's white lighthouse only dates to 1934, but it's a distinctive island landmark. It's not open to the public.