Murano

If you're travelling to Venice, you will without doubt be enthralled by the endless alleyways, shops and gondolas. However, if you have some extra time and you're willing to walk on the path less travelled, you can find the hidden gem of Murano Island. 

Located only a mile away from the mainland, Murano is most well-known for its beautifully colourful glasswork and equally splendid houses. While much of the glasswork used to take place in Venice proper, due to risk of fires from kilns, glassmakers were moved to the island of Murano in the 1200s. 

To reach the island, you will need to take one of the many water taxis or boats to the island. The boat ride is approximately 40 minutes, but the ride in itself is a fun experience as you get to see downtown Venice from a different perspective. When we travelled to Venice in 2019, it was some of the historically worst flooding Venice had in 50 years. Luckily, the water taxis to Murano were still running even with the poor weather conditions. 

Almost every shop you pass is selling magnificently coloured glassware, from jewelry to kitchenware to sculptures. I purchased several items, including a miniature glass Christmas tree with the tiniest glass candy cane ornaments on it. The craftsmanship of Murano is truly unparallelled. 

There are also a number of coffee shops and restaurants on the island for a lunch break or you can pop into the famous Murano Glass Museum. If you'd like an exciting experience with a fraction of the tourists that flock to Venice, definitely make a stop in at the hidden gem, Murano island.