Venice > Sightseeing > Murano > Transportation

Murano transportation

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From: Murano, the Glass Island

ABOVE: A motoscafo or waterbus of the ACTV.

Murano is easy to reach from Venice by public transportation. Here's how to get there with the ACTV, Venice's transit company:

From S. Zaccaria (just up the waterfront promenade from the Piazza San Marco and the Doge's Palace):

• Take the  ACTV's Line 4.2 waterbus, which will take you to Murano by way of the Fondamente Nove and the cemetery island of San Michele in just over 40 minutes. (Or you can ride the Line 4.1 boat, which goes to Murano in the reverse direction via the Giudecca Canal, but the voyage will take nearly an hour.)

• When you reach Murano, get off at any stop. (Colonna is handy for glassblowing demonstrations; Museo is close to the Glass Museum and the Basilica of Santi Maria e Donato.)

From the Fondamente Nove (on the north side of the historic center, facing the Lagoon):

Catch the 4.1 or 4.2 waterbus. The 4.1 will get you to the Murano Colonna stop in 10 minutes; the Faro, Navagero, and Museo stops take longer. Alternatively, you could take one of the boats on Line 12 or 13, which require only nine minutes to reach the Murano Faro stop on their way to more distant points in the northern section of the Venetian Lagoon.

From the Piazzale Roma or Ferrovia (the bus and railroad stations):

• Ride the Line 3 "Diretto Murano" boat, which takes 17 minutes to reach Murano Colonna from the railroad station. Stay on the boat if you'd rather get off at Faro, Navagero, Museo, or Venier.

• The 4.1 waterbus, which is slower than the 3 with local stops along the way.

For more information on ACTV waterbuses, see our articles on Vaporetto Routes and Vaporetto Fares, or use the station-to-station journey planner on the ACTV Web site.

From Venice Marco Polo Airport:

• Alilaguna's airport water buses serve various stops on Murano; see our Venice Airport Boat article for more information.

Private transportation:

• If you're in a hurry and have money to burn, a water taxi can take you directly to Murano from your hotel (or the nearest canal).

• Murano glass factories and showrooms offer free boat trips to the island for tourists who don't mind being subjected to high-pressure salesmanship. (Look for the touts who frequent busy tourist areas.)

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About the author:

Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

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