Originally Posted by Perche

Veneziataxi will take you to Murano, where you'll have to sit through glass blowing and get the hard sell, then they will take you to Murano, then to Torcello. The regular water taxis Consorzio Motoscafi are the nice polished wood ones. They are a public service designed to get people from place to place, not on a tour. Veneziataxi is not quite the same. They have similar boats but, but a little less regulated. The cost would probably 400 euros each, or close to $450 each, and it would take about 4 hours. It will cost considerably more if you can't ignore the hard sell of buying cheap glass on Murano.

Murano is so close to Venice proper that it isn't even full fare, which is 7.50 euros, to take a vaporetto there. It's just a ten minute ride Fondamenta Nove that the fare is steeply discounted, if you tell them at the ticket booth that you are just going to Murano. Burano is a much longer ride, but a nicer place. It takes about 45 minutes, but it's a nice ride on a vaporetto, especially if you have better weather. Torcello is a very short vaporetto ride from Murano, and they leave at least every hour, so it's easy to do. Keep in mind it's over an hour back to Venice from Torcello on a vaporetto, but it's not a bad trip (timing may be seasonal). I've kayaked it a number of times.

If you want to spend $900 or so being whisked around 3 islands in 4 hours, plus the obligatory glass hard sell on Murano, you can indulge in the wood paneled motorboats tooling the two of you around Venice proper for about 45 euros for you both, from place to place. Or if you are arriving by air, from the airport to Venice. Otherwise, there is nothing wrong with taking a waterbus (vaporetto) instead of a water taxi to Murano, then Burano, then Torcello, and doing it more like a local. It would be a nice, relaxed, very interesting day. You can get your wood paneled motor boat fix by having one take you down the Grand Canal at night.