First things first, if you are visiting Venice for the first time, please don’t do a day trip. You will regret it right away. Spend at least two days to experience this island’s magic. In our opinion, one of those days should be a day trip to explore the nearby islands of Burano and Murano.
We visited Italy in spring 2024, and Venice was our first stop. We spent three nights and two days in Venice. However, we soon regretted not adding more days to our stay.
The Itinerary
When researching, we realised that the Islands of Burano and Murano are quite small and can be visited in one day. In fact, when we added all our stops in Burano to the map, it said we could walk to all of the attractions and back to the ferry stop in less than half an hour. Of course, you will need more time, considering that you won’t just be walking by all the attractions; you will also need to account for taking photos, shopping, and some Burano delights, such as the Brunnellini cookies, etc.
And with Murano, it is actually larger than Burano, but it is a little blander in personality.
Our recommendation is to visit Burano in the morning, and Murano in the afternoon, and if possible, take the ferry back to the main island around sunset.
First Stop: Burano
The island of Burano is known for its colourful houses; in fact, it may even be the most colourful island in the world.
The island’s houses are painted in vibrant hues, creating a dazzling patchwork that looks straight out of a storybook. But this isn’t just for aesthetics—it dates back to a time when fishermen needed a way to find their homes through the thick lagoon fog. The tradition stuck, and today, homeowners have to get government approval before repainting, ensuring Burano stays as charmingly colourful as ever.
How to get to Burano?
Before we get to the detailed logistics on how to get to Burano, in case you aren’t aware, there are no cars or other road transportation in the Venezian islands, water buses also known as vaporettos are the public transportation a available across the islands.
The only vaporetto that can take you to Burano and Murano is the line 12, and it departs from Ft. Nove(Fondamente Nove). Depending on where you are staying, you can take other water bus lines to reach Ft. Nove, or just walk.
Sidenote; if you are someone like me who loves architecture, quaint streets, or beatuoiful corners then account maybe an additional 5 to 10 mins for the walk to F.te Nove “A” because Venice is just incredibly beautiful and I had to stop at every corner or every bridge to take pictures.
The ferry ride to Burano is about 45 minutes, and if I’m right, there were a few stops in between, fewer than five or so.
What to do in Burano?
In short, just roam around. That is the best way to explore Burano.
As I previously noted, these Islands are very small, in fact, Burano is only 0.2 square kilometers.
To give you a vivid picture of how small it is, I added the ferry stop in Google maps and put directions to the furthest point of the island, and Google said it takes 8 mins to walk over there, and if you were to walk around the island, it takes you maybe 30 mins or so.
Burano Lace Making
Burano isn’t just famous for its colourful houses—it’s also got a pretty special tradition of needle-lace making. This isn’t your average lace; we’re talking about intricate, handcrafted pieces that can take weeks to complete. And with all that effort, it’s no surprise that a proper Burano lace tablecloth can set you back €500 or more!
If you want to see the real deal, head to Emilia Burano or Martina Vidal, where you’ll find everything from lacework to stylish home decor. We stopped by Martina Vidal and was able to see them in action.
That said, if you are like us and don’t want to miss any of the instagrammable spots in the island, here is a curated list of what not to miss when in Burano.
What not to miss when in Burano
Murano
If Burano is about colourful houses and lace making, then Murano makes up for it with something more beautiful: glass-making. Murano glass is world-famous, and one of the must-dos when in Murano is to go to a glass-making factory and watch a glass-blowing demonstration.
How to get to Murano?
If you are going by our recommendation, then you would have visited Burano first, and in that case, to reach Murano, take the line 12 back to Venice and get off at Murano Faro, this should take about half and hour.
However, if you are visiting Murano first, then the ride from Venice(F.te Nove “A”) to Murano(Murano Faro “A”) takes about 10 mins.
What to do in Murano?
Murano consists of seven individual islands; however, just like Burano, it is quite small and could be walked across in about 20 minutes or so. Murano has many beautiful and historic churches, but two of those are a must-visit: the Church of Santa Maria e San Donato and Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angeli.
Originally founded in 1188, Santa Maria degli Angeli is a historic Roman Catholic church, and has undergone reconstruction and restoration over the centuries. Once associated with a prestigious monastery that housed noble Venetian nuns, the church played a significant role in religious and cultural history. Although it is no longer one of Murano’s parish churches, it remains notable for its Renaissance architecture, stunning bas-relief entrance, and remarkable artworks by painters like Palma il Giovane and Il Pordenone.
The Church of Santa Maria e San Donato. on the other hand, has a bit more intriguing history, the church houses large bones behind the altar, believed to be from a dragon slain by Saint Donatus—though they might actually belong to extinct Pleistocene mammals, it is also known for its t is known for its twelfth century Byzantine mosaic pavement.
Disclaimer: We couldn’t visit this church
Murano Glass and glassblowing demonstration
Almost every souvenir shop in Murano will have artworks, figurines or jewellery made of Murano glass, and they are all just gorgeous. You will also see a lot of art galleries or exclusive shops selling works that are mind-blowing.
And if you have time, go for a glassblowing demonstration; it is highly recommended. We went to OMG, or Original Murano Glass Furnace and Showroom, for a Glass Blowing demonstration and a Glass Factory tour. You will need to book an appointment/reservation to visit. However, their website says they are not picky about the chosen time as long as you visit on the same day.
If you want to grab some food from Murano, Osteria Al Duomo and Il Bocconcino seem to be good options. We had these two restaurants on our list; however, our tired legs made us take a seat at one of the touristy restaurants, Il Tramezzino, and to our surprise and despite the negative google reviews, the service was good, and the food and drinks were good as well. In fact, the person who took our order noticed that we were given the wrong drink, and actually brought us the correct drinks without extra charge.
Other than the churches and the glass-blowing demonstration, we didn’t do much in Murano; in fact, I think most of our time there was spent browsing glass souvenirs and jewellery.
