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Venice is a beautiful city, full of history, incredible architecture, and a classic Italian food scene. However, after a few days in the city, we found ourselves romanticising over the famed islands slightly further afield – Murano and Burano. Each famous in its own right, one for Glass and one for Lace, each are definitely worth a stop. But with limited time, which should you choose?

Getting Around:

To get between Venice, Burano, and Murano, the Line 12 Vaporetti/water bus (schedule linked here) operated by ACTV, will get you quickly and easily between the three.

From Venice, the Line 12 runs to the Fondamenta Nova ferry terminal (click here for Google maps location.)

To purchase tickets, there are self-service machines at ACTV docks/the ticket window. The tickets last for 90 minutes and are 7.5 euro each way. If you plan to stop at both Burano and Murano from Venice, check out the day pass option as this will be most cost-effective.

What is Burano?

Burano is a small fishing village known for its lace-making, a long tradition on the island and site of an old lace-making school in the nineteen hundreds. Burano is about a hour boat ride by Vaporetti. Immediately, we felt like we were in a different world than Venice, far away from the vast crowds of tourists that are all over the Venetian archipelago.

Burano is a small island. We were able to walk around it in about two hours.

Although the island is known for its lacemaking, the thing that really stood out to us at first glance were the colorful houses that lined the streets. The trip to Burano was worth it for these views alone! There are a lot of cute boutiques and cafes all along the island, and we spent our time popping into these and checking out what to buy – there was a lot of great jewelry and other trinkets. You’ll also see women handmaking lace on the streets – if a lace souvenir catches your fancy, this is the place to buy!

Il Campanile Sorto and the Chiesa di San Martino are definitely worth pointing out, as well as Casabepi (a house even more colorful than the rest!) in your stroll around the island. Due to the size of the island, these will be easy to spot while you make your rounds.

Colorful houses along a side street in Burano

What is Murano?

Murano is famous worldwide and known as the birthplace of Venetian Glass. Back in 1291, the Venetian Doge ordered all furnaces in Venice to be moved to Murano, for fears of fires spreading throughout Venice. The long history of glassmaking on the island is definitely the focal point here!

The most popular things to do here revolve around this ancient tradition – glassblowing tours are the highlight of many itineraries, and stopping into souvenir shops or even some restaurants, it’s easy to find practitioners in the ancient craft creating new artworks.

Murano is only about a fifteen minute boat ride from Piazza San Marco, so if you’re low on time, it’s quicker to get to than Burano.

Initially, it seems less appealing than Burano due to Burano’s bright colors welcoming you as soon as you step off the boat. However, spending a bit more time in Murano, the island is a bit more built-up than its counterpart with a bit more activities.

Glassblowing Tour – If glass interests you, a glassblowing tour definitely should be on your list of things to do. There are a ton of private tours as well as arranged day trips that include a boat ride from Venice. If you’re like us and prefer to self-organize your own tour, there are also some opportunities to watch glassblowing demonstrations on the island – however, keep in mind that a lot of the glassblowers here see their gift as a true art and prefer to work in private. That being said, many of the shops selling true Murano glass have back rooms where they’re blowing glass throughout the day and if you ask nicely, they might let you watch! V.I.A. Factory also has free glassbowing demonstrations about every ten minutes.

Museo del Vetro glass museum – If you’re interested in glass throughout the ages of Murano’s long history, the museum is worth a stop. Admission is only 10 euros and you can see some incredible examples of different glass making styles. If you don’t have time to see an actual demonstration, this is the next best thing.

Walk around the Main Canal – To no surprise to us, one of the best things to do in Murano was just like Venice – walk around! Similar to Venice, there is a main canal that stretches through the city lines with different shops all selling different examples of Murano glass.

Basílica di Santa Maria e San Donato – This Basílica, although not as well known as St. Marks in Venice, is imposing in its own right. Beautiful on the outside as well as the inside, with incredible mosaics on the floors and a strict no photos policy. It’s can be covered quickly and is definitely worth a quick stop on your trip to the island.

Which is Better?

Choosing between the two is quite a travellers dilemma! The two islands we found to be pretty different from each other, so if you only have time for one, we’d recommend choosing based on your interests. We’ve made a pro/con list below based on what we noticed from travelling to each.

Murano:

Pros:

  1. Glassmaking Tradition: Murano is famous for its centuries-old tradition of glassmaking. Visitors have the opportunity to witness live demonstrations of glassblowing and explore glassmaking workshops and factories.
  2. Closer to Venice: Murano is only about 15 minutes away by Vaporetti.
  3. Historic Attractions: In addition to its glassmaking heritage, Murano has many historic churches and buildings, such as the Church of Santa Maria e San Donato, known for its Byzantine mosaics.

Cons:

  1. Fewer Photo Ops: Compared to Burano, we didn’t think there were as many photo ops in Murano, as it lacks the vibrant array of colorful houses that characterize Burano’s streets.
  2. Limited Attractions: While Murano offers attractions related to glassmaking and some historic sites, we didn’t find walking around here to be as enjoyable as Burano.
  3. Tourist Crowds: Murano can get crowded with tourists, especially during peak seasons, which may detract from the peaceful ambiance of the island.

Burano:

Pros:

  1. Colorful Architecture: Burano is renowned for its brightly colored houses, creating a picturesque and photogenic setting that is sure to delight visitors.
  2. Lace Making Tradition: The island is famous for its intricate lace-making tradition. Visitors can learn about this craft at the Lace Museum and purchase handmade lace products.
  3. Quaint Atmosphere: Burano exudes a charming and authentic Venetian atmosphere, with narrow streets, scenic canals, and a slower pace of life that appeals to many travellers.

Cons:

  1. Distance from Venice: Burano is further away from Venice compared to Murano, requiring a longer boat journey, which may be inconvenient for some visitors.
  2. Crowded during Peak Times: Like Murano, Burano can also get crowded with tourists, particularly during peak tourist seasons, which may detract from the tranquillity of the island.
  3. Weather: Burano faces the elements a bit more than Murano does, especially around the Port as it’s not as build-up. It was incredibly windy when we visited!

Proposed Itinerary:

I hate making difficult decisions – so with our extra day in town, we decided to try to get to both! Here’s how we approached our day:

1. Vaporetti to Burano

In order to try to get to both in one day, we took the earliest Vaporetti ride from the Fondamenta Nova ferry terminal. The Line 12 boat will get you to both Burano and Murano, but as Burano is further away, we wanted to take the longer ferry first. We got on to the ferry at around 7:45am, but time schedules vary by time of year.

See here for updated ferry times: Line 12 Timetable

Even early in the morning and in mid-April the boat was very busy, so arrive early if you want to sit down and secure a spot. This water bus included toilets and the journey took from 50 minutes – 1 hour to get there.

2. Check out the Colorful Houses

The highlight of the city for us was just wandering around. Everything is so cute! Walking along the canal and exploring side streets allowed us to get some great photos of the houses and surrounding landscape. While walking around, see if you can spot Bepi’s House – a house even more colorful than the rest!

3. Visit the Lace Museum

The lace museum is the best way to find out more about the lace-making tradition in the city. Housed in an 1870s lacemaking school, this museum gives some background of the history and importance of lace to the island. It provides some interesting context to the island and makes it more interesting to se ethe local women making lace even today. If you are also considering the Glass Museum mentioned below, there is a combined ticket for both able to be purchased in advance through the MUVE website, linked here.

Burano buildings with the Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Martino Vescovo in the background!

4. Visit the Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Martino Vescovo

This church, reminiscent of the leaning tower of Pisa, is hard to miss on the island as most of the buildings are fairly short. You can climb up the bell tower for great views of Burano and the surrounding waters.

5. Lunch in Burano

Consider eating canalside in Burano at Riva Rosa or Trattoria da Romano for a taste of the local flavor.

6. Vaporetto to Murano

The same Line 12 bus can be taken back the way you came to stop at Murano (about a 30 minute ride). You won’t be alone in deciding to make the journey, as the Burano to Murano day trip is a popular option among visitors.

7. Glass-blowing Tour

No trip to Murano would be complete without checking out what the island is known for. Consider this short glass blowing experience to get a sense of what this ancient art is all about. For the more adventurous who are looking for a unique souvenir, there are also tours that allow you to blow your own glass, although they come with an upcharge. If you are coming from Burano and booking in advance, make sure to leave enough time to factor in travel time.

8. Glass Museum

If you haven’t had enough of glass-blowing yet, or chose to skip out on the tour options, the Glass Museum is a great other option for only a 10 euro entry. Skip the line here, or grab a combined ticket linked above for the both the Museum of Glass and Lace. The museum provides helpful history about the glass tradition on the island and the development over time of the glass economy.

9. Basilica di Santa Maria e San Donato

This wouldn’t be an Italian day trip itinerary without a Basilica stop! This one is beautiful and well worth a stop in to check out the 12th-century mosaic of the Madonna, beautifully-decorated floor, and large bones of a dragon hanging behind the altar. Built in the 7th century originally, it serves as another reminder of just how long Venice and its surrounding islands have stood the test of time for.

10. Wander the Canal

After a full day of sightseeing, check out the canal-side shops for some souvenirs of your time in Murano. I’d recommend the glass!

Tour Options:

If you’d rather have transport handled for you, check out one of the tour options below:

1. Half Day Tour to Murano and Burano

2. Full Day Tour to Murano and Burano

3. Murano and Burano Private Tour with Transfer