On a trip to Venice if you have a little time left it is worth planning a round trip to the islands of Murano and Burano which are very close to the city.
In this trip we stayed 3 days in Venice which I consider a good amount of time to explore the city well and dedicate a day to this trip to Murano and Burano!
It’s worth buying the day pass ticket with Vaporetto which is a company that offers boat transport around this region. Timetable offers very frequent departures but the lines are a bit confusing! It is best to buy the ticket at one of the points of sale, almost all piers have a ‘mini ticket office’.
MURANO
Murano is the closest island to Venice, about 15 minutes by boat, and that’s where we started our day trip. The island is famous for its crystal factories.
The pier where the Vaporetto arrives is very close to the main street of the island which is separated by a canal with many souvenir shops especially the glass produced on the island.
We went to watch one of the crystal production presentations at Love in Glass that works in a large shed that was once a church; the former Chiesa di Santa Chiara. I found their offer interesting, the demonstration happens practically all day long with short breaks, you pay the ticket of 6 euros and you can watch as long as you want.
The boys were very interested in the demonstration so we ended up having a good time watching! They shape and create glass pieces from scratch, it’s really cool!
After the demonstration at the ‘Cathedral of the Glass’ we strolled down main street. Talking with some merchants I was a little shocked with what I hear.. some told me not buy pieces of glass below a certain value because that means they come from China and not produced in Murano. Would it be another effect of super tourism in the region? I don’t know, but that made me feel a bit sad!
We had a delicious lunch at a traditional trattoria by the end of the main street, more details you can see in the post about Restaurants in Venice . After having lunch we took another Vaporetto to Burano.
BURANO
Burano is a little farther, about 45 minutes from Venice. If you visit during the summer, prefer to travel in the open areas of the Vaporetto! My God what a sauna it is inside those boats!
Burano is a small and super charming island, with its famous colorful houses and many fishing boats moored by the canals! According to our research, fishermen painted their houses in different colors to make it easier to recognize from the sea where were returning from a fish day. It doesn’t take much to get to know Burano, the cool thing is to walk the streets from one channel to another surrounded by loads of color!
This day was especially hot and every water fountain we step across we took the opportunity for a refreshing shower! Do I need to say the boys loved?
If you are searching for Italian travel tips especially during the European summer check out the series of posts about our trip to Puglia!
10-day itinerary for the Puglia region in Italy
Vieste and the beaches north of Puglia in Italy
Lecce and the beaches in southern Puglia on Italy
By the Trullis of Alberobello in Puglia
