Ideally combine a trip to Murano with a trip to the even more remote and romantic Burano.
The island will completely absorb you with its peaceful atmosphere, colourful houses and narrow canals. What's more, as one of the few islands in the lagoon, the locals outnumber the tourists. Colourful Burano may be small, but it's hard to leave here and go back to Venice...
Ideally, plan your day so that you end up on Burano in the evening and have dinner here. You'll find more than enough romantic little restaurants here, and with the relaxed atmosphere, you'll enjoy it much more.
Painted houses and handmade lace
Burano is actually a system of several miniature islands interconnected by canals and bridges, which are lined with romantic little houses painted in bright colors. Don't look for cars or motorbikes here, only boats and sidewalks.
While the larger and better known Murano is famous for its glass production, Burano has a long tradition of handmade embroidered lace, which is the main local souvenir.
A visit to Burano may only take half an hour, but you may well fall in love with it so much that you'll want to spend every day of your stay in Venice here.
Leaning tower of the church
The landmark of Burano is the Church of San Martino with its 53 tall bell tower.
It is characterized at first glance by a pronounced tilt caused by several earthquakes in the past combined with unstable bedrock.
Thanks to the intervention of structural engineers, the tower's inclination has been stabilised at 1.83 metres.
Accommodation
Are you looking for accommodation in quiet places in an authentic environment without the tourist glitz? Then Burano is the ideal place. In the evening, everything will quiet down and you will have the darkened streets to yourself. In Burano you can stay mainly in small and well rated private guesthouses or apartments:
Location and transport
Burano can be reached by regular boat services.
The journey from the centre of Venice takes 40 minutes on line 12 or 70 minutes on line 14.
You can find timetables for all the routes listed below at a glance on the website: avm.avmspa.it/orari.
- Venice city centre (station F.te Nove) - line 12 (frequency 30 minutes) and night line Nln
- Venice city centre (San Marco station) - line 14 (frequency 60 minutes)
- Murano - line 12 (frequency 30 minutes) and night line Nln
- Torcello - line 12 (frequency 30 minutes), line 9 (frequency 15 minutes - only in summer season) and night line Nln
- Treporti - lines 12 (frequency 60 minutes), 14 (frequency 60 minutes) and night line Nln
- Punta Sabbioni - lines 12 (frequency 60 minutes), 14 (frequency 60 minutes) and night line Nln
- Lido - line 14 (frequency 60 minutes)
Tip! When returning from Burano to the centre of Venice, expect large crowds, especially on line 12, and it is not uncommon to not fit on the boat at all the first time.
If you want to be sure of a seat, take line 12 in the direction of Torcello Island, where it empties out, immediately returns to Burano and then continues straight on to the centre of Venice. You can easily stay on board the whole time.
What to see around
Discover all the places to see in Venice.
