The island of Burano, Italian charm in full color!

Cliquez ici pour la Version Française

Burano takes you out of time! This little village on the Venetian lagoon is quite simply a nugget! Imagine hundreds of colorful houses lining canals and narrow streets. A small square with a chapel and pretty bridges over the water. Inhabitants in the shade of the houses, playing cards or knitting lace (Burano’s real specialty). Open your eyes and you’re in Burano!

Tradition has it that the houses were all painted to help fishermen returning in bad weather to recognize their home.

Practical information

• How to get to Murano and Burano? To get there, take vaporetto line 12 from the Fondamente Nove pier in the Cannaregio district, which serves Murano, Mazzorbo and Burano. The journey takes 40 minutes.

• Where to sleep? It’s possible to sleep in Burano or Murano, but the easiest way is to be based in Venice, and visit the surrounding islands for the day.

• I’ve read several articles about glassware on the island of Murano, and you should be very careful about where it comes from: some glassware is « Made in China »… If the sellers are prepared to sell to you at a considerably lower price, think again…

• We visited these islands in September 2020, at the height of the covid crisis. Although the glassblowers’ activity was very low, we were lucky enough to come across very few people (whether in Murano or Burano), but it would seem that in normal times these islands are victims of their own success. Don’t hesitate to get there early in the morning to fully appreciate them without too many tourists.

• We didn’t eat there, as we were there for a long afternoon. It is possible to eat on the islands, although it seems that prices are a little higher than in Venice.

Burano, our favorite

The canals crossed by pretty little bridges give this village a real charm.

Don’t hesitate to stray from the main streets. The alleyways are just as beautiful and, above all, quieter than the main thoroughfares!

The ideal time on the island is around 2-3 hours, enough to take a leisurely stroll around and grab a bite to eat in one of the restaurants along the main alley. There are fewer tourists than in Venice, and the walk is very pleasant.

Don’t forget your cameras, you’ll want to immortalize all these colors!

Next door, Murano, a glassblowers’ paradise

This is another island reached by taking the same boat as for Burano. It’s the first island the boat docks on, and the one closest to Venice.

Murano is a colorful island, a cross between Burano and Venice. Murano’s specialty is its world-renowned glassmaking. As soon as you arrive on the island, take a stroll through the many souvenir stores and admire the many objects made from glass.

With the Covid crisis hitting Italy hard at the time of our visit in September 2020, we weren’t able to attend the glassblowers’ fantastic show. We did, however, see a fine demonstration of Murano know-how as we watched a craftsman working glass inside a souvenir store, but only on small pieces. We can only hope that the glassblowers will soon be able to return to normal activity!

Venice

Let’s not forget that we’re on the Venetian lagoon, and that a visit to Venice is a must. Saint Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace, the Grand Canal, the Rialto… the list goes on and on, and it would be a shame to miss out on these architectural and historical gems.

Thanks for reading!

Mylène